Chapter 34 · You think I don't know that?

He looked down at my hand.

"You think I don't know that?"

"I think you love being admired more than you hate Vivian."

His eyes lifted to mine. "You still don't understand what I hate."

The camera light turned white.

Kane faced it.

"My name is Kane Ardent," he said. "The Bureau calls me the city's Golden Boy. For the last six years, I've stood in front of their cameras and repeated whatever they put on the screen."

My fingers tightened on his sleeve.

His voice didn't shake. His hand did.

"They told you Selah Vale murdered three Enforcers. They told you she sold access codes to hostile factions. They told you she attacked civilians in the south district." He took a breath. "I repeated those claims. I signed the reports. I stood beside Director Vivian and called Selah a monster."

The monitors filled with comments, numbers, and emergency alerts. The city was watching.

I moved closer. "Keep going."

His gaze flicked to me. "Don't start."

"You wanted the truth. Give them all of it."

"I said I would."

"No, you said you were going live. That's not the same thing."

His expression hardened, but he didn't step away.