Her boss, a man named Leo who wore permanent smile lines from the mandatory mood-feedback implants in his temple, beamed at the daily staff meeting.

It didn’t feel good at all.

“No,” she said. “I can’t.”

The room went cold. Because in a world built entirely on If It Feels Good , the most dangerous thing you could do was to feel bad on purpose.

Leo’s smile twitched. His implant flickered. “Your GFI is… unstable. Take a break, Maya. Watch some kitten compilations.”