"The lead candidate demands double the funding, threatening to expose Rafael's criminal past to the media if refused."
Rafael stood in the center of the dimly lit private study, his tall frame radiating a cold, suffocating weight that made the air feel thin.
"Look at me when I speak to you, Julian," Rafael commanded softly, his baritone voice slicing through the candidate's hysterical sobbing.
"I'm looking! I'm looking, Mr. Ethel!" Senator Vance wheezed, his pale face smeared with sweat and tears as he looked up from the floor.
"You sat in your comfortable office and believed a piece of digital paper gave you leverage over me," Rafael noted, taking a slow step forward.
"I was stupid! I was arrogant!" Vance whimpered, crawling backward until his spine pressed hard against the leg
