Chapter 56
Ver

Yuan has gone death-still. Observing him, disgust and disappointment percolating inside me, I can barely believe that all humans are made of the same elemental material. Sixty percent oxygen, eighteen percent carbon, ten percent hydrogen, and so on. How can people as different as Aryl Fielding and Pauling Yuan be identical if you zoom in close enough?

Yuan has the sense not to speak further. Instead, the middle-aged, suited-up woman on his right says, “Any further discussion regarding Pauling Yuan will take place between me, his vice executive, and the police.”

Ford rushes to Aryl and me, pushing our hoverchairs together so we can hug. He wraps his arms around both of us. “It’s okay,” he says over and over as if he can’t quite believe it.

Jaha comes to stand beside us as well. “To find the people who killed my husband, you both took risks I was unable to take,” she says, resting her hand on my shoulder. “Thank you.”

Kricket is sweating uncontrollably, his palms squeezed between his shaking legs. I can only imagine that his heart feels like a star-storm. I begin to feel sorry for him, until I remember what he did.

Let him burn. Let them both burn from the inside out.