As the clock ticked toward midnight, Ambrose Ward stood before the bathroom mirror, splashing cold water onto his face. He watched the droplets bead against his skin, a reflection of the quiet intensity simmering beneath his calm exterior. He shook his head, physically clearing the remnants of the day’s political maneuvers from his mind. He was no longer the invisible junior clerk from Fairhaven County; he had shed that skin, revealing the sharp, lethal edge of a man who belonged in the inner sanctum of the Capital City.
He reached for a towel, his thoughts finally beginning to settle into a dreamless calm. But while Ambrose prepared for sleep, the rest of the Lakeport Development Zone was in the grip of a fever.
The news had hit the district like a physical shockwave. By 11:00 PM, two d
