“So you’d work and I’d…preview?”
They reached the steps of his building. His guards stayed behind, giving them that bubble of artificial privacy.
“Come see it,” he said.
She looked up at him. “See what?”
His gaze was steady. “The future.”
The cursor blinked.
And blinked.
And blinked.
Bea stared at the flashcards open on her screen, highlighters uncapped beside her, a half-eaten protein bar next to her elbow. Her eyes burned.
No more International Finance. Her brain had officially tapped out.
She shoved the textbook aside and opened a new tab. Something fun.
London flights.
Gage’s idea had merit. She should at least go check it out. She could love it, which would make everything easier. She hoped she would.
She filtered by direct flights. Then lowest cost. Then snorted, because Gage wouldn’t fly coach if it were the last plane out of a war zone.
The screen loaded rows of airline options. She clicked through one, scrolled past seating charts, and without thinking, hit Start Booking.
It loaded for half a second. Then the pop-up appeared.
A pale grey box. Polite. Unassuming.
REMINDER | You are currently registered under Tier 4 in accordance with the Social Proximity Law. To proceed with international travel, ensure you have override clearance or confirmation from your linked party before you submit your booking. Failure to do so may result in delays. | Note: This is a reminder only. No alert has been sent to your linked party.
Bea stared at the screen.
What. The. Hell.
Who was her linked party?
Gage. It had to be Gage.
She got up, padded across the apartment, and knocked on Georgina’s bedroom door.
It opened. Georgina had a silk headband in and a lacy black sleep mask pushed up like a crown. “You okay?”
Bea shifted. “Yeah. Just…can I show you something?”
“Of course.”
They walked back into Bea’s room. She sat at her desk and woke her screen. The pop-up was still there. Mocking her in government-approved Helvetica.
Georgina leaned over and scanned it. Then gave a quiet “ah.”
Bea glanced up. “Do you know what it means?”
“Yeah. It’s just a Tier Four travel flag. It’s not a block, just a system reminder.”
