Some time passed. Xavier lounged on the couch, half-dozing while Angel clicked away at whatever black-ops hack job she was working on. Then his phone buzzed. A new message.
Yelena:Father approved. This is the link. Do NOT make a mess.
Xavier smirked. "Do not make a mess, huh? Cute." He slid the phone across to Angel. "I'll need your toy."
Angel looked up, eyes narrowing. "You break my headset, and I'll break your legs. Try not to drool on it."
"Relax. I'll keep it cleaner than your browsing history."
"Bastard." But she tossed him the sleek black VR rig anyway.
Xavier leaned back, slipped it on, and the real world melted away.
The feed snapped alive—an empty void that restructured itself pixel by pixel until it became a gleaming virtual courtroom. Polished wood benches, hovering holographic screens, judges' podium. It looked more like a corporate boardroom built by some VR architect with too much budget and zero imagination.
