Kael didn't speak to her after the performance.
He simply left.
No message.
No call.
Not even a signal from his usual silent presence online.
It felt colder than the silence she grew up with.
But Lina had work to do.
She focused on the post-performance interviews, even when the reporters tried to bait her.
> "Is there something going on between you and Kieran?"
She smiled. "The only thing going on is talent."
> "Are you using your connections to stay in the top rankings?"
She paused. "If I had that kind of power, don't you think I'd be sleeping more?"
---
That night, as she slipped into her room, there was a gift box on her bed.
Unlabeled.
Inside: a necklace.
Simple.
Silver chain.
No note.
But her AI lit up.
> [Item Analysis: Object traced – Purchased via secure channel: Kael Marlowe]
She touched it like it might vanish.
Then wore it without thinking.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, Kael stared at his monitor, watching her wear it.
He didn't smile.
Didn't sigh.
He just sat there, unreadable, until a voice crackled over his comms.
"Boss, the girl's being watched."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "By who?"
"We don't know yet. But it's… organized."
He leaned back.
"Then we'll organize better."
---
Back at the competition, the next challenge was no longer performance-based.
It was psychological.
"Confessional Cam"—each contestant alone in a room with no script, no time limit.
They were told to answer one question:
> "Who are you, really?"
Lina stared at the blinking red light.
Said nothing for a full minute.
Then:
"I'm tired of surviving."
Silence.
"I want to live. I want to matter. I want to stop pretending like I don't remember the nights I cried so hard, I forgot what it felt like to be a person."
She inhaled.
"But I also want to say—I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore."
She leaned in.
"I know you're watching."