Then, with zero warning—
"So. Was there another system-holder you were eyeing before me?"
Lucas blinked.
Then he smirked.
"Jealousy, Ava?"
"Curiosity." She didn't blink.
Lucas leaned back slowly, hands behind his head, grinning like he'd just been handed dessert.
"There were… candidates."
Ava raised an eyebrow.
"Plural?"
"Of course. You think I didn't plan for system compatibility before I met you?" He winked. "I ran background on every viable system-holder. Compared scan integrity, growth rates, psychological profiles. Had a shortlist."
Ava scoffed softly.
"You're impossible."
Lucas's voice dropped, just enough to make her glance up.
"No. You were the one I didn't see coming."
Lucas's tone shifted again—less charm now, more memory.
"I was just finishing a deal—South Chain courier, exchanging stabilizers for a sealed intel case. Clean job. No mess." He exhaled slowly, like replaying it in his head. "Then there you were fighting for your life."
