March 26, 1897
The White House, Washington D.C.
The air inside the Oval Office was heavy, thick with tension as President Matthew Hesh paced back and forth, his hands clenched into fists. He had barely slept in the past few days, not with everything unraveling around him.
The bombing in New Manchester was the final straw.
His campaign office—a place filled with dedicated workers and volunteers—had been reduced to rubble overnight. People had died. Good people. And the media wasted no time blaming his own supporters for the act.
It was a lie.
A carefully orchestrated lie, and Matthew knew it. But proving it? That was another matter entirely.
Across the room, Collins, his chief of staff, leaned against the desk, scanning a stack of newspapers with a scowl.
