“During the first hours, information was chaotic,” the representative answered. “People were being moved, reports were crossing, and someone declared her dead before her condition was properly confirmed.” He looked at Ethan coldly. “That does not excuse the mistake.”Mira straightened beside the wall. “I will trace the source of the original confirmation. I want to know who sent it, who verified it, and how it reached the Tribunal as fact.” Her voice was controlled, but Ethan could see that the mistake bothered her. “Until I know that, I won't assume it was innocent.”Ethan gave her a small nod. “Do that.” He then looked back toward the Titan Crest group. “Janet surviving is good news. Whatever else is happening in this room, I mean that.”The gray-haired man did not soften. “Don't celebrate yet. Her doctors still don't know whether she will make it through the next stage of treatment.” He paused before adding, “You may still get the death you were accused of ordering.”Ethan's eyes h

The silence that followed Ethan's words did not last long. Adrian's uncertainty disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by stubborn anger. He remained standing and looked straight at Ethan. “Your title doesn't make you greater than the country,” he said. “Being Supreme Leader does not mean Verdanis automatically belongs to you.”Ethan did not move from where he sat. “I never said it did,” he replied, his voice calm. “But there is a difference between questioning my decisions and walking into this room with accusations you cannot prove, then demanding that I surrender my office because a crowd outside has already judged me.”Adrian gestured toward the windows as another wave of distant shouting reached the conference room. “That crowd is part of Verdanis whether you like what they're saying or not. You have soldiers, companies, money and institutions, but none of those things make you stronger than the people.” His confidence returned as he spoke. “No matter how powe

The room erupted almost at once.Adrian pushed away from the table so sharply that his chair scraped across the floor. Several Titan Crest representatives began speaking over one another, their earlier caution disappearing beneath shock. Mira did not join them. She kept her eyes on Ethan because even she wanted to know whether he had made a threat or a decision.“You cannot cancel a national election because someone challenged you!” Adrian shouted. His face had lost its earlier confidence. “You are talking about the future government of Verdanis, not some meeting inside Xavier Group.”Ethan remained standing. “I'm not canceling it because you challenged me.” His voice was quieter than Adrian's, but it carried through the room. “If your insult was the problem, this conversation would have ended long ago.”One of the Titan Crest delegates shook his head. “Then what exactly is the justification? People will assume you are stopping the election because your position is threatened.” His e

The threat arrived before Adrian could answer Ethan’s challenge. Mira’s phone vibrated sharply against the table, and her expression changed as she read the message again. Outside the conference room, thousands of voices continued striking the walls of Xavier Group like an approaching storm.Adrian noticed her reaction and gave a bitter laugh. “What is it this time? Another emergency that conveniently proves Ethan is the only man capable of ruling Verdanis?” He looked around the room, inviting the others to share his suspicion.Ethan ignored the insult and focused on Mira. “You tried to give us a name before Adrian interrupted you. Finish what you were saying.” His voice was calm, but the command inside it was impossible to miss.Mira hesitated and looked toward Victor. “Tribunal intelligence intercepted another assassination order eleven minutes ago. It contained the target’s departure time, convoy description and the complete route to his campaign residence.” She tightened her grip

The order that could stop an entire nation waited beneath Mira’s finger. Red warning lights filled the conference room as she opened the national emergency system. “The directive is ready, sir,” she said, watching Ethan carefully. “How wide do you want the restrictions to reach?”Ethan looked at the security screens, where armed men were driving protesters toward the Tribunal barriers. His face remained calm, but the anger in his eyes had deepened. “Place Avalora under a complete curfew. Restrict movement across the rest of Verdanis until further notice. Nobody enters or leaves the capital without Tribunal army approval.”Adrian stepped forward, unable to hide his disbelief. “You are locking down an entire capital because protesters refused to obey you. Airports, businesses and public services will collapse. Is this how you intend to prove you are not a tyrant?”“This is how I get to stop armed criminals from using civilians as shields,” Ethan replied. He turned toward Mira without ra