A few days after the Hale family left Damian's mansion, another meeting was arranged. Unlike the Hales, who arrived carrying desperation behind carefully maintained smiles, these visitors arrived carrying concern. That difference immediately caught Damian's attention.
The delegation consisted of State Senator Richard Coleman, a man who had survived nearly three decades in Illinois politics, Congressman Arthur Reed, Governor Bennett's Chief of Staff Margaret Sloan, and Liberal Party fundraiser Elisa Graves.
Every single one of them possessed influence powerful enough to shape elections, destroy careers, and redirect hundreds of millions of dollars with a handful of phone calls.
Yet despite that influence, none of them walked into the mansion with the arrogance Damian expected.
Instead they looked worried.
