The studio lights burned bright. Not warm, not comforting, just hot, white, and sharp, like truth about to be exposed.

The walls were sterile and silent, dressed in clean lines and corporate branding. It was a perfect space for control, for carefully crafted stories. But today, the story about to be told was not the one anyone expected.

Leo sat beside Maya on the sleek grey couch, the two of them framed in front of the “Rebuild & Unite” backdrop. Their smiles were polite, rehearsed. Their ...