Chapter 1 - The Anatomy of a Choice
Abby’s fingers hovered just millimeters above the crisp, banded stacks of hundred-dollar bills. Every fiber of her being screamed out for her to grab just one stack. Just one. It would pay off her brother’s university tuition installment, keeping him from dropping out of his nursing program. It would clear the hospital collection agencies harassing her aging father. It would buy a safe roof over their heads.
In the private screening room down the hall, Julian Cross narrowed his icy blue eyes. He had expected her to break immediately. Every single person before her had rationalized their theft. They told themselves it was a victimless crime against a billionaire who wouldn't even notice a fraction of his wealth missing.
Abby’s breath hitched. A single tear tracked down her dust-smudged cheek, dropping softly onto the polished mahogany of the dresser top, right beside the cash.
She closed her eyes. Her hand clenched into a tight, trembling fist, pulling back as if the money were burning her skin. She stepped away from the dresser, backing up until her knees hit her cleaning cart. She grabbed the battered feather duster—Pearl—and clutched it to her chest like a lifeline.
May you like
“No,” Abby whispered to the empty room, her voice shaking but resolute. “It’s not mine. If I take it, I’m no better than the system that keeps us down.”
On the monitor, Julian froze. He stared at the screen, his breath catching in his throat. For the first time in eight cynical years of testing humanity, someone had walked away from the trap.
