Lily POV
The coffee shop was in a busy commercial district where a luxury car would be less conspicuous among the other vehicles. After Marcel reluctantly dropped me off—with strict instructions to call him the moment class ended—I set off on foot toward the university.
It was farther than I'd anticipated. What had seemed like a reasonable walk in my head became a challenging trek in dress shoes that weren't designed for long-distance walking. By the time I reached the correct building, my feet were already developing blisters, and I was running nearly twenty minutes late.
The classroom was on the second floor, and I could hear a masculine voice speaking authoritatively as I approached the door. My heart sank as I realized the lesson was already well underway. Through the small window in the door, I could see students seated in a semicircle, all focused intently on a figure at the front of the room.
