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Inside a high-end apartment in Corpo Plaza, the air was thick with the scent of high-grade coffee and localized frustration.
Rebecca, looking thoroughly displeased, had begun methodically dismantling the designer sofa. When the structural groans of the furniture failed to get Kael's attention, she pivoted to a more direct approach: climbing onto his shoulders and squeezing his neck with her fleshy thighs while shaking them rhythmically.
"It was your own choice to go on missions with Maine and the others. Why are you blaming me for leaving you behind now?" Kael sighed, putting down his cup to grab Rebecca's somewhat chubby little feet before she could stuff them into his mouth.
"I don't care! You guys just left me!" Rebecca barked, her personality regressing to that of a spoiled child—a frequent occurrence around Kael. She wasn't actually angry; she was just "marking her territory" with a bit of chaotic affection.
Just then, Corpo-V's call came through. Kael hoisted Rebecca off his shoulders, tossed her onto the sofa, and sat on her backside to keep her pinned while he answered.
"Nuo, is that old hag dealt with?" V's voice sounded like a man who hadn't slept in forty-eight hours.
"Of course. Sealed in cement and dropped to the bottom of the river," Kael replied, reaching back to swat away Rebecca's hand as she tried to bite him.
"Brutal... but effective. Now that Susan Abernathy is zeroed, HQ is like a boiling pot. The directors are scrambling to protect their interests." V paused, his voice dropping an octave. "The Crown Prince wants to win me over. His attitude is direct, but I don't know if he's a safe 'thigh' to cling to."
Kael knew the internal landscape of Arasaka better than V did at this point. Yorinobu Arasaka was a peripheral figure, only back in the fold because his sister, Hanako, had brokered a peace. The real power in Night City was currently shifting toward Michiko Arasaka.
Born in 2008, Michiko was the daughter of Kei Arasaka and an American woman. As a mixed-race child, she was never recognized by the traditionalist Saburo Arasaka. She had grown up believing her father was a mid-level manager until the 2023 nuclear explosion. Against all odds, she had rebranded herself, gained public sympathy, and now led the 'Doves' faction with NUSA support.
Michiko was a woman even an "iron coffin" like Adam Smasher (or Maine in his current state) found striking. Unfortunately, V was a man; joining Michiko's inner circle usually required a certain... aesthetic compatibility.
"No, Yorinobu is your best bet," Kael said firmly. He knew a major reshuffle was coming—a "System Reset" that would change everything.
"Do you know something, Nuo?" V asked, sensing the shift in Kael's tone.
"Just trust the process. Have I steered you wrong?"
"...Who was it that went to Clouds last time, 'forgot' to pay, and left me with the bill?" V retorted gloomily.
"I'm talking business! Why bring up Clouds? That was months ago!" Kael interrupted.
"Fine. Since I can't leave the Tower, I need you to keep an eye on things for the Crown Prince. Consider it your 'service fee' for the last few months." V hung up before Kael could refuse.
Motherfcker,* Kael thought, slapping Rebecca's butt in frustration. The sound was crisp and loud.
"If you're angry, slap your own!" Rebecca hissed, kicking out wildly.
A moment later, a text from Maine arrived with an address. Kael headed out on his motorcycle, leaving a dazed Rebecca hugging a pillow on the sofa. When he arrived at the apartment and rang the bell, he found himself staring at a woman who defined "expensive."
Evelyn Parker blew a puff of smoke from a lady's cigarette toward him. She had short blue hair and makeup that was a masterclass in facial sculpting. Her skin was flawless—high-grade artificial dermal plating that likely cost more than a military-grade ballistic vest.
She wore a silver-white backless dress with a neckline that plunged to her navel and a hemline that barely qualified as clothing. She looked like the pinnacle of Clouds' pleasure technology.
Damn, Yorinobu sent me to pick up his mistress, Kael mused. V, I'm definitely remembering this debt.
Evelyn was a former Mox and Judy Alvarez's ex-girlfriend, but she had pivoted to networking upwards, hoping to leapfrog into a higher social class. Hooking up with the Arasaka heir was her greatest achievement.
"Maine sent me," Kael said flatly.
Evelyn flashed a standard Clouds professional smile—the kind that made most men's hearts itch. "Then I'll have to trouble you, handsome."
She walked around his motorcycle, leaning over the handlebars to put her curves on display before sitting sideways on the back, resting a delicate hand on Kael's shoulder.
They arrived at Konpeki Plaza. Kael led her through security to the top floor, where Maine was guarding the door. The massive mercenary scanned Evelyn with his cyber-eyes before letting her pass.
"Nothing more for you here," Maine said coldly to Kael.
Kael looked at Maine's 'DaiOni' power armor—Arasaka's most mature tactical weapon. I'd love to dismantle that, he thought. Maine's frame tightened instinctively, sensing a sudden, sharp danger, but the feeling vanished as Kael turned to leave.
Walking away from the plaza, Kael glanced back at the monolithic tower. Since Evelyn was here, the heist of the Relic chip was already in motion.
Everyone thought Yorinobu called her for fun, but the mastermind was likely Yorinobu himself. He wanted to leak the chip to Militech to sabotage his father's "Save Your Soul" project. He was introducing variables. What he likely didn't expect was that Evelyn Parker had the guts to hire her own crew to steal the chip for herself.
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