Natalia stiffened beside me. "What do you mean?"
I turned the datapad so she could see both articles side by side. "Veronica Cabana tries to blow the whistle on the VHC's greatest fuck-up, the kind of story that could bring down careers and trigger actual government oversight. What happens? A photogenic underdog prospect gives a dramatic speech, rejects the elite guilds, and becomes the most shareable feel-good content of the year." I tapped the screen. "Forty-five minutes, Natalia. That's how long it took for my story to completely bury hers."
Her face went through several expressions. Confusion. Understanding. Then something cold and sharp that I recognized from our Gate run.
Fury.
"Seraphina Vance."
"Has to be. She controls the media narrative in Valoria. President of the VHC, granddaughter of the guy who co-authored the Aspect theory that made the entire industry possible. If anyone has the power and motivation to kill a story that makes the VHC look incompetent..."
