Leo looked at those eyes.
A fire burned within them.
It was hope, trust, and fervor.
But amidst that light, Leo also saw something else.
A heavy weight.
A weight that two and a half million US Dollars in Federation funds could not lighten, a weight that dozens of brilliant speeches could not bear.
Those eyes were saying: We gave you everything. Now, it's your turn to give us a way to live.
That expectation was more suffocating than the winter wind.
The ceremony was over.
The crowd began to disperse, but their enthusiasm still echoed over the city.
Escorted by security, Leo turned and walked toward the heavy doors of City Hall.
He walked through the corridors.
The City Hall staff who had once given him the cold shoulder, who had even tried to trip him up behind his back, now stood on both sides of the hall. They bowed to him with humble, fawning smiles on their faces.
"Good day, Mr. Mayor."
"Good morning, Mr. Mayor."
