My heart skipped a beat, a sudden, sharp thrill of pure adrenaline flooding my veins.
Dean Bradley handed me the leather binder, his eyes glinting with a fierce, knowing pride. “They are all waiting for you. Are you ready to change your life?”
The heavy, crimson velvet curtains parted with a mechanical hum, and a blinding, pure white spotlight illuminated the massive wooden stage. The auditorium, packed with over three thousand people, fell into a breathless, reverent hush.
Dean Bradley stepped to the gold-embossed podium. He adjusted his microphone, the sound echoing crisply through the state-of-the-art acoustic system.
“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues, board of trustees, and honored guests,” his voice rolled over the crowd like thunder. “Today, we gather to graduate a class of extraordinary, brilliant minds. We send a new generation of healers into the world.”
He paused, resting his hands on the edges of the podium, letting the silence stretch until it was almost agonizing.
