Nadia's heart was racing right now.
He had called her beautiful.
He had said it so naturally, so casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And the way he had phrased it—like a literal fairy from the heavens—it was so poetic, so sincere, that she felt something warm spread through her entire body.
She wanted to smile. To laugh. To hug him. To—
But instead, she bit her lip.
'Control. You have to control your emotions.'
'If you let this happiness spread, there will be an disaster. The whole building will shake. The meeting will be ruined.'
She focused on breathing. On calming her racing heart and keeping the joy contained.
Mika watched her struggle with amusement. Then his expression changed, becoming slightly mischievous.
"What about the mechanisms I put in that dress, Nadia? The ones that made random songs play? I put arrays into the fabric specifically for that purpose."
Nadia's composure returned.
"Oh, I took care of those."
