SOPHIA’S POV
The lecture hall slowly emptied after the final applause.
I stood up and was about to slip my notebook into my bag when I noticed Professor Rio watching me from a short distance. He waited until the small crowd around him left before walking toward me.
“You asked very good questions today,” he said when he reached me, “Not just correct questions, but thoughtful ones.”
I blinked in surprise. “Thank you, Professor.”
“They showed maturity,” he continued. “And advanced thinking. Many students memorize information but very few understand how to apply it under pressure. You do.”
His words made my chest warm. I wasn’t used to being spoken to like that. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had praised me.
He looked at my name badge. “Where do you work, Soph
