The hall was filled with laughter and soft chatter, blending with the clinking of glasses and the faint hum of music. Golden light spilled from the chandeliers above, touching polished marble floors and carefully practiced smiles.

I moved through the crowd with ease, shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries. The powerful and the desperate, they all looked the same to me. They laughed too loudly, smiled too wide. I played along, nodding, pretending to care. The perfect politician. The man who ...