Chapter 56: The Threat
[Liora Voss favorability has increased. Current: 30%.]
Elias Kane's hand paused mid-drag on the cigarette, the ember glowing softly in the hazy night air. Then, as if nothing at all had happened, he brought the filter back to his full, soft lips and continued exhaling slow, deliberate plumes of smoke that curled lazily around his face.
He could wait. The unseen photographer stalking him could wait. But System Theta clearly could not.
"What happened?" the system blurted out in its flat, urgent monotone.
What the hell was going on?
The host was literally just smoking. How had Liora Voss's favorability spiked out of nowhere?
Elias felt a spark of genuine amusement at the system's flustered reaction. His slender fingers flicked ash into the breeze with casual precision. "There's a little puppy on the loose."
The system hesitated. "Paparazzi? But host, you're not a celebrity."
