The door closed with a soft click, leaving Miranda alone in her office.
She remained standing by her desk for a long moment, her professional smile fading as silence settled around her.
What she never told them was that she knew exactly what Pierce was planning... and she could already sense the danger in it.
She let out a long breath, murmuring to the empty room, "What a reckless game you've chosen to play, Gerald."
The words hung in the air, her exhale heavy with the weight of consequences she could hardly bring herself to imagine.
She moved to the window, watching Alex and Tisha cross the quad below.
There was something in the way they walked together... a natural rhythm, an easy comfort that spoke of genuine partnership.
She understood then that what bound them went well beyond the concern of a mentor for her student.
At first, she'd dismissed it as nothing more than her friend being overly protective of a student.
