(Caius)
I didn’t look down at the file again. “There are additional charges that weren’t entered into the formal record,” I said, my voice steady as it carried through the hall. “They weren’t omitted by mistake, and they weren’t overlooked.” I paused just long enough for the meaning to settle. “They were held back.”
That shifted the room in a way the earlier words hadn’t. This wasn’t process anymore, and it wasn’t structure they could follow or argue against. This was something they hadn’t prepared for, something they couldn’t measure or contain. They felt it before they understood it.
I stepped forward a fraction, my attention fixed ahead without needing to name anyone directly. Bodies tightened across the hall, and focus sharpened without permission. The truth had already been laid ou
