BENNY’S POV
The air outside the main lecture hall of the advanced economics department was thick with the distinct, low-frequency hum of high-stakes anxiety. Dozens of students lined the polished limestone corridor, their faces pale, fingers flying across glass terminals as they ran last-minute diagnostic checks on their slides. This was the legendary "live defense" day—a brutal gauntlet where the academic elite of Garrison Heights were either solidified or thoroughly dismantled under the scrutiny of Mr. Harrison and the visiting senior department heads.
My chest felt incredibly tight, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs as I gripped my tablet. I had spent my entire life around the ridge’s most powerful families, but I had never felt this kind of raw, exposed vulnerabilit
