The St. Jude’s University library smelled of vanilla-scented decay and the oppressive weight of a thousand dead philosophers.
Dust motes danced in the shafts of amber light piercing through the gothic windows, settling on the mahogany tables where Claire sat. She had carved out a fortress of textbooks, indexed notebooks, and three different colors of highlighters.
Her focus shattered when a heavy leather satchel slammed onto the table, rattling her espresso cup.
"You're citing the 1994 critique of the Hegelian dialectic," a voice drawled. "Bold choice. Especially since it was debunked by the Zurich school three years later."
Claire didn’t look up. She didn’t need to. The scent of sandalwood and expensive laundry detergent preceded him like a herald.
"The Zurich school lacked the nua
