In the end, he picked up a crumpled piece of paper.
Everyone held their breath, hearts almost in their throats. The air was filled only with the silent swirls of cigar smoke.
The paper ball was slowly unwrapped. Mr. Segood squinted at it for several seconds, then he looked up, with an almost pitying gaze, at the man sitting at the end of the long table, trying to minimize his presence—the chairman of the House Procedure Committee, a congressman from a swing state in the Midwest, Harold Wilkes.
"God has made His choice." Mr. Segood's voice was hoarse yet calm, "Harold Wilkes."
"Oh, Jesus F**king Christ... NO!!!"
Harold Wilkes seemed drained of all strength. His Wilkes family, though considered a local political family, could only be deemed second-tier in the presence of the big shots here. He himself was known for being cautious and adept at compromise and mediation, never expecting or willing to be thrust into the spotlight at such a time.
