The motorbike screeched to a halt right in front of the University's grand entrance. Louise practically leaped off the seat, thrusting the helmet back at Albert with a glare that could melt steel. His hair was windswept, and his heart was still thumping from the reckless speed.
"Hey! I love you!" Albert called out, his voice loud enough for several passing students to turn and whisper.
Louise tried to ignore him, but the sheer audacity made him stop in his tracks. He spun around, his eyes flashing with irritation. "My name is not 'I love you'!"
Albert didn't miss a beat, his smirk widening. "Thanks! I love you, too!"
"Ahhh!" Louise let out a frustrated huff, clutching his leather briefcase. "Look, today is my first day. Do not test my patience. Just... leave me alone!"
Albert didn't back down. He leaned against the handlebars of his bike, a playful glint in his eyes. "I know, I know, I love you! But you still haven't answered me yet!"
Louise stopped, turning back with a sharp sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze icy. "What answer could you possibly need?"
"I was serious this morning," Albert said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming unexpectedly sincere. "I mean, I really like you. You're totally my type. I couldn't look away... your eyes literally killed me. And your nose, your lips..."
Albert began to gesture, his eyes wandering over Louise's face as if he were memorizing a piece of art.
"Oh, shut up!" Louise roared, his face flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment. "I already told you, I don't have the time or the interest to talk to you!"
Albert hopped off his bike, his eyes scanning Louise's attire. "I just want to ask one thing—why are you dressed like that? I know it's your first day and you don't have a uniform yet, but why so formal? You look amazing, but... you look like a Professor."
Louise rolled his eyes, a sharp sting of irony hitting him. "Stupid scumbag," he murmured under his breath. Without another word, he turned his back on Albert and marched into the main building.
"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" Albert shouted after him, laughing as he ran a hand through his messy hair. He watched Louise disappear into the crowd of students. "Damn, I forgot to ask which department he's in," Albert muttered, before heading toward the student parking lot.
Inside, the cool air of the corridor did little to calm Louise's nerves. Suddenly, his phone buzzed. It was Rowan.
"Rowan, I'm busy. I'm literally walking into my first class," Louise said as he picked up. "Call me this afternoon."
"Louise, wait! This is important," Rowan's voice was strained. "It's about Jacob. Your ex."
Louise stopped dead in the middle of the hallway. The color drained from his face. "What about him?"
"He's searching for you everywhere, Louise. I think... I think he found out which city you were appointed to. He's coming for you."
"I moved here to escape him, Rowan!" Louise's voice trembled. "If my father finds out that a man like Jacob is stalking me—that I was ever associated with someone like him—he'll kill him. My father doesn't care about the law; he only cares about the Stone name. I don't love Jacob, but I don't want his blood on my family's hands."
"Just be careful, Louise. Watch your back. Bye."
The line went dead. Louise stood frozen in the center of the bustling corridor, the weight of his father's threats and Jacob's suffocating obsession pressing down on his chest like a lead weight. For a moment, the world around him blurred. He took a long, shaky breath, his fingers trembling as he reached up to straighten his glasses.
"Excuse me? Sir? Do you need any help?"
The voice startled him. Louise blinked, looking up to see a member of the university's custodial staff watching him with a curious, helpful expression.
Louise forced a polite, professional smile, smoothing out his suit jacket. "Haa... hi. Yes, thank you. I'm the new professor, Louise Stone. I'm trying to find the Provost's office."
The custodian's eyes lit up with a mix of surprise and respect. "Oh! Welcome, Sir. It's a pleasure to have you. Please, follow me. It's just down this hallway and to the left."
"Thank you," Louise murmured, falling into step behind the man.
As he walked, he felt the eyes of students on him, but he kept his gaze fixed ahead. He followed the custodian toward the Provost's office to collect his final documents and keys, trying to lock his fears away behind a mask of academic coldness. He had a job to do, and for the sake of his family's "promise," he couldn't afford a single mistake.
Meanwhile, Albert swaggered into his classroom. The room was buzzing with the energy of final-year students.
"Hey, look at Albert!" one of his friends teased. "Mr. Top Student actually wore his uniform today. Who are you trying to impress?"
"I heard he didn't come alone," another friend chimed in, grinning. "A few people saw you on your bike with a total knockout. Did you finally find your type, Albert?"
A group of girls leaned in, curious. "Is it true? Did the ice king finally melt?"
Albert sat on the edge of a desk, a shy, lovestruck smile crossing his face. Before he could answer, the entire class erupted in whistles and cheers.
Suddenly, the room went silent.
The sharp, rhythmic click-clack of dress shoes echoed from the doorway. A figure stepped in, radiating a cold, untouchable authority. He didn't look like a student anymore. He looked like a king.
The man walked straight to the podium, his expression cold and professional. He set his textbooks down with a firm thud and adjusted the microphone.
It was Louise.
Albert's smile froze. His heart didn't just drop—it plummeted. He stared at the "freshman" he had just flirted with, now standing at the front of the hall as his superior.
Louise looked out over the sea of faces, his gaze finally landing on Albert. For a split second, his professional mask flickered, but he quickly regained his composure.
Albert didn't just stay in his seat. Fueled by adrenaline and the cheers of his friends, he stood up and swaggered toward the podium. He turned to the crowded lecture hall, a triumphant grin on his face.
"Everyone! You were asking who the person on my bike was," Albert announced, his voice booming with confidence. He gestured toward the man standing beside him. "Well, here he is! My crush. I've already fallen for him, and I've already proposed. He's the one!"
Before Louise could react, Albert boldly slid his arm around Louise's waist, pulling him close in front of the entire class.
The room exploded. Students stood on their desks, whistling and cheering at the sheer audacity of the campus heartthrob claiming the "beautiful stranger" so publicly.
But the air in the room suddenly turned ice-cold.
Louise didn't blush. He didn't shy away. His face hardened into a mask of pure, lethal professionalism. With a sharp, sudden movement, he snapped his hand down, wrenching Albert's arm away from his waist as if it were a poisonous snake.
"Mr. Albert Rev," Louise's voice cut through the noise like a serrated blade.
The cheering stopped instantly. The silence that followed was deafening.
"Is this how you were taught to behave in front of your Professor?" Louise asked, his eyes burning with a cold fury that made the air feel thin.
Albert froze. His arm stayed suspended in mid-air, his jaw dropping as the blood drained from his face. The "freshman" he had teased, the "crush" he had touched... his mind scrambled to make sense of the words.
"You... I mean... Sir?" Albert stammered, his voice cracking. "You're a... Professor?"
"I am." Louise turned away from Albert as if he were nothing more than a minor distraction, addressing the entire room. "Good morning. I am Louise Stone, your new Professor. This is the Faculty of Science, and you are all final-year Zoology students. Is that correct?"
A chorus of weak, terrified "Yes, sirs" filled the room as every student scrambled to stand up in respect, their previous excitement replaced by pure dread.
Louise turned back to Albert, his eyebrow arched in a challenge. "Is there something else you'd like to share with the class, Mr. Rev? Or are you finished with your... demonstration?"
Albert was traumatized. The king of the campus had been dethroned in less than ten seconds. He couldn't even meet Louise's eyes. Without a single word, he turned and practically ran back to his seat, staring at his desk as if he wanted it to swallow him whole.
"Sit down, everyone," Louise commanded, the click of his tablet echoeing through the room. "Open your texts to page one. We have a lot of lost time to make up for."
As Louise began the lecture, his voice steady and brilliant, Albert sat in the third row, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had wanted Louise Stone to be his addiction—but he realized now that this addiction came with a very high price.