by Teacat77
He’s living on borrowed time. Finnian Jones was their greatest project. Now, he’s their greatest loss. A terminal orphan who spent his youth as a "lab rat" for Nexura Laboratories, he escaped the sterile white rooms to live his final months as a man, not an experiment. Now, he’s an artist living in the slums keeping two secrets buried deep: the jagged scars of his corporate past, and the fact that the mechanical heart in his chest is officially failing. She’s holding the keys to his survival. Cora Rhodes is a brilliant graduate student who just landed an intern position at Nexura. Her first assignment? Track and study the "missing subject" of the Aurelius project. But when a chance encounter brings Finn directly into her life, the professional becomes agonizingly personal. Cora realizes the man she’s falling for isn't just a charming artist—he’s the very subject she’s been tasked to and save. In a world where every heartbeat is corporate property, Finn and Cora are building a life on a foundation of secrets. But as the clock in Finn’s chest counts down to zero, they must decide if their love is a masterpiece worth saving—or a fated tragedy.
