Chapter 47 — The Day the Structure Cracked
The courthouse wasn’t built for truth.
It was built for procedure.
Marble floors polished to reflection. Tall ceilings that swallowed sound. Cameras restricted to designated areas. Officials moving in controlled, measured patterns as if chaos could be kept out by symmetry.
But chaos was already inside.
By eight in the morning, every major network was broadcasting live coverage.
Alessandro Virelli — suspended official under investigation.
Administrative misconduct.
Abuse of authority.
Unlawful extraction of classified data.
The charges were worded carefully.
Cleanly.
Dangerously.
Outside, protest lines stretched across three city blocks. Not screaming. Not violent.
Waiting.
Watching.
Amara stood in a private holding corridor just ou
