["PLAY THE KING" IS ACT TWO OF THE "PLAY" SERIES. PLEASE READ "PLAY THE QUEEN" FIRST.]
It's been four months since Priam Torres, the once unpopular president of the Elysian University Student Council, assumed office. Thanks to his chief-of-staff Cas...
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REYNARD
OH, BOY! I wouldn't wanna be in the USC's shoes right now—particularly Castiel, since he got nuked by Alaric in the latest impeachment hearing. Totally obliterated! He kept a straight face as if he was trying not to laugh at a super funny joke. But he must be internally screaming in his seat while sweating bullets! Habang ginigisa siya sa witness stand, malamang ay tinatawag niya ang mga santo para lumikha ng lindol na biglang magpo-postpone sa hearing.
What Alaric did yesterday through his surrogate Chevy was masterful! The bombshell, the timing? Chef's kiss! You had to hand it to him. He just sat on his throne as he watched Castiel get roasted by the Ombudsman. All he needed to do was hit the gavel and say some words. Michelangelo was right. 'Ric wasn't the type of person to disappoint.
Wala akong kinakampihan sa dalawang panig. Wala rin akong pakialam kung sino'ng manalo. Ang importante sa 'kin ay manaig ang katotohanan at maparusahan ang mga sinungaling. Whoever would win between the two parties, I would be going after them anyway. Neither side was safe from my pen of truth and exposé. Sounds a bit cheesy, I know.
"The USC is freaking done!" our fellow news writer, Spencer Osorio, announced as he entered the editorial office. Sa sobrang tangkad at sa tingkad ng highlights ng undercut hairstyle niya, imposibleng 'di mapalilingon ang mga nakasasalubong sa kaniya. "Six out of ten students want Priam and Valeria gone. Only three want them to stay. They're toast!"
I locked my arms behind the back of my head as I watched him walk past me and settle down in his seat. That audio recording was truly damning. Wala pang assurance na authentic 'yon at maa-admit bilang evidence. But the court of public opinion had spoken: Priam and Valeria were on the verge of being kicked out of office. Just one strong push, they would fall into the hole of their own making. It would be hard for anyone to come back from that knockout blow.
To recap: Alaric won the pre-impeachment match. Castiel won the first hearing. Alaric came back and won the second. It's two to one, in favor of Alaric.
Could Castiel could find a way to get out of that mess? I wouldn't be surprised if he could. He was a sly fox with the cunning of the devil. I would be disappointed if this were the end for him. After all his cunning and all his maneuverings, he would only be taken down by, what, an audio clip? That's too anticlimactic!
"So it's going to be USC President Alaric Esteban next month, huh?" Ambrielle let out a sigh. "What a great time to be assigned to the USC beat."
"You're welcome!" I popped up like a mole in a whack-a-mole game so she could see me across her workstation. "If I hadn't messed up with that exclusive explosive exposé, you wouldn't have gotten the chance to witness and chronicle history it as unfolds."
"Uhm... Thank you?" She flicked her gaze to me before rolling her eyes. "Is that what you want me to say?"
"That's good enough for me," I replied, retreating back into my hole.
