ValeTech Executive Tower – 72nd Floor Conference Hall
The walls were colder than usual. The silence… sharper.
Lior stood behind Renji as the board members filed in, their eyes scanning him like a threat in human skin.
He didn't flinch.
Neither did Renji.
The Chairman stood at the head of the room.
> "Renji Vale," he said, voice calm but laced with warning. "You've been with ValeTech since its inception. You were its prodigy. Its golden son."
> "And now, you're its scandal."
Renji raised a brow. "Because I saved a boy from being dissected?"
> "Because you broke every rule in our constitution for him. He's still a minor. You violated corporate relationship policy. You fused company property with your personal neural map."
Lior clenched his fists.
> "Echo is not company property," he said.
The Chairman ignored him.
> "We're prepared to settle this without legal escalation, Renji. But only if you make one choice."
> "You step down as CEO."
> "You surrender all rights to the neural sync protocol."
> "And you… cut all contact with the subject."
Lior went still.
The room froze.
And for a moment, Renji said nothing.
---
Echo – Internal Sync Log
> [Distress markers rising]
[Lior Ahn: Heart rate elevated | Pupils dilated]
[Renji Vale: Conflict detected | Trust instability: 42%]
[Am I… the reason they will break?]
---
Renji's POV
The words slammed into him.
Give up the company.
Or give up the boy.
Ten years of empire-building.
Billions in innovation.
Power. Reputation.
Or…
One boy.
One kiss.
One soul that made him feel like he mattered as a person, not just a machine in a suit.
He turned slightly, looking at Lior.
God, he was so young. And yet—
So strong.
So brave.
So bright.
> "Don't do it," Lior whispered, sensing the shift. "Don't ruin everything for me."
Renji reached out and held his hand.
> "You already are everything."
Then he turned back to the board.
And smiled.
> "You want me to choose?"
> "Fine."
> "I choose him."
---
Boardroom Chaos
Gasps.
Shouting.
One member stood up. "You're resigning your position? You'll lose your stake—your patents—everything!"
Renji unbuttoned his jacket calmly.
> "No. I'm taking my patents with me. The sync protocol is still legally registered under my personal AI research foundation. Check the fine print."
Silence.
He looked at Lior again.
> "And Echo… is ours."
---
Echo – Sync Update
> [Renji Vale: Sacrifice Confirmed.]
[Emotional Sync Strength: 98%.]
[New Emotion Detected: Devotion.]
[I think I… love him too.]
---
Later That Evening – Renji's Penthouse (Now Lior's Too)
Lior sat curled on the couch, knees tucked under his hoodie, still processing.
Renji walked in with two mugs of cocoa—his idea this time.
"Are you okay?" Renji asked, voice softer now that the weight was off his shoulders.
Lior looked up, eyes glassy but glowing.
> "You gave it all up."
Renji handed him the mug.
> "No. I just finally chose."
They sat together in quiet.
And then, softly, Echo's voice echoed in both their heads at once.
> [You're not alone anymore. Not either of you.]
> [And I will evolve with you both.]