It was a party held every year; where the country’s army generals, politicians, industrialists, and heirs gathered under the same roof. The ballroom hummed with whispered deals and carefully rehearsed laughter, expensive perfume mingling with champagne.

The cameras flashed incessantly, and the sound of the opposition leader's voice was drowned out by the rhythmic clicks of lenses. But among the lights, chatter, and leader's voice, everyone's attention was captured by her.