Chapter 458:

Aurora sat on the sofa, her legs tucked under her. She was wearing one of Elias’s oversized shirts, the fabric smelling of him—cedar, rain, and something distinctly masculine.

The door lock clicked.

First let out a joyous yelp, his tail thumping against the wall like a drum.

Elias walked in. He looked tired. He loosened his tie with one hand, tossing his jacket onto the entryway bench. In his other hand, he held a bag of premium dog food.

“Mutiny,” Elias muttered at the dog, who was currently winding himself around Elias’s legs. “I buy the food, but you only listen to her.”

He looked up and saw Aurora.

The air in the room shifted. It became heavier, charged with static.

Elias walked over to the sofa. He didn’t sit. He stood in front of her, blocking out the light, blocking out the world.

“You saw it,” he stated. Not a question.

“ZeroPoint?” Aurora raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“It was efficient,” Elias said, his face impassive, though his eyes were dancing with a dark amusement. “And the algorithm needed a little… guidance.”

“You re-routed the global trend list using a Chimera key,” Aurora said.

“I corrected a narrative error,” Elias replied. He leaned down, placing a hand on the back of the sofa, caging her in. His face was inches from hers. She could feel the heat radiating from him.

“Why didn’t you deny the rumors?” Aurora whispered. Her breath hitched. It was a traitorous reaction, one she couldn’t control.

“Why would I deny the truth?” Elias murmured. His gaze dropped to her lips, then back to her eyes. “Let them talk. Let them guess. As long as they know you aren’t standing alone.”

gⱯ𝗅𝗇0ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝗈𝗺; 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝖘𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝗶𝗻

Aurora felt a lump form in her throat. It was the exact opposite of the pain she had felt in the office. This was a fullness, a terrifying sense of being seen, being known, and being protected.

She reached up, her fingers brushing the stubble on his jaw.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Elias turned his head, pressing a kiss to her palm. His lips were warm.

“Woof!”

First barked loudly, dropping a slobbery rubber toy onto Elias’s foot.

The moment shattered. Elias closed his eyes and let out a long, suffering sigh.

“I am going to sell that dog to a circus,” Elias threatened, though he immediately bent down to pick up the toy, wiping the slobber on his expensive trousers without truly caring.

Aurora laughed, and for the first time that day, the sound reached her eyes.

The launch of Vitality-X was less of a medical release and more of a religious event.

Outside the flagship Chamberlain Pharmacy on Fifth Avenue, the line wrapped around the block three times. People were desperate. They were tired, they were aging, they were in pain—and Dr. Voss had promised them a bottle of time itself.

Inside the Vance-Thorne tower, Aurora watched the monitors with a detached, cold horror.

“It’s a frenzy,” Julian said, his voice tight. He was monitoring social media feeds. “The Helios Initiative’s marketing team is brilliant. They’re using micro-influencers. Look at this.”

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