Chapter 368: Home At Last
The applause still rang through the chamber as the President continued his work. One by one, he shook the hands of the gathered couple dozen men and women, the selected national heroes, offering words of gratitude. His face was carefully set into the reassuring smile expected of a leader.
Some were bandaged. Others sat in wheelchairs. Many were scarred in ways that cameras couldn’t capture. To each of them, he gave a few personal words, his expression steady and solemn.
But occasionally, there was a minor shift.
From time to time, the President’s eyes flicked sideways, aimed directly at the Paragon of Sin. There was no denying it; he looked troubled. Perplexed, even.
Kaiden understood perfectly.
This was meant to be the President’s moment. His big display before the nation, proof that the government still held the reins of order in a world gone mad. Yet the spotlight had slipped. Millions were no longer talking about his speech, of the medals being handed out, of the major victory the United States of America brought while the rest of the world was still in disarray.
They were already knee-deep in the drama of ChronosX versus Valhalla’s Sinners. Kaiden and the girls had become what the people cared about, not the politician smiling before the cameras to reassure them.
Kaiden answered that sidelong glance with the smallest smile. Apologetic. Almost boyish. A silent admission that, yes, he knew he had stolen the show, but it was nothing personal.
The President’s eyes narrowed with frustration, but then something else followed. A strange glimmer of reluctant respect.
He released the final hero’s hand, straightened his spine, and moved on.
Kaiden knew then that the man wouldn’t retaliate.
The president might not like sharing the stage, but he wasn’t a fool. Political games were part of his life, and he knew that sometimes you won while at other times you found yourself outmanouvered. A good politician didn’t flip out and begin slinging crude insults if that happened. Instead, they zoomed out, waited, and evaluated what their next move should be.