Chapter 4

The news hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. I stood in the middle of the studio, frozen, while Ryan’s words hung in the air like a challenge.

“Professor Williams requested a one-on-one mini-presentation with Madison yesterday. Just the two of them, behind closed doors.”

I blinked, trying to process. “Why? The mentorship is already hers.”

“Guess Williams wanted to see if the student could walk the walk.” Ryan’s tone was grim. “I heard it didn’t go well.”

“What happened?”

“From what I gathered, Madison couldn’t explain the core structural elements of the design. She kept saying things…