Chapter 52. Public Reckoning

Three cameras swiveled toward Lia Chen as Yara pressed her shoulder blades against the back wall of the studio. A makeup artist dabbed at Lia’s cheekbone where the bruise had faded to the color of a day-old plum. The sound tech crouched beside her chair, fingers brushing her collar as he clipped the mic higher.

Across the set, the host mouthed words from her tablet, lips moving silently. Someone had spilled coffee near the main cable junction; the smell mingled with the sharp tang of hairspray and sweat. Lia’s fingers lay interlaced in her lap, perfectly still. Her white shirt collar peeked out from a black jacket that hung just slightly too large on her frame—no glint of jewelry, no splash of color, not a single logo in sight.

Not a fighter’s uniform. A statement.

Yara scribbled a note on her pad: Refuses costume narrative. Controls frame.

The red light above camera two blinked on. The host leaned forward with her practiced smile.

“Lia Chen—champion, w