Chapter 4 — Rumblings of Jealousy

Evelyn

The Faculty Lounge was unusually quiet that afternoon, save for the faint clink of a porcelain cup being set onto its saucer. Evelyn Grant sipped her tea, her movements measured and deliberate, as though the ritual itself lent her the clarity she sought. The velvet chairs, though slightly faded, still exuded an air of exclusivity, and the faint hum of the ancient radiator provided a steady, almost meditative undercurrent. The room carried the weight of unspoken rules, its polished mahogany tables and imperious portraits of past deans reminding Evelyn of the hierarchies she had spent her career navigating—and subverting.