He looked at her directly, his eyes searching her face for any sign of what she was thinking.
"Miles assumed that any reasonable person would turn down a role under these circumstances. The politics, the fan backlash, the risk to your career — he thought you would see the dangers and walk away."
Hailey started to speak, her voice uncertain.
"Well, I..."
But Walter cut her off, his voice becoming more urgent.
"He agrees to let you take this," he said, "but if you screw this up, you won't get away with it for sure."
The warning hung in the air between them, clear and unmistakable.
This wasn't just an opportunity — it was a test with potentially devastating consequences for failure.
Walter leaned forward, his expression becoming almost paternal in its concern.
"So I'm asking you to reconsider one more time. You can still say no. Nobody would blame you for walking away from this situation."
