Liana’s POv

The gala lights glitter like champagne bubbles, gold, silver, a thousand fractured reflections on polished marble. My reflection smiles back from every surface, poised and unshaken, though the truth under my skin trembled.

This is supposed to be a celebration. Z-Core’s annual Innovation Gala, where the company showcases its brightest minds, its newest triumphs, and this year its resolve after the leak scandal.

I shouldn’t even be here, not after the weeks of scrutiny, the ...