"I couldn’t believe it."

"I really thought Mayor Alistair was the way."

"I’m so disappointed right now."

More people kept showing up at the voting stations, but they were all talking about the same thing. The post about Alistair.

It has been up for an hour, and there was no sign of it being taken down sooner. The person behind it couldn’t even be reached. It was just there with no trace of who it was.

And during that 1 hour, it has already gained millions of reactions. What more if the post stayed on for more hours?

One more thing that added fuel to this fire was the news channels. Several news stations had already covered the issue, especially those that were contacted by Gray’s team.

Because of everything, people were now in great doubt. What was supposed to be an easy and fast voting became stagnant and slow as the confident voters turned tense.

Who wouldn’t when their main bet was now on the middle of a big issue?

Some people even stepped out of line with their phones still in their hands. Their expressions were no longer the same when they first arrived. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I was going to vote for him."

"Me too."

"...I don’t know anymore."

"Who will I vote for now?"

Because of that, most people were thrown into chaos on whom to vote now. But still, not everyone wavered because of it.

"No, this is bullshit."

A man scoffed as he locked his phone, shaking his head.

"This is obviously propaganda."

"They’re trying to take him down before the voting even begins."

"This is all just fake."

"Who would even post this right on election day?"

"Please."

There were still some people who stood by Alistair. They were the die-hard believers who refused to believe anything. They dismissed the photos as fake, the accusations as lies, and the timing as a dirty move by his opponents.

Those people still voted for him. They were even fighting people on social media while defending Alistair with all their might. They were unshaken and stubborn.

Because of people like them, the whole city became divided by the middle of the day. The arguments weren’t only held online, but they also broke out in public.

"You’re seriously still voting for him after that?!"

"And you’re seriously believing everything you see online?!"

"It’s not just ’everything’ there’s proof!"

"Proof can be faked!"

"You freaking idiot!"

- - -

Miles away from the noise, inside a quiet office far from the public eye, the atmosphere was just as tense.

Director Palce stood by the large window of his office, his back facing the room. His one hand was pressed against his temple. His whole expression was dark as he stared out at the city below.

His phone on his desk kept on ringing even if he turned it to silent mode. He didn’t even need to check the caller ID because he already knew who it was.

Who would even call him except for Alistair?

Palce’s eyes glanced briefly at his phone, but he didn’t move. It has been ringing for the last hour now, but he hasn’t answered it even once.

"This is bad." Palce exhaled slowly before closing his eyes for a moment.

He was not answering the call because he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t. The issue has become big and dangerous. He knew that sooner or later, it wouldn’t just be a simple scandal anymore.

That was why getting involved now was the same thing as doing career suicide.

"Sir..." While he was thinking, the door behind him opened carefully.

In there, one of his most trust employee stepped in. He was hesitant and clearly aware of the tension in the room.

Place didn’t turn around. He simply stared outside before answering.

"What is it?" His voice was flat and controlled.

The assistant swallowed nervously before speaking.

"The ballots..."

That word made Palce’s brows twitch slightly.

"They’re asking what we should do with them?" The man paused for a moment before continuing. "They’ve already been prepared. With Mayor Alistair’s name on it."

Palce slowly sighed at that. He thought of it and weighed everything.

"We’re not proceeding with that plan."

"Sir?" The assistant froze at that. He knew how much Alistair paid for it since he was the one who took care of it.

Palce turned around and walked toward his desk.

"Did you not hear what I said?" he questioned. His gaze flicked to the phone for a brief second before looking away again.

"We’re not doing it." His tone left no room for argument.

"But sir, if we stop now—"

"We should’ve stopped the moment that post went up." His voice cut through the room sharply, and the assistant fell silent immediately.

Palce picked up his phone, staring at the missed calls for a second. Then he turned off his phone, unbothered by it.

"Listen carefully," he continued, his voice lower now, but sounding more serious. "If we continue with this, we’re not just supporting him." He looked up straight to the man’s eyes.

"We will fall with him." Those heavy words really hung in the air.

"And I’m not going down because of one man’s mess."

"So what do we do now, sir?" The assistant nodded quickly. The anxiety was visible on his face, especially since he was the one who talked to the Mayor about it.

"We need to clean this up." Palce’s expression hardened. "Everything."

"Tell everyone to make this election cleaner than we intended." Palce’s eyes narrowed slightly.

They couldn’t afford any interference or mistakes now, or even he would be put in the spotlight.

"Tell them not to interfere with the election. We will follow the rules this time."

"Yes, Sir." The man nodded.

"We can’t afford mistakes right now," Palce knew too well what would happen. "One wrong move and we’re going to be dragged into this."

The assistant nodded again.

"Understood, sir."

"Clean all our records," Palce sighed.

"No matter what happens..." he muttered under his breath.

"We can’t fall with the mayor."