The hospital room was very quiet, Maxwell Palmer stood in front of the bed, neon lights of the city kept out by the curtains, the room filled with the smell of medicine, Eliza Morgan lay on the bed, motionless.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but he heard Eliza's heartbeat, regular, faint.
He bent down and kissed her face.
"You won."
He turned and left the ward.
The door closed again.
Eliza opened her eyes and looked at the incandescent light on the ceiling, the light stung her eyes painfully, she blinked, tearful.
It hurt so much.
The anesthesia had worn off.
Maxwell hadn't gone far, just stood outside the ward for a long time. There was a no-smoking sign on the wall; he caressed the metal surface of his lighter and made a call in a suppressed voice, "Prepare two sets of documents for me."
October 11th.
Vandis' design team collectively defected, causing the company's stock price to plummet.
October 12th.
Several gemstone mines terminated their contracts with Vandis.