The hall reserved for disciplinary review had the atmosphere of a place where voices were meant to shrink.
High ceilings. Pale walls. Rows of rigid chairs aligned with merciless symmetry. A long table at the front where authority sat elevated by mere inches — enough to remind all who entered that power rarely needed to raise its voice.
Elara Romano paused at the threshold.
The room was not full.
It was worse.
It was watching.
Faculty members sat in subdued clusters. Administrative staff murmured behind folders and tablets. Two security officers stood at the back wall, hands folded before them in an imitation of neutrality.
Students had not been formally invited.
Some had arrived anyway.
Whispers moved like drafts beneath a closed door.
"That's her."
"Holy shit… they actually brought her here."
"Ugh… this is going to be brutal."
"Tsk. Campus drama at its finest."
Elara stepped forward.
Each footfall echoed too loudly in her ears.
