Page 35 of After Darkness Falls

"She's on a night schedule because she's shadowing Alexius Helsing."

That name certainly rang a bell. How many men named Alexius could there be here?

"The blond vampire?" Chloe asked.

"The one and only. His kind aren't typically into magic the way witches are, but Alexius is an alchemist. That's a bridge between magic and science, in a way. Greer is learning everything she can from various branches of theurgy."

The two witches began babbling about different magics, so Chloe redirected her attention to the documents in front of her.

Blair had handwritten the three pages in blue ink, and she'd made liberal use of colorful pens to underline and circle certain points.

The contents of the first page were simple enough to understand: every course required to receive an MBA.

Prerequisites: Undergrad degree including completed courses in accounting, economics, management, and statistics.

Chloe had all that.

Post-grad courses required: advanced accounting, human resources, system information, managerial finances, operations management, legal business issues, global strategy, planning and decision-making.

That was…some list.

The witches were still talking, so she continued reading rather than asking questions. Next, Blair had written down the courses taught at the Institute that would help her meet the requirements.

"Leadership, nine weeks, Mr.Crane."

"Advanced Business, twenty-four weeks, Mr.Silver."

"Law: an Introduction, six weeks, Mrs. Wade."

"Business Administration, twelve weeks, one internship, Miss Paxton."

"Advanced Management, nine weeks, one internship, Mr. Everett."

The list went on and on over most of the three pages. At the very end, Blair had added the names and contact details of alumni who'd graduated from the Institute with an MBA.

Chloe had truly struck gold with her mentor.

"Ready to run the other way screaming yet?" Blair asked when Chloe put down the papers.

She smiled, shaking her head. "No way. This is so helpful, Blair. How can I repay you?"

"How about you send me a text next time you're hanging out at the pub with arm candy? The phones do work in Adairford, you know."

"I know, sorry, I didn't want to bother you."

Blair rolled her eyes. "I live here. Bothering me is doing me a favor."

Chloe loved this place, but she supposed that after years, one could get used to it.

"How many courses can I take at once? I want to see how long the degree is going to take me."

"That depends on various factors. How much you like your sanity, how many extra classes you're taking just for fun, stuff like that. The average MBA takes about three years full time, but…Margaret Lowell, here," she said, pointing to one of the alumni, "finished it in one. She was doing sixty hours of classes per week, fulfilled the requirements in nine months, and took her internship the last three."

Chloe grimaced. She did love studying, but that sounded like a recipe for a one-way trip to the madhouse.

"Right. And if I don't want to extinguish my desire to exist?"

Blair laughed. "I'd say only take one problematic teacher at a time. It's impossible to avoid Silver. You need Advanced Business, and that's his jam—but the guy is a massive a-hole. Paxton is severe, but fair. However, Silver and Paxton at the same time? You'd get gray hair."

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