The man seated at the head of the room wore a simple black shirt, his bearing cool and remote. Dustin Vance.

He looked younger than in his photos, and far more imposing. He was perfectly still, doing nothing but sitting there, yet the weight of him made it difficult to hold eye contact.

"Begin." His voice was low and pleasant, stripped of any extra emotion.

I steadied myself and began: research focus, results, future plans. Not a single tremor in my hands, not a hitch in my voice. Every word landed where I aimed it, and I held nothing back.

Dustin listened closely, occasionally making notes, occasionally glancing up at me. His gaze was deep and unreadable.

When the defense was over, he asked me several technical questions, all of them extremely difficult, all aimed straight at the core.

I kept my composure and answered every one.

A slight nod. He offered no verdict either way, just: "Go home and wait for the notification."

I bowed and left, but something in my gut told me with fierce certainty.

I stepped out of the review room and there was Les. He'd found out about the selection somehow and had been waiting, and the moment he saw me, he closed the distance.

"Madge, you applied for the Core Research Lab selection. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't owe you updates on my life."

"We haven't broken up!" His voice cracked with urgency. "You promised you'd stay in the capital with me. The Core Research Lab is in the Northwest—you'd actually drag yourself out there just to get away from me?"

"Les, we're done."

I cut him off. "I've already told you to stop hounding me. Whether I go to the Northwest or the Southwest, it's nothing to do with you."

A cool, low voice came from behind me. "Madge."

I turned. Dustin Vance was standing there, and I had no idea when he'd arrived. His gaze dropped to where Les was gripping my hand, and his brow creased, just barely.

Les recognized him instantly. The color in his face shifted to something stiff and deferential.

Next to Dustin Vance, a junior scholar like Les didn't even rank.

"Professor Vance." Les let go of my hand on reflex, straightening up with an awkward greeting.

Dustin didn't look at him. His eyes stayed on me, his tone unhurried. "Come with me. I need to talk to you."

"Okay." I followed without hesitation.

Les tried to come after us, but Taylor Reed stepped into his path, smooth and wordless.