The Price of Standing Beside Her
The strike did not come through the ledger.
It came through rumor first.
Cassian was the one who caught it, his voice tight as he crossed the basin with hurried steps. "Stonecliff is circulating a claim."
Lucien looked up slowly. "About me."
"Yes," Cassian said. "They are saying you authorized coercive patrol responses during the early safeguard phase."
Lucien let out a quiet breath. "That is a lie."
"Yes," Cassian replied. "But a careful one."
I rose at once. "What exactly are they claiming."
Cassian handed me the slate. "That you issued verbal directives. No written record. No witnesses attached."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "They are exploiting the gap before the ledger stabilized."
"Yes," I said. "They are targeting plausibility."
Lucien met my gaze steadily. "They want me."
"They want separation," I replied. "From me. From credibility."
