Chapter 8: Truce… Kind Of

Evelyn never accepted defeat.

But after three days of fighting over every single thing with Ji-Ah, she was tired.

The AI integration was more complex than either of them had expected. Novacore's model was efficient but rigid, while Infinity Dynamics' was flexible but unpredictable. Merging them into something that met the Pentagon's security requirements?

A nightmare.

And now, at midnight, with most of the lab empty except for them, Evelyn had to admit—they weren't getting anywhere like this.

She picked up the coffee Ji-Ah had left for her earlier, took a sip, and set it down with a sigh.

"We need a truce."

Ji-Ah, sitting across from her, raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "This isn't working. We spend more time trying to one-up each other than actually solving the problem."

Ji-Ah tilted her head slightly, watching her. "And this bothers you?"

Evelyn clenched her jaw. "What bothers me is wasting time. So, I suggest we work in shifts. You take the lab for a few hours, then I take over. No talking. No distractions. Just work."

Ji-Ah studied her for a long moment. Then, to Evelyn's surprise, she shook her head.

"No."

Evelyn blinked. "No?"

Ji-Ah leaned forward, resting her chin on one hand. "We both know this project is too complicated to divide like that. We need to collaborate, whether you like it or not."

Evelyn exhaled slowly. She hated that Ji-Ah was right.

"Fine," she muttered. "But I'm still not calling this teamwork."

Ji-Ah smirked. "Of course not."