Chapter 05

Rosalind's POV

I rolled onto my stomach across the giant bed and tapped Silas's name on my comm.

He answered on the second ring. His face appeared in the air, a grey wall and a stack of files behind him.

"Rosalind? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." I rested my chin on my hands and gave him my softest voice. "Bro, you work so hard. What time do you get off? I can't wait for you to come home."

His eyes went gentle. "I'm off at five, home by six." He paused. "If you're bored, check the closet. I got you some gifts."

My comm chimed.

[Received: 10,000,000 star coins.]

"Go buy whatever you want with this," he said.

I stared at the number. Ten million. Just like that.

"Money means love," I said, grinning. "I knew you loved me most."

The tips of his ears went red again. He cleared his throat.

"Love you too."

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Silas's POV

The door to my office slammed open.

"Commander! General Whitaker is looking for you."

I closed the call before the young officer could see my sister's face. Then I looked up at him, slowly.

"Knock next time."

He went pale. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Tell General Whitaker I'll be right there."

The general's office sat at the top of the base, with a wide window looking over the training yards. When I walked in, he wasn't alone.

A woman in a white healer's uniform stood beside his desk. Long brown hair, red lips, and a smile that stayed a little too long.

"Silas, perfect timing." General Whitaker waved me closer. "This is Lydia Carver, your classmate from the Star Military Academy. She's also our new tier-four healer."

"Silas." Lydia stepped forward. "It's been a while."

I gave her a short nod. "Hello, Ms. Carver."

Her smile slipped for half a second. Then she moved closer, her voice dropping low and sweet.

"Silas, don't be so cold. My soothing ability is one of the best in Crown City. If you just marry me..."

I looked past her at the general.

"Eight a.m. tomorrow, department meeting." Then I looked back at her. "Don't be late, Ms. Carver."

I walked out before she could finish.

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Kaelen's POV

The report glowed on the screen above my desk.

[Gene Matching Result: Kaelen. Match: Rosalind.]

I read the next line twice.

[Mental power rank: E.]

"Impossible." I leaned back in my chair. "An E-class failure?"

My head throbbed, right on cue. The contamination never truly slept. It crawled through my mind every night, pressing at the edges, waiting for me to slip. For years, I had held it back with nothing but will.

A woman with E-rank mental power couldn't calm that. With a gap this large, if we ever bonded, my mental core would collapse outright.

A knock came at the door, fast and nervous. My assistant stepped in before I answered.

"Sir, Madam got word you matched successfully, and she's about to..."

"Shut down the news." I didn't look away from the screen. "My mother is not to hear of this."

"But sir..."

"Contact the woman."

He pulled out his tablet and waited.

I spoke slowly, so he wouldn't miss a word.

"Three-month trial period. No interference either way. One meeting, one handshake, one hug per month. Just enough to satisfy the AI." I tapped the desk. "Monthly compensation, one million star coins. After three months, pay her five hundred thousand in severance and send her away."

My assistant hesitated. "Director, this is a ninety-eight percent compatibility rate."

I finally turned my head and looked at him.

"A failure with an agenda doesn't get to be my wife." I turned back to the screen and closed the file. "Go handle it."