The first warning didn't feel like one.
It felt like applause.
Mira was halfway through drafting a new column when her
phone buzzed violently against the wooden desk.
Leo burst through the café door like a man who had seen the
apocalypse and was deeply offended by it.
"You're not going to like this."
"That sentence has never led to anything good," Mira
replied calmly.
Leo held up his phone.
"Have you heard of Daniel Armand?"
Adrian looked up from the stack of policy drafts he'd been
reviewing.
"…Yes," he said slowly.
Mira turned.
"Should I be concerned?"
Adrian's expression tightened just slightly.
"He's… effective."
Leo barked a laugh.
"That's one word for it."
Mira snatched the phone.
The headline blazed across the screen.
DANIEL ARMAND LAUNCHES NATIONAL CIVIC FUTURE
INITIATIVE — CALLS FOR "UNCOMPROMISED LEADERSHIP"
There was a clip attached.
Daniel Armand stood at a podium, tall, composed,
devastatingly articulate. His presence wasn't loud.
