When A Dare Becomes Destiny

The sterile air of the pre-flight briefing room chilled me to the bone.

It was the taste of betrayal, bitter and metallic, that filled my mouth once more.

Liam, my fiancé, and Chloe, his protégé, had crushed my career, my reputation, my entire life.

They had effectively killed me.

Then, I opened my eyes.

I was back in the exact room, at the precise moment it all went wrong.

My heart hammered, a frantic drumbeat of terror and a cold, rising fury.

"Ava, are you listening?" Mark, my second-in-command, looked at me, concerned.

He told me Chloe Vance had brought an undeclared briefcase, a "gift."

I recognized it instantly: Project Chimera, a dangerous AI prototype.