"My client, Mr. Carmine Falcone, is a law-abiding entrepreneur and philanthropist who has made an indelible contribution to Gotham's economic development and charitable causes over the decades."
At Civic Plaza, a lawyer renowned for his sharp tongue stood before a throng of media cameras, vehemently condemning the Gotham police for slander and framing his client.
"The illegal goods seized during the police operation at the docks have no connection whatsoever to Mr. Falcone or any business under his name! This is nothing more than a targeted, irresponsible smear campaign, a reckless act by certain individuals willing to undermine Gotham's stability for their own political ambitions!"
"Shocking! Business leader Falcone slandered, lodges formal protest against police overreach!"
"Stability in jeopardy? Falcone incident triggers chain reaction in political and business circles!"
"Chief in the eye of the storm-Barnes presses forward amid praise and threats!"
Countless camera flashes went off in waves. On the newspapers' front pages, photographs of the sharply dressed lawyer holding his statement, his face filled with grief and outrage, rolled rapidly beneath the printing presses alongside enormous exclamation marks in the headlines. Then the papers landed at newsstands across the city, where countless hands scrambled to snatch them up.
The newspaper trembled between his fingers, and his whole body shook with it. Congressman Hamilton, normally so adept at flashing a folksy smile on television, now looked like a melting wax figure, slumped in his expensive high-backed leather chair.
Sweat soaked his shirt collar, and the fine beads covering his forehead gleamed greasily beneath the chandelier.
Opposite him, Victor Zsasz stood silently in the center of the room like a shadow. His pale face was expressionless, his gaze empty as he studied the congressman as though inspecting a lifeless piece of furniture.
He carried no visible weapon, but his