Word travels fast at the summit. By morning, I was a headline in the rumor mill.
I could feel the stares before I’d even stepped off the elevator—curious, cautious, some admiring, others skeptical. People paused mid-conversation when I passed, their eyes lingering, voices lowering to just above a whisper.
The echo of my defense from the night before was still rippling through the halls. Apparently, standing up at a council dinner and calling out political optics made me either a hero or a liability, depending on who you asked.
Emma intercepted me halfway down the corridor, holding a sleek folder and grinning like she’d just won a bet.
"You’ve got media training," she said, shoving the folder into my arms.
I blinked. "What?"
"Beta’s orders. Just in case someone shoves a mic in your fa
