sam stared into his coffee cup. the steam had long since vanished. "the model flagged my entire department as a legacy cost. just a number on a spreadsheet that needed to be zeroed out." david sipped his water. he wore a new coat. "they want to see the brush strokes now. they check the authenticity certificate before they look at the painting." "this new client wants a portrait of his dog. he said ai can't capture its soul. he'll pay fifty thousand for its soul." sam finally looked up from his cup. "my severance was forty."