Harrisburg. The East Wing of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building.
This was the Vice Governor's suite of offices.
Compared to the Governor's offices in the West Wing—always bustling with lobbyists, reporters, and hurried footsteps—this place was unnervingly quiet.
The hallway carpet was thick, muffling all sound. A musty scent hung in the air—the smell of stagnant power.
Aston Monroe sat behind his desk.
On the desk lay only a copy of that day's Philadelphia Inquirer and a cup of coffee that had gone cold.
Ever since his crushing defeat to John Murphy in the senatorial primary, this once-unbeatable political golden boy of Philadelphia had rapidly fallen from the limelight.
Although he was still the Vice Governor, in the fickle world of politics where everyone sides with the winner, one loss often meant losing your momentum for the next five years.
