Vivienne caught it immediately. Neo was dodging on purpose.
He had gone quiet in that stubborn way that did not come from confusion, but from decision. He had heard the word, understood more than he wanted to admit, and chosen to play dumb rather than give her anything for free. She could not exactly blame him for that. What irritated her was the reason she had ended up here in the first place.
'Damn it... if I hadn't let that slip.'
She had said it without thinking. That almost never happened. Around most people, every word passed through three filters before it reached her mouth. Around Neo, things came out more easily. Maybe because he did not warp himself around her surname. He had not done it in the Breach, and he was not doing it now. e answered her the same way he answered everyone else, and that had made her lower her guard without noticing.
