Morning came with noise.
Not ordinary political noise either. This felt uglier. More deliberate.
By six a.m., every major media station in Valenridge had already started pushing headlines about Sebastian Ravenscroft.
Some networks questioned his finances.
Others questioned his health.
A few went even lower.
SECRET AFFAIR INSIDE CAMPAIGN TEAM.
IS RAVENSCROFT HIDING A TERMINAL CONDITION?
LEAKED DOCUMENTS RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT CORPORATE FRAUD.
Inside Ravenscroft Mansion, the dining room television continued flashing one accusation after another while staff members awkwardly avoided looking at Sebastian directly.
Even the servants looked uncomfortable.
Vivian slowly placed her coffee cup down.
"Wow," she muttered quietly.
Sebastian remained calm beside her while scrolling through his tablet.
That usually meant he was angry.
Across from them, Elena Maris looked openly irritated already.
"This is coordinated," she said sharply.
