Flashbulbs bloomed like gunfire.
Emerie stepped onto the marble stage, the hem of her ocean-blue gown whispering across stone. A drone hovered just above her shoulder, streaming her smile to thousands of screens across the world.
“Welcome to the Macadam Initiative Gala," she said, her voice calm, clear. “Tonight we shine a light not on the past—but on possibility."
Applause echoed.
She glanced sideways.
Antony stood at her side, dressed in sharp black, his hand resting lightly at her back.
He looked like a man in control.
He wasn't.
---
**Offsite, 8 miles away.**
Reyes hunched over a terminal in a mobile surveillance van, headset snug, eyes on a series of blinking monitors.
“We're live," he muttered.
Beside him, two FBI techs tapped rapidly, routing drone feeds and uplinking su
