POV: ALINA
It hits the press by 9:03 a.m.
“Anonymous Memos Suggest Cross Industries Rigged City Contracts.”
That headline runs on four major outlets within the hour.
By 10:15, a government ethics watchdog calls for an emergency review. By 11:22, Elena cancels a luncheon with two top donors. By 12:30, her team issues a shaky statement denying any knowledge.
By 2:00 p.m., her face is on every channel.
I sit on the edge of my desk, phone in hand, watching her squirm in real time. No sound. I don’t need it. I know the rhythm of panic just by the way her jaw clenches. The way her hand twitches near her mouth. She is spiraling. Panicking, enraged and spiralling.
Good.
Vivian steps into the room without knocking. She never knocks. She knows better.
“They are panicking,” she says. “Elena’s comms director just emailed us. They want to arrange a sit-down with Ashen. Private. Off the record. Before the audit starts.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Desperate already?”
Vivian nods. “They want you to backdat
