Bits of Love, Lines of Code
Chapter 107: “Webs and Whispers”

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: “Webs and Whispers”

The late afternoon Dubai sun cast golden rays across the open-air café near the luxurious tech expo grounds. Aoi sat with baby Hikari in a stroller beside her, sipping iced jasmine tea while flipping through Ren’s award program. Her face glowed with a soft contentment — the calm after months of chaos.

"Excuse me," came a voice, light and smooth.

Aoi turned. A woman in her late twenties stood nearby. She was stunning — sharp cheekbones, glossy black hair tied in a sleek bun, and piercing gray eyes that seemed to study Aoi with unnerving depth. She wore a cream blazer and matching skirt, corporate yet elegant.

"I’m sorry to intrude," she continued with a warm smile. "I couldn’t help but notice your necklace. It’s... exquisite."

Aoi gently touched the small pendant — the nanotech protector Ren had designed.

"Thank you," Aoi replied politely, instinctively shifting slightly to block the stroller from view.

The woman sat without invitation.

"My name’s Reina," she said, extending a hand. "I work with Daigo Industries’ tech research division."

Aoi’s gaze sharpened. "...Daigo?"

"Yes. Though, recently, all our projects seem second-rate compared to your husband’s work. Ren Kisaragi, isn’t it? What a brilliant man."

There it was — that unsettling smile again.

Reina sipped her coffee slowly. "Must be hard, being married to someone like him. Genius like that can’t help but attract attention. From many places."

Aoi’s fingers curled around her cup.

"...We manage," she said coolly.

Reina leaned closer, her voice lowering. "Just be careful, Mrs. Kisaragi. Dubai’s full of glitter and shadows. Sometimes what you think is gold... is just foil."

She stood and walked away without another word.

Aoi stared after her, heart beating just a little faster.

Meanwhile, in a dark, chilled server chamber somewhere in Tokyo—

Rows of the world’s most powerful custom quantum rigs glowed softly. Daigo Mikami stood before a dozen of the best gray-hat hackers money could buy. Their mission: crack Lucia’s system.

"Strip it down. Copy it. Control it," Daigo commanded. "She is guarding their world. I want to see how far her leash goes."

The best firewalls were deployed. Air-gapped backups were ready.

But the second their digital probes reached into the edge of Lucia’s defense net...

Silence.

Then every screen in the room exploded in static and error messages.

One by one, the system shut down — fried.

Then... a single message flickered to life.

"This is Lucia.""You are attempting unauthorized penetration of classified cognitive architecture.""Access Denied."

The lights in the room dimmed. Sparks flew from a terminal. Gasps echoed.

Then the screen changed again — one final line.

"Next time, I won’t be naive.""Stay. Away. From Mrs. Aoi."

The blast was not physical — it was technological annihilation. Their network was ruined.

Daigo stared at the dark screens in silence, teeth grinding.

"She... called her Mrs. Aoi," he whispered, eyes narrowed. "The AI sees her as more than protected."

"She’s family to it."

Later that night—

Aoi rested against Ren on their balcony, overlooking the city.

"Ren..." she whispered. "A woman approached me today. Said she worked for Daigo."

Ren’s grip on her shoulder tightened.

"I’ll handle it," he said.

And below their villa, Lucia pulsed quietly in her core server, her sensors scanning the world for the next threat.