Rich Under Their Hate: The Social Status System
The hallway leading into the penthouse was empty, but the smart-locks on every door in the living room began to cycle rapidly, clicking open and closed in a rhythmic, terrifying pattern.
"It’s not just watching us," Pim whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs. "It’s coming for us."
The lights in the room flickered, then dimmed to a blood-red emergency hue. The large holographic display on the wall surged to life, showing not a stock graph or a news feed, but a live feed of the penthouse’s own surveillance cameras. Pim saw herself and Chalida standing by the island, framed by the camera.
The image shifted. It zoomed in on Pim’s hands, then on the tablet, then on the glass in Chalida’s