The election was less than three weeks away.
And Valenridge no longer felt like the same country. Everywhere people looked, they saw Sebastian Ravenscroft. His face appeared on billboards.On television screens.On campaign posters hanging from apartment balconies.
Street vendors sold campaign caps and shirts faster than they could restock them.
Students painted murals.
Taxi drivers argued politics with passengers.
Even schoolchildren knew his name.
The election had become more than a political contest.
It had become a national conversation.
And at the center of it stood Sebastian and Vivian.
Together.
One afternoon, a campaign volunteer entered headquarters carrying a portable speaker. Music blasted through the hallway.
Several staff members laughed.
Others immediately began singing along.
Clara looked up from her desk.
"What is that?"
The volunteer grinned.
"The new campaign song."
Before Clara could respond, three more staff members joined in.
