My face went hot. Heart hammered. Blood pressure spiked.
Every sensor on my body screamed:TRUE.
The room tilted.
"I—" I swallowed. "That's not relevant to—"
"Answer the question." Stone's voice was steel.
I couldn't look at Quentin. Couldn't bear to see his reaction.
"Yes," I whispered.
Truth. Undeniable, mortifying truth.
The machine practically sang with the honesty of it.
Forrest made a note. Didn't smile, but something in his expression shifted.
Stone cursed under his breath.
And Quentin—I still couldn't look at him. Couldn't see what was on his face.
"That explains the spike," Forrest said. "Strong emotional response to the question about harming him. Not deception—conflict between attraction and professional boundaries."
Thank you.Thank you for giving me an out.
"Final questions," Forrest continued, mercifully moving on. "Are you currently working for any competing businesses or criminal organizations?"
"No."
Lie. But Julia Russell wasn't. Julia Russo was.
Separate identities. You are Julia Russell right now.
"Do you plan to steal proprietary information or trade secrets?"
"No."
Truth. That wasn't the mission.
"Will you be loyal to Mr. Vanetti and Vitality Ventures?"
Complicated question.
But in that moment, thinking about Quentin watching me from across the room, thinking about how much I wanted this to be real—
"Yes," I said.
And meant it more than I'd meant anything.
The machine agreed.
∞∞∞
Forrest began removing the sensors. "We're done."
I sat perfectly still, not trusting myself to move yet.
