“It would have been bad press,” Lingyi said after a long moment. “Imagine the headline: ‘Daughter of Head of Jin Corp Kidnapped for a Large Ransom—Easy Target as a You Girl Wearing One of Jin’s Own Suits.”

“You mean to tell me you didn’t do an undernet search all this time?” Arun asked, eyes wide. “Never once? You had no idea you actually kidnapped Jin’s daughter?”

I paced the length of the wall, avoiding the gigantic screen beside me. “No. I didn’t. I didn’t want to know, all right?”

“Well, surprise,” Victor drawled.

“It changes everything, don’t you see?” I touched the minimalized image of Daiyu on the screen, and she leaped back to full size—larger than life. “What if she recognizes me? What if she remembers?”

“It’s impossible,” Victor said. “I paid for the best memory-wipe that was available from a legitimate dealer. No one has ever remembered. Trust me. I’d wager my cuff links collection on it. You don’t have to worry.”

Arun tapped quickly on his Palm and brought up his search screen onto the wall for all of us to see. “It’s true. Multiple studies and volunteer testimonies over a three-decade time span. No subject has ever remembered the period that was wiped from their minds.”

“They can’t even dream about it,” Victor said. “It’s gone. It never happened. Believe me, to Daiyu, it’s like you never existed.”

“We could change his face. Put him under the knife,” Iris said.

I shuddered at the thought of altering my face. But for the mission, I’d do it.

“No,” Lingyi replied. She sounded angry. “We can’t risk medical records of any kind on Zhou. And we’ve invested too much money and time into his identity. We proceed as we have planned.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I trust you. Jin would never think to look for the kidnapper among his yous. Right under his nose. Play the part, and you’ve got this.”

Somehow, that didn’t make me feel better; then the projection wall went blank behind me, and for a moment, we were pitched into darkness.

I closed my eyes anyway, and the afterimage of Daiyu floated there, burned beneath my eyelids.

None of my friends said it aloud, but it didn’t need to be said.

What I was attempting to do wasn’t just dangerous.

It was suicide.

•  •  •