194. The Statement That Ends It AllRoman

The room is already alive when Roman steps in. It doesn’t build gradually. It erupts.

Cameras flash in rapid succession, a relentless storm of light that momentarily fractures his vision, while voices rise almost immediately. They are all layered, overlapping and urgent as everyone wants a piece of the pie before it cools. His name is called from different directions, each reporter trying to anchor his attention before the next one does. Microphones ...