8.7A casual lunch photo from her online boyfriend catches her attention for an unexpected reason: the plate carries the name of Mike Tech, where she works. Their relationship has lasted more than a year through the distance of a screen. Now an ordinary detail raises a different possibility—that the person she thinks she knows online may have been nearby all along, without either connection being understood.
8.2After three months of online flirtation with “Rex,” the narrator considers meeting him. A desk photo reveals the Falcone crime family's crest, linking the mysterious contact to the same family that owns the narrator's employer. While trying to identify him, the narrator notices custom cufflinks chosen for Rex on boss Marco's wrists, suggesting a connection between the online romance and work.
9.3The narrator is dating the boss online without him knowing who is on the other side. Repeated requests to meet prompt a breakup, but his resulting bad mood means overtime for the whole company. Caught between the relationship and its workplace consequences, the narrator begins considering reconciliation.