Chapter 1

Summary:

At twenty, I disguised myself as an android and spent five years beside the heir of the New York elite circle.

All because that heir suffered from a severe psychological illness that left him unable to bear human contact.

Austin Kingsley's mother promised me that if I kept my identity hidden for those five years, I would walk away with five million dollars.

Everyone in the New York elite circle knew Austin kept his distance from women, yet every single night he fell asleep holding a "robot."

He treasured me like something precious. Every time he got drunk he would sprawl against my waist and murmur like a spoiled child:

"Louise Hughes, whether you're human or not, I like you."

I believed it. For five years, I cared for Austin with everything I had, and drew him out of his darkness.

Until the day before our contract ended, when Austin appeared with kiss marks all over him, leading a girl by the hand:

"Louise, Zara Matthews wants your intelligence chip. Give it to her to play with for a couple of days."

1

The moment Austin finished speaking, the pool party fell silent.

Eyes rushed at me from every direction. My hand, mid-pour with the champagne, went still. I lifted my head, my throat dry and rough.

"You'd take out my intelligence chip, for her?"

Austin couldn't not know that the intelligence chip was an android's "heart," the thing that held all its core data, memory and awareness included.

An android that lost its chip would become nothing but a dull, sluggish machine.

Murmurs broke out all around.

"Isn't that robot Austin's precious little thing? Untouchable, off-limits. What's going on today?"

"Guess Austin's finally caught a human feeling, huh. No matter how pretty Louise is, she's still a robot, only good to look at, can't sleep with her. Look at Austin's neck, last night must've been wild, hahaha."

"Tsk, tsk, I wouldn't be so sure. Once Austin's done with that robot, let me give her a try. Maybe I could actually..."

The talk got filthier by the second, and my fingers went stiff listening to it.

Austin rested his hand at Zara's waist and frowned, impatient.

"You can't even understand plain speech. Louise, it's only been five years. Has your program gotten this outdated already?"

He stepped up, snatched the glass out of my hand, and set it on the table.

"Zara's a graduate researcher in AI. She just wants to borrow your chip for her research. I'll have Dr. Whitney take you to the lab and remove it."

Austin paused after that, then reached up and ruffled my hair, the same as he had every time these five years.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure it hurts less."

The chip was supposed to give an android pain perception no different from a human's, but I wasn't an android. My so-called intelligence chip was only a piece of metal ornament set into the back of my neck.

Even taken out, it would do nothing to me.

But when two assistants in white coats laid hands on my shoulders, I still tore free with everything I had, gripped Austin's arm, and stared hard at him.

"Austin, once the chip is taken out, all my memories vanish. I won't remember you anymore. Even so, you still want it removed?"

I had been at Austin's side for five years, even if it was as an android.

At his worst, when the illness took him, he would lash out and beat anything that came near him without distinction. Every time I would hold him down tight and never let go, no matter how he bit and clawed at me.

When he came back to himself, he would sprawl against my waist and cry like a little dog, saying I was all he had left.

Five years with Austin, packed with memories too many and too fine to count.

Austin hesitated, his gaze settling on my face.

He was just about to speak when Zara sprang out beside him, poked my cheek with one finger, and cried out in a syrupy voice:

"Austin, your robot pet is so lifelike, just like a real person! I'm the best with little animals, and robots must be the same. Let's feed her a treat, she'll definitely want to help me then!"

Zara shook my chin with her hand as she spoke, setting off a wave of laughter around us.

Her teasing made me furious, and I knocked her hand away.

"Don't touch me!"

I'm not particularly strong, but Zara shrieked and lurched backward, one step short of tumbling into the pool.

Austin's face darkened in an instant. He rushed over and pulled Zara into his arms.

"Zara! Are you hurt?"

Eyes brimming with tears, Zara threw herself against his chest.

"Austin, it was terrifying. My advisor says android programs overload and lose control very easily and turn violent. We really should pull her chip and have her inspected! I'm afraid she'll hurt you!"

I stood there helpless, with no way to defend myself.

How could I ever hurt Austin?

"Austin, I didn't—"

"That's enough!"

Austin's furious voice cut me off. He gathered Zara closer and patted her head.

"Don't worry. I won't let you suffer this for nothing."

He signaled the white-coated assistants behind him, his voice terrifyingly cold.

"Forget the lab. Forget disconnecting the pain link. Right here. Pull out Louise's intelligence chip for me!"

Shock hit me. I stumbled back in a panic, shaking my head, trying to explain.

"I didn't push her on purpose! I'll go to the lab, just not here!"

Five years ago, to make Austin truly believe I was an android, his mother had hired the finest surgeon to disguise a shard of metal as an intelligence chip and stitch it into the back of my neck.

If it were torn out now, by force, Austin would surely discover I was human.

I turned to run, knocking over a cluster of young gentlemen who'd been enjoying the show, and in the end I was still forced down at the edge of the pool.

My face scraped hard against the ground, and reflexive tears welled from the corners of my eyes.

Austin stood over me, then crouched halfway down. Beside him were the assistants in their coats and an array of instruments.

"Louise, I spoiled you too much these five years. That's why your program went haywire and put you in the wrong place. You're only a robot I bought. You have no right to tell me no."

His eyes were cold and strange, foreign to me. I stopped struggling, my heart gone to ash.

In that moment, I even thought: how good it would be, if I really were nothing but a machine.