Roman stood up already. He knew his wife was already upset and confused. He had to mitigate before anything else happened. “What are you doing here?” He asked her. “Well, I was heading home when I saw your car.” She replied to him. “This is Elara, babe. A part of the national board of economics and CEO of Mega extents.” He introduced. “Elara, this is my wife, Lena. She's a new member of the board.” “I've seen her a few times this week.” Elara said to Lena with a smile. She recognised Lena very well, but Lena couldn't really place the fingers on her. Since Lena was new, she definitely didn't have all the knowledge about the national economics board. “It's nice to meet you, Lena.” Elara said to her, offering a handshake. Lena was uncomfortable, but had to yield to it. “I was just talking to your husband about the progress of our contract. I have to repeat to the Congress tomorrow and we really needed to sit it out. I hope you don't mind.” She said to Lena. “Not at all.” Lena re

The study remained silent except for the soft drone of the air conditioner and the faint shuffle of papers. Carlos sat opposite Roman with a tablet resting in his hands, his expression instantly looking familiar to Roman. Over the years, he had come to know that particular look well. It was the expression Carlos was carrying whenever he uncovered something troubling.“Tell me what’s going on,” Roman said.Carlos rotated the tablet and pushed it across the desk toward him. “About the information sent to the reporter, it came from a disposable phone. At first, it looked impossible to track, but I kept on digging deeper.”Roman lifted the tablet and scanned the display. Rows of information filled the screen, including IP records, timestamps, streams of data. His eyes moved carefully across every detail as he processed it all.“The device was linked to a front company,” Carlos went on. “One of those businesses that only exists on documents. On the surface, it looked like a dead trail. But

Later that evening, Roman walked into the living room and saw Lena curled up on the couch, reading through a stack of reports from the National Economic Advisory Board. The moment she noticed him, she immediately put the papers aside.“What’s the matter?” she asked.Roman paused in his step after hearing the question. “What makes you think something is the matter with me?”“Because I know your facial expression, Roman Walcott. I know you too well,” she replied. “And that’s the face you carry when something is weighing on you.”A little smile almost appeared on his face, but he held it back. Instead, he went over and sat down beside her, allowing the room to be silent a bit. Everywhere was quiet, the children were already asleep. Through the tall windows, the city lights were shining from afar.“Eventually, he finally said something. ‘A political ally might have changed sides,’ he said. ‘There’s some evidence, nothing tangible is certain yet, but it’s leaning in a worrying direction.’L

The apartment was so tiny that Mira could nearly reach both walls at once while standing in the middle. During her first week there, she had tested it out, almost like a cruel little experiment. Earlier before everything, she could carry designer handbags and lived high above the city in a luxury penthouse. Now, she measured the size of her life by the stretch of her arms.The bedroom window offered nothing impressive either, only the blank side of the neighboring building.The view was full of grey brick, a metal fire clung to the wall outside, and beneath it sat an old air-conditioning unit streaked with rust. Every so often, some water would drip from it onto the ledge below in unusual beats, like a broken clock that no longer cared about keeping accurate time.Nearly three weeks earlier, she had parted with the last valuable thing she owned, a pair of diamond drop earrings passed down from a wealthy great-aunt who’d never truly understood their value. The jeweller offered far le

Angela Webb, his chief legal counsel, was known for her speed and precision. She arrived in seventeen minutes with the agreement already pulled up on her tablet.“Clause nine,” Roman said as she entered.Angela was already in the room.“Non-disclosure,” she said without hesitation, scanning the document. “It’s broad and strict. It covers any public statements, interviews, written accounts, broadcasts, and social media posts involving Roman Walcott, Walcott Corporation, Walter Group, and all connected people or organizations. Mira Donaldson signed it as part of her early release from the legal case.”She paused and looked into his eyes.“It’s solid,” she continued. “Completely enforceable.”“Send a formal notice to The Meridian Pulse tonight,” Roman said. “If you have to, wake their legal team. Make it clear that airing any part of that interview breaks a binding legal agreement. The first step will be an injunction. After that, a lawsuit that will make their quarterly profits irreleva