Cassian POV

Two nights later, I arrived at the senator’s party with the full weight of a presidential frontrunner behind me.

The street outside the estate was packed with sleek black vehicles and overdressed ambition. The iron gates creaked open as my convoy pulled in, and flashbulbs exploded like fireworks the second the first SUV appeared. People expected a grand entrance. I gave them one.

The motorcade was deliberate, tight, and disciplined. My lead car pulled up to the marble ...