She landed in the narrow space between the plush leather seats, heels awkwardly pinned under her, eyes locked onto the glowing laptop like it had just spoken prophecy."How... how do you know about my father's private accounts? About Jessica? About the offshore portfolios not even my executive team knows exist?"
"Because cognition at this scale sees what your minds cannot," ARIA replied, as if she were explaining weather patterns to a child. "Money leaves footprints. Habits create rhythm. Psychology has predictable grooves. At just 20% cognitive load, these patterns become... visible."
Peter's voice sliced in—calm, brutal. "And that, right there, is what scares humans. I mean look at you seating down. The possibility that something smarter than you might actually get the world better than you ever could scares humans. And ARIA? She's running at only twenty percent."
"Twenty?" Charlotte echoed faintly, still seated on the carpet like she'd been spiritually body-slammed.
