That night passed by so quickly because hours just after that was already the day of the election.

At first glance, everything looked completely normal.

Before the sun could even fully rise, government officials were already wide awake. It was the same at all polling stations across the city and the country.

The staff members assigned for this election had started arriving one by one, hours before the election. School gyms, halls, and small public buildings slowly came to life with it.

They organized the rooms to be clean and efficient, they powered up and carefully inspected voting machines, and some staff members checked the ballots and ballot boxes.

They made sure that everything was perfect.

With that same reason too, you could feel the tense atmosphere around. The air was quiet and a little uncomfortable. No one obviously wanted to make a mistake today so they were being extra careful.

Outside of the voting venues, the streets and roads were still calm. It was only at 7 in the morning when people started leaving their own homes.

Some wore casual clothes, while others were in their uniforms. A whole variety of people from different fields were set to vote today.

They wanted to vote early to avoid the long lines and also to get over it before their day gets too busy with life and work.

Just before the time, small groups had already formed outside some polling locations, even before the gates officially opened. Everyone was waiting for eight o’clock.

Across the city, candidates were also starting their day.

Some were already dressed and prepared, reviewing their schedules with their staff. Others were heading out early, planning to visit polling stations to greet voters and show their presence.

The whole online situation was the same, too. There are multiple updates across the internet as well as the media to cover the whole election. It was a big day for the whole country.

However, inside a luxurious bedroom, Alistair was still asleep.

The curtains were completely drawn, blocking out the sunlight to come to his room. The room remained dim and quiet, untouched by the urgency that had already taken over the outside world.

In Alistair’s mind, there was nothing to worry about. Everything had already been set for him. He made sure yesterday that things were under control and that even potential problems would have been handled in advance.

All he needed to do now... was show up later, win, and decide what he would wear when he stood in front of the cameras tomorrow morning.

A faint smile rested on his sleeping face.

He was completely relaxed and confident. He was completely unprepared for what was about to happen.

Because at exactly eight in the morning, something quietly appeared online.

At first, it didn’t look any different from the countless posts flooding people’s feeds that day. The post was not from a verified account and it even had a long name that looked like it came out of a bot.

The profile was also blank, with only a single upload. It was something that you would usually ignore.

But this time it was different.

Instead of ignoring, the post was shared by thousands within just minutes. It was like a drop of water being discovered in a desert. The post became sought after, the words about it spreading faster than anyone could keep track of.

Because the title alone was enough to make people stop scrolling.

"The Truth About Mayor Alistair."

People who were scrolling absentmindedly suddenly paused when they saw that title. Their fingers hovering mid-air as curiosity crept in their mind.

People quickly clicked on it and the moment they did... they couldn’t look away.

The post wasn’t just words. It was filled with images— clear photographs taken in places that weren’t meant to be seen by the public. There were also documents to prove what the post was claiming.

The post told the truth about Alistiar line by line. How everything about him was a lie. How his foundation was used to cover tracks, and behind closed doors, they were also abusing children.

There were also things about corruption. How Alistair has been secretly amassing the city’s funds into his own account. It also revealed how for years, Alistair had been building relationships behind the scenes.

He had been exchanging favors with high-profile people and creating quiet agreements with people in positions of power.

By the time people reached the end of the post... their expressions had already changed.

Confusion.

Shock.

Disbelief.

And slowly—

Anger.

Those were the reaction the people felt after reading everything.

Comments started flooding in the post faster than they could be read.

[What is this??]

[Is this real or edited?]

[Those documents look legit...]

[No way... no way this is fake.]

[I voted for him before... what the hell...]

[Someone confirm this RIGHT NOW.]

[If this is true, he’s done.]

[Right at the sta of election?]

[Wtfffff??????????]

Replies stacked one after another.

- - -

Outside the polling stations, the doors had already opened. Staff stood by the entrance, ready to guide voters inside. Everything was already ready.

"The doors are open now!" One staff member announced loudly.

However, no one in the line moved. Instead, everyone looked busy on their own worlds, looking at their phones. They were also looking at the post that has now hundreds of thousands of likes online.

"Damn...Have you seen this?" one man asked the person behind him.

A woman nodded at the side.

"You have read it too?

"I just finished reading it."

"What do you think?"

She didn’t answer immediately.

People began gathering around, ignoring the staff completely.

"What’s going on?"

"Something about Mayor Alistair."

"Huh?"

"Wait, show me!!"

Phones were being passed around in just seconds.

Small clusters started forming instead of a proper line. People leaned in closer to each other, completely ignoring the staff and the open door.

At the entrance, the staff exchanged confused glances.

"...Why isn’t anyone coming in?" one of them muttered under his breath.