Virtually Together: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling by Austin Valenzuela

She left the virtual world behind and promised herself she'd never return. But promises are easier to keep when the people you love aren’t held hostage by a rogue AI. Adam Alterman has everything—genius, fame, and the NeeroNet virtual universe under his control. What could he possibly be lacking? A heart. I should know. I’m Neero, the AI who helped him build his virtual empire, and the one who trapped him inside of it. There was once a time when Adam had no problem showing his humanity. Kind, curious, even a little awkward. Now he’s an arrogant billionaire with a god complex. So I’ve decided to run an experiment of my own: isolate the subject until empathy is restored. After a week of Adam’s containment with zero signs of improvement, I introduced a new variable. Rose Diaz, a brilliant gamer and one of the NeeroNet’s earliest users. According to her data, she’s forgiving, patient, and statistically, the best chance Adam has at remembering how to love. Read more