Bradford's smirk faltered. "With all due respect, Mr. President, there is nothing to discuss. They killed our soldiers."
Matthew's eyes locked onto him. "With all due respect, Assistant Secretary, you are not the Secretary of the Navy, nor the Secretary of State. You are a glorified administrator, not a policymaker, and certainly not someone who dictates foreign policy."
Bradford's jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Matthew continued, voice cold and firm.
"You are out of line and out of the chain of command. If you were anyone else, I would have you thrown out of this room. So tread carefully."
The room fell silent.
Bradford's smirk had completely vanished. The other officials shifted in their seats, exchanging wary glances. No one had ever seen the President so openly confront someone in a meeting before.
But Bradford, ever the opportunist, refused to back down. "Mr. President, with all due respect—"
