The Billionaire's Mistake (Anya and Daniel)
MISTAKE 140

Chapter 140: A national scandal

"Crystal clear, sir," Hawkins said, ending the call with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

The director of intelligence stood outside the president's office, arranging his thoughts himself for a good while. After a moment's hesitation, he knocked and entered at the president's call. President Edward Ricardo looked up from his desk, his expression expectant. "Reeves, I hope you have good news for me.

11

Receives cleared his throat. "I'm afraid not, Mr. President. I've just received word from the

field team. Anya Shaw... We failed to capture her. She's gone received word from the

The president's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "What do you mean, 'gone'? How is that possible?"

"It appears the Shaw family moved her before our agents arrived, sir. We're still investigating how they knew about the operation."

The president slammed his fist on the desk, causing Reeves to flinch. "This is unacceptable! Do you have any idea what's at stake here, Reeves?"

"Sir, I assure you, we're doing everything in our power to locate her. But the Shaw organization is-"

"I don't want excuses!" Ricardo shouted, cutting him off. "I want results. New orders. I want every member of the Shaw family brought in. Every last one of them."

Reeves felt a chill run down his spine. "Mr. President, with all due respect, that's not possible. We don't have probable cause for most of them. It would be a clear violation of their constitutional rights."

Ricardo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did I stutter, Director? This is a direct order from your Commander in Chief. Bring them in. All of them. I don't care how you do it."

"Sir, I must protest," Reeves said, his voice firm despite his growing unease. "This is illegal. We can't just round up an entire family without cause. If we do this, the Shaw family will have something on the agency. All of our previous replaceings and investigation could be ruled as a personal vendetta."

"Damn it!" the president roared, causing the director to take an involuntary step back. "I don't care about your precious protocols. This is bigger than you know. Now, are you going to follow my orders, or do I need to replace someone who will?"

The director stood frozen. He could not reply. If all this goes south, he would take the blame. And if he did not agree, he would be removed.

After a long moment, the director spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, Mr. President. I understand."

He had taken his order and turned to leave. But unknown to him, the Shaw was again, one step. ahead.

Meanwhile, across town in the bustling newsroom of the Capital Daily, reporter Jack Winters was wrapping up his latest story when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, not recognizing the number. "Winters," he answered, wedging the phone between his ear and shoulder as he continued typing.

"Jack, it's me," came a hushed voice that he recognized as one of his confidential sources. I've got something big. Really big."

Chaph) His a national standal

Jack's pulse quickened. "I'm listening."

"The President," the voice said, pausing for effect. "He's about to be impeached. Charges of heading organized crime."

Jack nearly dropped his phone. "What? That's... that's insane. Are you sure about this?"

"Dead sure. Parliament's called an emergency session. It's going down, Jack. And it's going down fast."

As the call ended, Jack sat back in his chair, his mind whirling. This couldn't be real. The President, involved in organized crime? It was too fantastical to believe.

Just then, his colleague Mary called out from across the room. "Hey, Winters! Did you hear? Parliament's just called an emergency session. Something big's happening. Jack felt the blood drain from his face. It was true. All of it.

Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped to his feet and made his way to the office of Evelyn Blackwood, the formidable editor-in-chief of the Capital Daily.

"Chief," Jack said as he burst into her office, slightly out of breath. "I've got a tip. A big one."

Blackwood looked up from her computer, her eyes narrowing. "This better be good, Winters."

"It's about the president," Jack said, his words tumbling out in a rush. "I've got a source saying he's about to be impeached. On charges of heading organized crime." Blackwood's eyebrows shot up. "That's one hell of an accusation, Winters. You'd better have more than just an anonymous tip."

"Parliament's called an emergency session," Jack pressed on. "It fits. And my source has never been wrong before."

Blackwood leaned back in her chair, her mind clearly racing. "If this is true, it's the story of the century. But if it's not..." She let the implications hang in the air.

"I know it sounds crazy," Jack said, "but my gut says this is real. We need to be ready."

For a long moment, Blackwood said nothing, her fingers steepled in front of her face. Finally, she nodded. "Alright, Winters. Tell the newsroom to go on standby. But we don't run a damn thing until we have concrete confirmation. Understood?" Jack nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. "Understood, Chief."

As he turned to leave, Blackwood called out, "And Winters? If this pans out, it's your story. Don't screw it up."

Jack hurried back to the newsroom, his mind already racing with excitement.

As he began to brief his colleagues, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were standing on pure Intel. This would make their careers.

The next few hours would change everything, not just for the president but for them too. There was snow news like this ever.

The halls of Parliament buzzed with tension as members hurried to take their seats.

An air of confusion and anticipation hung heavy in the ornate chamber. At the podium, the Speaker of Parliament, Eleanor Mario, called for order, her gavel echoing through the room.

A national scamtal

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mario began, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation, we have been called into emergency session at the request of the Attorney General. I know many of you have questions, but I ask for your patience and attention." A murmur rippled through the assembled members. Emergency sessions were rare, and ones called because of the Attorney General were even rarer.

Mario continued, "The Attorney General has informed me that he has put forward his decision. to strip the president of his immunity and urges us to initiate impeachment proceedings. against President Edward Ricardo."

The chamber erupted into chaos. Shouts of disbelief and outrage filled the air. Mario banged her gavel repeatedly, struggling to regain control.

"Order! Order in the chamber!" she shouted over the din.

Slowly, the noise subsided, replaced by a tense silence. Mario took a deep breath before. delivering the next bombshell.

"Now, the Attorney General has already informed the House of his decision to strip the President of his immunity from prosecution."

This time, the reaction was immediate and sudden. Several members jumped to their feet, shouting questions and objections. They were all members of the president's political party.

"Madam Speaker!" called out a member, the opposition leader. "On what grounds has the Attorney General taken such unprecedented action? This is unheard of in our history!"

Mario raised a hand for silence. "I understand your concerns, Mr. Reeves. The Attorney General is on his way to address the chamber and present his evidence. I ask for your patience until then." Chap 140 A Isonal scandal

But the members were not to be silenced so easily. A veteran member of the parliament stood up. "Madam Speaker, with all due respect, we cannot simply sit here and wait. The stability of our government is at stake. We demand answers now! The attorney general should not have put forward this if he was not here."

Murmurs of agreement echoed through the chamber. Mario looked as if she was about to respond when the doors at the back of the chamber swung open.