Julian frowned, the lines in his expression sharpening. Control was his language, swift, decisive, absolute.
"Then what?" he pressed. "We just let them keep lying?" Amara didn't answer immediately. She let the question sit between them, heavy and impatient… until it no longer felt like a question, but a challenge.
"I don't plan on lying," she said at last, her voice quieter now, but far more dangerous. "And I don't plan on hiding."
Julian's eyes followed her as she pushed back from the table, the scrape of her chair echoing faintly in the otherwise still room.
"What do you plan on doing?" She paused. Just for a second.
Long enough for everyone watching to feel it. Then… "I'm going to show them the truth," she said, her tone steady, unwavering. "In a way they can't ignore."
And with that, she turned. No hesitation. No second thought. She walked out. The hallway seemed to part for her.
