CHAPTER 9: MIRA'S APARTMENT Mira’s apartment glowed low and deliberate. Sconces spilled amber light across the walls, while concealed lamps near the wide window cast a soft, wavering warmth that made the shadows move like breath. The air was scented with jasmine and sandalwood, and anchored by something rich and floral Harper couldn't name. In one corner, the curve of a grand piano caught the light, its lacquered surface...

CHAPTER 7: AFTERGLOW Harper stirred slowly, the sheets twisted around one of her ankles like a careless ribbon. Sunlight pushed through the tall windows, pooling gold across the worn floorboards and the half-dead jungle of her plants. A sock hung off one leafy stem and her desk was a quiet war zone of empty mugs, scribbled notebooks, and a single spoon glued to a napkin by something suspicious. She groaned and rolled over...

CHAPTER 6: THE DATE The next morning, a soft hum filtered through the Nudge Engine loft, and light poured in through the high windows, casting tangled shadows across Harper’s desk. She sat with her chin in her hand, glasses slipping down her nose, eyes unfocused on a spreadsheet she hadn’t touched in twenty minutes. Her fingers tapped absently at the keyboard, not typing, just fidgeting. There was a subtle glow to her; it...