"You cannot bring coffee onto the performance stage, Mr. Parker."
Professor Vance barked the command into the podium microphone. The sharp sound echoed violently through the silent amphitheater.
Ryan Parker did not break his stride. He continued walking down the center aisle of the massive hall.
Hundreds of elite classical students stared at him from their plush velvet seats. They had expected to see a terrified pop singer. They wanted to see an exhausted, broken man begging the academic board for mercy.
Instead, they saw a sovereign completely unbothered by his own execution.
Ryan wore a perfectly tailored silver gray suit. His posture was impeccable. He carried a steaming demitasse cup of dark espresso in his right hand.
"Put the cup down," Professor Vance ordered loudly.
His heav
