His eyes meet mine.
And for a moment—just a moment, just a fraction of a heartbeat—I see something flicker across his face.
Surprise. Uncertainty.
Something else I can't name, something that disappears so quickly I almost think I imagined it.
Then his expression smooths into careful, practiced blankness.
No guilt. No shame.
No recognition of what passed between us, of the words he spoke, of the ring he slid from my finger.
The CEO steps forward, hand extended, a polished smile fixed on his lips. He's a tall man with neatly styled black-and-silver hair and the kind of confidence that comes from years of authority. But even he seems smaller today, diminished slightly by the presence of someone from a world he can never truly enter.
"Mr. Kael," he says, his voice smooth and practiced. "It's an honor to meet you in person."
I shake his hand.
Brief. Firm. Professional.
