Page 86 of Alien War Daddy's Got Rizz
Polished.
Composed.
Poised for surrender.
I press my forehead to the cool wall and exhale slowly.
When did I stop being a person?
When did I become a brand with skin?
I can feel everything cracking beneath me. Not just the company. Not just the board.
Me.
My foundation.
My spine.
I needed Grau.
And I sent him away.
I get to my office and lock the door.
The windows show the skyline of Helios City—sharp towers, neon reflections, clouds that move too fast to be natural. It’s beautiful. It’s cruel. It’s mine.
No. It was mine.
Now it belongs to Jonathan fucking Tidball.
My father’s oldest friend.
The man I trusted when I didn’t trust myself.
The man who handed me recaf with a smile while gutting me from the inside out.
I sink to the floor beside the desk. Not the chair. Not the couch.
The floor.
Cold. Grounding. Real.
I grip my compad and scroll through the last message he sent me.
"You did wonderfully. This will stabilize everything. Be proud of yourself."
It makes me want to scream.
But I don’t.
I don’t have the breath.
The door buzzes.
I don’t answer.
It buzzes again.
