Chapter 5

When the plane landed in Riverdale, I received a message from Laura Dean.

Laura was a student my father, Riley Lincoln, had sponsored in my early years; now she was one of the youngest associate deans at Riverdale University. We'd known each other since childhood—she was resilient and academically brilliant.

Her mentor had once been Riley's research partner. Later, her father fell into depression over an academic dispute and passed away soon after; her mother also died not long after. Overnight, Laura lost all her support.

Riley valued her talent and had supported her through her studies ever since.

After…