Chapter 252:

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Corinne POV

The next morning, I showed up at the Apex office to finalize the transition of the Nexus Analytics integration. Acting as though nothing had happened wasn’t a struggle. After the defense platform designation, Dayna’s petty office politics felt like a distant, buzzing insect.

Blake hadn’t come home, and I hadn’t tried to contact him. Some things no longer needed to be said.

Casey noticed the dark circles under my eyes. “Didn’t sleep well?”

“Just thinking about the platform’s security protocols,” I lied. I didn’t want to waste my breath on Dayna’s latest theatrics, not even with Casey.

As we walked toward the conference room, we ran into Mr. Shaw. He pulled us aside, his face alight with gossip.

“Did you hear? Ms. Nixon was harassed in the parking lot last night!” he whispered excitedly.

Casey frowned. “Harassed?”

“Yeah! A few drunk fans recognized her… but then Captain Carlisle came out of nowhere! He scooped her up and carried her away. It was like a scene from a movie!”

So that was his “emergency.” The whole story was a tasteless joke. He had swerved into his own driveway, brushed past his daughter’s custody papers on the steps, and sped off into the night just to play the hero for Dayna in a park. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

𝖥i𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘃е𝘭 𝖯𝖣𝖥s o𝘯 𝘨аl𝗻о𝘃e𝗹𝘴.𝗰𝗼m

Casey’s face darkened with rage. He looked at me, his eyes full of anger and pain on my behalf.

I gave him a small, dismissive smile. I was fine. If anything, I was overqualified for this kind of drama.

Inside the conference room, Dayna’s team was already buzzing. I went to my seat, opened my laptop, and tuned them out to review the national defense architecture. The data was clean and the logic sound, a welcome refuge from the noise of the world.

A few moments later, the door opened, and Blake walked in, escorting Dayna.

She did look pale, playing the part of the traumatized victim to perfection. She clung to Blake’s side as he helped her into her chair. The intimacy between them was so thick it made the air feel heavy.

I watched them with clinical detachment. The man who had once claimed to recognize my “extraordinary” talent was still so easily blinded by a mediocre performance.

Halfway through the meeting, Dayna’s face went white, and her body swayed.

“I… I feel a little dizzy…” she murmured weakly. Then her eyes fluttered shut, and she slumped sideways.

Blake reacted instantly, catching her. “Dayna! Dayna!” he called, his voice sharp with alarm.

She didn’t respond. She was “unconscious.”

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