I let a breath settle, feeling the weight of the room press in from all sides.
“I am offering a replacement asset,” I say.
The air tightens.
Lorens’ voice cuts in immediately. “You are not authorized?—”
“I am choosing to,” I say, the words landing before he can finish.
Silence follows, deeper this time, pulling everything inward.
The Reaper’s gaze sharpens, not outwardly, but in the way his attention narrows.
“You?” he asks.
“Yes.”
Vihl exhales slowly. “That’s not standard.”
“No,” I say. “It isn’t.”
Lorens steps forward again, closer now, his control slipping. “She is not transferable property.”
“I am under contract,” I reply. “Contracts can be reassigned.”
“Not without my approval.”
I glance at him then, just briefly. “Your approval doesn’t hold weight right now.”
The words land harder than I expect them to.
His mouth opens, then closes.
I turn back.
“I am more useful than anything else he can offer you,” I say.
“And why would I believe that?” the Reaper asks.
“Because I’m standing here instead of hiding,” I reply.
The words settle.
“And because I’m not trying to lie to you.”
Vihl huffs quietly. “That alone puts her above him.”
Lorens’ jaw tightens. “You are overstepping?—”
“I am correcting,” I say.
The Reaper’s gaze stays on me.
Unmoving.
“And what exactly do you do?” he asks.
I meet his eyes.
