But her understanding was, in truth, still flawed.

Because contrary to what she believed now, Sage didn't love Zaeryn because of his impossible anatomy, though she certainly considered it a significant bonus.

What truly captivated her, what had drawn her in from the very beginning, was the glorious, infuriating paradox of him. From the first time she laid eyes on him, she could tell that he was a glitch in the matriarchy's perfect code, an anomaly that defied every law of their reality.

She, a scientist who lived by data and predictable outcomes, was irresistibly drawn to the one variable she could never fully solve.

That was what had drawn her into him initially, but as she knew him, she loved him for more than that.

Sage and her mom moved through the sterile white corridor, the silence between them a weapon in itself. Cassia's steps were sharp and controlled, her posture radiating an aura that was colder and more dangerous than any shouted word.

Sage, by contrast, walked with a calm, almost casual elegance, as if the explosive scene in her lab had been nothing more than a minor interruption to her day.

They reached a private elevator, the doors sliding open to reveal a small, chrome-lined chamber. A woman with blue hair exited the elevator just before they were about to step inside, the doors hissing shut behind her.

"Lady Cassia, Sage." The woman gave them a respectful nod, and she was about to start going her way when Sage's voice stopped her.

"Sasha," Sage said, her tone crisp and professional. "Are you busy with something?"

"No, Dr. Stellan. I'm actually on my lunch break," the woman's voice replied, sharp and efficient.

"Good," Sage continued, pointedly ignoring the icy glare her mother was now directing at her. "I have a guest in my private lab. His name is Zaeryn. I need you to go and keep him company until I return. Make sure he's not bored."

The assistant, Sasha, paused for a fraction of a second, her professional mask hiding the flicker of confusion. "Keep him, company, Doctor?"

"That's what I said," Sage replied smoothly. "He's had a... stressful morning. See that he's comfortable. Get him a drink, talk to him. Whatever it takes." She commanded.

Cassia eyed Sage.

Sasha's professional facade didn't crack; she gave a nod. "Understood, Dr. Stellan."

Sage gave her a nod and walked into the elevator with Cassia, the door hissing shut as it sealed them in.

Sasha meanwhile, stood outside, smoothing down her lab coat. Outwardly, she was the picture of a loyal employee. Inwardly, a storm of pure indignation was brewing.

'Keep him company?' she thought, her lips thinning into a tight line of displeasure.

'Entertain a male?'

She was on her lunch break and was looking forward to a filling meal, but now her plans had changed, and she was being pulled from that to... babysit the boss's daughter's boy toy. The indignity of it was galling. But Dr. Stellan had given the order, so with a sigh of barely concealed resentment, she started toward the lab.

In the elevator, the silence was finally broken by Cassia's voice. "Arranging playdates for your 'boyfriend' now?" She called it a playdate because she had met Zaeryn a few times already, including today and yeah, putting him in a room with someone was almost like a date.

Sage turned from the wall, meeting her mother's furious gaze with a cool, unbothered smile. "I'm ensuring my guest is comfortable in my facility," she corrected gently. "It's called being a good host. You should try it sometime."

Cassia showed a faint smile at her daughter. "You seem to forget, I'm not known for being the best hospital hostess in the sector for nothing. I simply refuse to be nice to him."

Sage chose not to voice her response yet.

The elevator doors hissed open, revealing the plush corridor leading to Cassia's executive office. The argument was paused, but far from over.

As they walked the final stretch, Sage's voice cut through the tension again, calm and resolute.

"You might as well start being nice to him," she said, not as a plea, but as a statement of fact. "He's going to be a part of my life and in extension a part of yours, for a very long time. It will be easier for everyone if you accept that."

Cassia didn't even break stride. She ignored the declaration completely, her gaze fixed on the double doors of her office at the end of the hall.

"Princess Valerie is a direct representative of the Imperial Council," Cassia stated. "Her visit is not a social call; it's a political evaluation. The Aegis Division project is a cornerstone of the Queendom's defense strategy. Your potential involvement is a matter of state importance, not a topic for childish rebellion."

She finally glanced at Sage, but her eyes weren't those of a CEO assessing a catastrophic business error. They were actually of a proud mother.

She smiled very faintly, "You will be the youngest person to ever be invited into the aegis division in the history of it." she said, "And I trust you will conduct yourself with the appropriate discretion and intelligence during this meeting."

Sage simply gave a tight, humorless smile. "Don't worry, Mother. I always conduct myself well."

That answer made Cassia's serious look appear, "That's not what I remember. When I walked into your office, you weren't exactly handling yourself, 'Well'."

They reached the doors, which slid open to reveal a vast office with a floor-to-ceiling view of the city's spires. And waiting inside was Valerie and her two companions, Eva Rostova and captain Nyx.

Princess Valerie," Sage said as she walked in but with that chill vibe she reserved for actual interesting convos. "Mom mentioned you're here about Aegis. I have to say, I'm intrigued. What's the pitch?"

Valerie chuckled. Already, she could tell that Sage was not as she had expected, she had an approachable energy. "Straight to it, huh? I like that. No fluff. Okay, let's get to it."

Meanwhile, back in Sage's private lab, Zaeryn lounged in the high-backed console chair where she'd left him, his pants pulled up but his mind still buzzing from the interrupted encounter.

He sighed, noticing the small bulge near his groin that refused to back down. Even with Sage gone, his body was a live wire of unspent energy. He could only blame one person. "Freaking Cassia," he muttered to the empty room.

The lab felt too quiet now, the low hum of the advanced machinery a poor substitute for Sage's breathless moans. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, a smirk playing on his lips at the sheer absurdity of it all. He'd just been royally cockblocked by his girlfriend's disapproving mom. Classic.

Just as he was contemplating a cold shower, the lab door hissed open. In walked Sasha, the blue-haired assistant he'd seen earlier.

She was stunning, like practically every woman in this world seemed to be probably in her mid-twenties, with porcelain skin, sharp features, and a body sculpted for both science and sin.

Her lab coat did little to hide the generous curves beneath: full breasts that strained the buttons, a trim waist, and legs that seemed to go on forever under a form-fitting pencil skirt.

Her vibrant blue hair was tied back in a neat, professional ponytail, but her emerald eyes held a flicker of deep resentment as they scanned the room and landed on him.

"Zaeryn, I presume," she said, her tone clipped and professional, though laced with a barely concealed disdain he could feel from across the room. "Dr. Stellan asked me to... keep you company." She crossed her arms, standing a safe distance away, as if getting too close to a male might be contagious.

Zaeryn could taste the disdain in her voice. She barely knew him, yet the prejudice was already there, thick and palpable. It was a look he was used to, but it never got less annoying.

"Yes, I am," he said with a simple nod, leaning back in the chair and deliberately making himself comfortable. He eyed the blue-haired beauty who stood there like she'd rather be scrubbing lab beakers with her tongue than chatting with him.

Sasha. He was pretty sure that was the name Sage had used. It suited her icy vibe. She was a knockout, no doubt about it: curves that looked sculpted by the Goddess herself, emerald eyes sharp enough to cut glass, and a ponytail that screamed 'professional' while her body language yelled, 'get lost, inferior.'

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