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—Internal Message

We regret to inform you that Sam McKenzie passed away last weekend. Some of you may already be aware. Sam had been a valued member of the Emotive team for sixteen years and will be missed.

At Emotive, we care. If you feel impacted by this news, additional well-being support is available via your employee portal.

—People and Culture Team Emotive Corporation

Of course they cared. I doubted those sessions were anonymous.

Thomas’s message box lit up.

Thomas: I heard from Leona that he committed suicide.

Me: He was due to retire in eight years.

Thomas: I know, he used to talk about it all the time.

I switched tabs when I noticed a new email from Cynthia.

From: Cynthia Gladstone [email protected]

To:Team Purple

Subject: Updated Team Structure

Hi team,

I hope this message finds you well.

Thank you for your continued hard work and professionalism this week. Following internal discussions and given the current workflow efficiencies, the company has decided not to pursue a replacement for Sam McKenzie.

As per the broadcast earlier, we acknowledge this may come as unexpected news. Should anyone wish to discuss the revised structure or raise any concerns, I’m happy to schedule individual video calls.

Thank you for your understanding, and please enjoy your weekend.

Regards,

Cynthia Gladstone

Project Manager Lead

Emotive Corporation

[Internal Use Only – Confidential]

Like a coward, she’d sent the email as everyone finished their shift. I needed to figure out another way to make credits. If I continued down this path, I’d end up murdering someone, and prison was no joke.

Team messages began to light up, but I logged out of Emotive’s system and switched over to my home setup. I was about to swipe away an advert when I noticed the woman was a cydoll. Not just any cydoll—but a sex doll incorporated with AI. These were the elite-class models.

My finger hovered before I tapped the 18+ video.

“Are you tired of getting nowhere with human women? Or do you want to take your fantasies to the next level? We release our latest model… SIN.”

I zoomed in on the video, because damn—she looked real. The flesh, eyes, hair, and that body. Her movements were smooth. Just as it got to her pussy, you caught a glimpse before the name popped up:

S.I.N™? – Simulated Intimacy Nexus

The next scene cut in. She lay on a bed, naked, as the camera panned down her body. This model had dark hair, not blonde.