Chapter 19

PEARL

Four hours ago...

THE BELL rang for my first-period class this afternoon. I'm now a professor at my alma mater, UST. At UST, I completed both my bachelor's and master's degrees in education. I teach classes in the Accounting Department, primarily to the graduating class.

I entered the room and waited for my students to enter. They smiled as they greeted me, and I smiled back. When the last bell rang, I shut the door.

"Okay, class, get back to work where you left off the last time. I'll give you twenty minutes to finish it today, and then we'll start another Accounting 501 lecture. Your time has arrived." I told them to return to my table.

I sat there and reached into my bag for my phone. I checked it and