Chapter 286

The flight back to Skyline seemed endless, though the captain insisted it was just under seven hours. Time paid no attention to clocks when your mind was chasing itself in circles. I barely touched the champagne the flight attendant handed me. Instead, I spent most of the journey staring at the clouds through the oval window, chewing on the inside of my cheek until I could taste copper. The man in the seat beside me, a trim executive in a navy suit and a smile polished to boardroom standards, decided I looked like an easy target for conversation. "First time visiting Skyline?" he asked, with the kind of relentless cheerfulness that belonged to someone determined to network at thirty thousand feet. "No," I said, adjusting the blanket across my lap. He leaned closer, as if I had opened the door to more. "Do you live there or work there? I'm in tech investments myself. Always interesting to meet someone new in the city. What line are you in?" "I design jewelry," I said flatly. His eyes li