But the data didn't lie: Austin was perfection, a puzzle she needed to solve, to possess through knowledge if nothing else. And now, these women were laying bare what she'd tried to bury. Her mind raced through scenarios, calculating probabilities of conflict, of alliances broken.
"Claim?" Sabrina echoed, her voice cool and measured. "That's an interesting word, Marlene. But let's be logical here. Austin isn't some artefact to be claimed. Though..." She trailed off, her gaze lingering on the arena. "One can't deny his appeal. Physically, intellectually—it's all data points adding up to something exceptional. Recording it? Purely for analysis, of course." But even she heard the hollowness in her excuse, the way her voice softened on his name.
