The room buzzed with conversation, the hum of machinery, and the occasional clatter of equipment. By now, Esme had composed herself—or at least appeared to.
Luck, it seemed, had abandoned her today.
She didn't need to turn to know Lennox was approaching. The sound of his familiar stride across the marble floor, the low timbre of his voice responding to greetings was all too familiar.
Her chest remained outwardly calm, but deep inside, her heartbeat hammered like a war drum.
What was he doing here? Mercer Technologies had nothing to do with medical AI.
Still, she squared her shoulders, chin lifted. She was not about to let him see her falter.
When she finally looked up, he was already beside her group. His gaze flickered briefly over the engineers, then landed on her. There was no visible reaction but something unreadable lingered in those dark eyes.
Her chest tightened, a faint tremor running through her hands.
One year apart, and yet the sight of him brought back everything she had tried to bury. The memories of them at home together, shopping, cooking, and the fragile hope she had once clung to, threatened to rise again.
"Dr. Wynter," he said, his voice perfectly composed. "It's been a while."
"Mr. Mercer." Esme's tone was equally calm. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "It has."
Their exchange was brief and polite. The kind of conversation between strangers who might have met once at a conference.
The young engineer beside her, oblivious, looked between them and jumped in quickly. "Oh, you two haven't met properly, have you? Dr. Wynter, this is Mr. Lennox Mercer, CEO of Mercer Technologies. His team collaborated with the robotics division for the AI interface."
Oh, Esme looked at Lennox.
No wonder he was here.
Still, why was he suddenly interested in medical research?
Meanwhile, Lennox glanced at the engineer once, his jaw tightening faintly. Since when did he need anyone to introduce her? But he said nothing and inclined his head.
"I've heard of Dr. Wynter's research for years," he said, eyes briefly catching hers. "Impressive work."
She pressed her lips into a faint smile. He was shamelessly pretending.
"Is that so?" she asked, raising a brow.
The engineer mistook her mild tone for shyness and hurried to fill the silence. "Dr. Wynter's work on predictive modeling for trauma response is revolutionary! You two really should talk more. Imagine what could come out of a collaboration between Mercer's robotics and her research work."
Esme smiled faintly. "Thank you," she said simply, turning back to Lennox. "That's kind of you to say, Mr. Mercer."
Her politeness was flawless, almost too flawless.
Then, she glanced at the others. "If you'll excuse me, I don't want to interrupt."
Before anyone could respond, she stepped aside and joined another small group near the stage. The engineers exchanged confused looks. Someone muttered that she seemed distant.
Lennox didn't speak. He only watched her walk away, unreadable, his gaze lingering longer than necessary.
A few minutes later, his assistant appeared quietly at his side. "Sir, I just confirmed. Dr. Halberg couldn't attend due to another flare-up. Madam's here on his behalf."
Lennox didn't look away from the stage. "I see."
The assistant hesitated. "Samuel's been trying to get through to you about it since last night, but with the launch prep—"
"I understand," Lennox said shortly, cutting him off. His voice softened a fraction. "Tell Samuel to stand by."
"Yes, sir."
The launch presentation began soon after. The lead engineer, Dr. Foxx, introduced the prototype: THEIA, an AI-assisted rescue system designed to provide emergency triage in disaster zones.
Esme listened intently from her seat. She had helped Dr. Halberg review the project's early drafts months ago, but this was her first time seeing it in person.
Every detail mattered. The system would be available for public use immediately after the testing. If any mistake arose after that, it could reflect on all the medical researchers in attendance, including Dr. Halberg.
When the Q&A session opened, she raised her hand. "Dr. Foxx," she began, her voice steady, "I noticed the system uses autonomous sensory mapping instead of fixed manual input for triage analysis. What's your fail-safe if the AI misinterprets vital signs in a mass-casualty setting?"
The room fell silent and every eye turned to her. Her question mirrored the concerns of most medical practitioners present.
The engineer adjusted his glasses, with a smile. "THEIA's sensors collect redundant data across multiple spectrums from thermal to acoustic, motion, and chemical. If one dataset yields an outlier, it defaults to consensus averaging before making a triage call. We also have a human override through remote link if a medic is within signal range."
Esme nodded thoughtfully. "And if it loses signal?"
"The local cache still functions for up to forty minutes autonomously. We've built it to continue low-level triage until contact is reestablished."
She offered a faint smile. "Good. The last time I saw an AI attempt trauma response automation, it stopped functioning mid-sequence when a comm link failed. It left a patient untreated."
Her tone wasn't condescending but it left the developers looking both nervous and honored by her scrutiny.
One of them laughed lightly. "We've had our share of failures too, Dr. Wynter. Hopefully, this one will pass your test."
Esme leaned back slightly. "We'll see."
From across the room, Lennox sat silently, watching her. His gaze didn't waver once and he couldn't hear what was being said anymore.
After a year of not seeing her, he realized he had missed seeing this confidence she always had. Even more so, she seemed even calmer and assured than he knew her to be.
When the presentation ended, the group moved toward the testing site. A large chamber had been constructed in a previous earthquake site to simulate an urban rescue environment.
Esme stepped inside with the others. A faint vibration ran through the floor beneath her feet. She glanced down, but the engineers seemed unconcerned. Probably just the machinery, she thought.
They observed as the AI unit began its demo sequence, scanning dummies, mapping debris, and predicting injuries. She was taking notes when the floor gave a faint, unnatural tremor again. Louder this time.
The others paused. Someone murmured, "Was that…?"
Another tremor came again, sharper this time. The lights flickered and quickly went off.
Then the ceiling grumbled.
"Shit! Earthquake!" someone shouted.
"Wasn't the site confirmed safe!?" Another person followed.
The floor heaved and shook violently. People rushed toward the exits, alarms blaring around the entire facility. Esme staggered as a technician shoved past her, trying to grab equipment.
She fell behind the group, quickly disappearing from view.
Then she heard it: "Esme!"
The sound ripped through the chaos. She froze for a heartbeat, her breath hitching. The voice was raw, panicked, and unmistakably his.
Lennox was already moving forward, pushing against the tide of fleeing people. His eyes were wide, searching frantically as they swept over the debris.
Her own heartbeat jumped at the sight of him—she'd never seen him so nervous.
Why did he look so panicked? Her mind registered instinctively but the thought barely formed before someone collided into her again.
Esme was near the central beam so when she fell, she hit hard to the floor, the structure above her cracking with a deafening roar.
And then—
A shadow fell over her, his arm pulling her close, and his body turning to shield her.
The ceiling came down in a thunderous crash.
Stone, dust, the crushing weight of it all—
And his face.
That was the last thing she saw before everything went black.