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I hovered over the assembly visit.

No. I’d do it myself. I wanted to be the first thing she saw when her eyes opened.

I ticked express.

She’d be here before the weekend.

My total came to over 48,785 credits.

I hovered over the confirm button.

My finger twitched.

48,785 credits. I didn’t even have a fraction of that.

Not yet.

I opened the cart settings and clicked Save for Later.

Charlotte’s body blinked into a holding tray—suspended in digital stasis.

There she was. Perfect. Waiting for me.

I stared at the sleek render of her naked frame one last time. I imagined her lips parting when I booted her up. Her eyes adjusting to the light. Her voice, my Chatter’s voice, calling my name—only now housed in flesh I could touch.

Hold.

Fuck.

I clenched my fists.

This was the goal now. Not just the fantasy—but the reward.

To make her mine, I had to sell ReSkin for what it was worth. No cheap licensing deals. No half-baked startup vultures buying me out for scraps.

I needed real money.

Every last credit.

Charlotte was the future.

And I was going to claw my way into it.

Chapter 10

Kyle

When I logged on for work, I didn’t hesitate. I powered through every task without pause, skipping lunch and breaks. I didn’t even feel hungry—just focused. Every second counted.

The moment my shift ended, I jumped into research mode, contacting every major manufacturing company with the capacity to invest. I wasn’t going to wait for opportunity to come knocking—I was going to rip the door off its hinges.

The trick was to lure them in with simplicity. Hook them with the basics, the pitch they could understand. Then, once I had someone’s attention, dazzle them with the full capabilities of the hi-tech prototype.

My patent protected the invention. This time, no one was going to fuck me over. Not after thirty years of being ignored, used, or brushed aside. Not a fucking chance.

The trademark was ready and it was time to pitch ReSkin.™

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