Chapter 106: The Longest Night

Chris didn't sleep.

The city hummed below Blackwood Tower, a restless giant caught between anticipation and uncertainty. Tomorrow would change everything, but tonight… tonight was the calm before the storm.

He stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the dark horizon. The phone call with Skylar lingered in his mind. She hadn't said the words outright, but he knew—he had her vote. He had always had it, in more ways than one.

A sharp knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.

Ethan stepped in, holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and a tablet in the other. His usual smirk was absent, replaced by something more serious.

"Final polling reports," he said, setting the tablet on the desk. "We're projected to win, but the opposition is throwing everything they have at us."

Chris picked up the tablet, scanning the numbers. "They're desperate."

Ethan nodded. "Desperate men are dangerous. We've locked down security for tomorrow—no surprises. But you should be prepared for anything."

Chris placed the tablet back down, his fingers tapping lightly against the glass. "I've been prepared since the day I entered this race."

Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course you have." He downed his whiskey and set the glass aside. "You know, if this were anyone else, I'd tell them to get some rest before the biggest day of their life."

Chris smirked. "But you know better."

"Yeah," Ethan admitted. "I do."

They stood in silence for a moment. Outside, the city continued to breathe, unaware that by this time tomorrow, it might belong to a new ruler.

Ethan exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "One way or another, Chris… after tomorrow, nothing will ever be the same."

Chris glanced back at the skyline. He could feel it—the shift in the air, the weight of inevitability pressing down on him.

"Good," he said, his voice quiet but unshakable. "It's about time."