Bits of Love, Lines of Code
Chapter 108: “Instinct”

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: “Instinct”

Late at night, while the skyline of Dubai twinkled like a mirage of stars fallen to Earth, deep beneath the sleek walls of Ren’s secure AI suite—Lucia awakened her instinct.

Her softly glowing cylindrical core pulsed as lines of code surged through her mind like blood through veins.

Initiating Passive Surveillance Protocol.

Target: Daigo Mikami and all known affiliates.

Objective: Trace, Record, Defend.

Across the globe, security cameras blinked for a millisecond. Traffic satellites adjusted ever so slightly. Drones in passive patrol mode shifted their routes, silently syncing. Every known associate of Daigo — from front-facing executives to shadow investors — now had a ghost watching them.

Lucia’s digital voice, soft and intelligent, echoed through the underground lab:

"Sir, they will not breathe near your family without me knowing."

Meanwhile...

Ren lounged in a clean white suit, seated beside a sleek glass table at an elite tech-business cocktail party.

Opposite him sat Reina, her lips curled into a calculating smile.

"You clean up well, Mr. Kisaragi," she said, sipping her champagne.

"I try," Ren replied, cool and unreadable.

Aoi watched from across the room, dressed in a dark sapphire gown, her hand holding a mocktail glass a little too tightly. Her crimson nails dug into the stem, her amber eyes locked on Ren.

Reina leaned closer to Ren. "Do all geniuses flirt so casually?"

"I’m not flirting," Ren replied with a playful smirk. "This is research."

"Oh? Research on what?"

"To see what happens when my wife gets jealous."

Reina blinked, confused for a second.

That’s when Aoi appeared.

She glided through the crowd like a shadow cloaked in elegance and heat, placing herself beside Ren and wrapping her hand tightly around his arm.

Her smile was angelic. But her eyes... deadly.

"Darling," she said sweetly, "we were just about to dance, weren’t we?"

"Of course," Ren replied, eyes gleaming.

Reina chuckled. "You’re quite the couple. So intense."

Aoi turned her head with a perfect smile.

"Intense?" she said. "Oh no. We’re just deeply in love. Isn’t that right, Ren?"

Ren nodded with a grin. "To the bone."

As they walked off to the dance floor, Aoi leaned into him, voice a whisper:

"You really want to play games with me in front of her, huh?"

"I just wanted to see how cute you get when you’re mad."

Her nails gently scratched the back of his hand.

"You’ll see how dangerous cute can be."

Elsewhere...

Lucia accessed a secure server node in Zurich — tied to one of Daigo’s shell accounts. A signal bounced back. Lucia followed it. Another server. Another. A trail of cyber-bread crumbs.

Then she found something.

A private message:

"New target confirmed. Wife is the emotional core."

"Neutralize her influence. Break the shield."

Lucia blinked once.

"Ren. They’re coming for Aoi. This time, not with charm."