As the lecture drew to a close, Louise began to pack his documents, his expression softening slightly.
"I apologize to all of you," he said, his voice projecting across the silent hall. "I didn't ask for your introductions or take the time to get to know you today because we are behind schedule. As you know, I've joined in the middle of the academic year. My priority is to complete the syllabus as quickly as possible, so I expect—"
The heavy double doors of the lecture hall swung open with a violent thud, cutting him off.
A group of six students sauntered in. They didn't look like students at all; they looked like street dealers, dressed in expensive but rugged streetwear that screamed danger. These were the members of the Rogue Fraternity—the lawless elite of the campus.
They didn't ask for permission. They didn't even acknowledge the hundreds of students watching them in terrified silence.
"Hey!" Louise shouted, his professional calm snapping into a sharp authoritative tone. "Who are you? How dare you enter my classroom like this? Do you have no manners at all?"
The guy in the middle, wearing oversized headphones, didn't even look up. He was busy chewing something, his eyes glazed over as he listened to his music. The guy in front of him stepped forward, pressing a finger to his lips.
"Shhhhh!" the student hissed at Louise. "Can't you see Ethan is listening to his songs? Don't disturb his vibe. Just keep teaching your little class and pretend we aren't here."
Louise's face turned a deep shade of red. He slammed his hand down on the wooden desk, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "How dare you speak to me that way! This is a place of learning, not a lounge. Get out! All of you! Now!"
Ethan, the leader, stopped chewing. He slowly pulled the headphones down around his neck and turned his gaze toward the podium. His eyes were dark, predatory, and completely devoid of respect.
He didn't say a word as he began to walk. He stepped up onto the platform, closing the distance until he was inches away from Louise.
Louise, overwhelmed by the man's height and the scent of expensive tobacco, instinctively stepped backward. His heart hammered against his ribs as he hit the blackboard. He was trapped.
Ethan leaned in, placing one hand on the board right next to Louise's head. He didn't speak; he just leaned closer, sniffing the air near Louise's neck as if he were a wolf marking his territory.
"Are you new here?" Ethan whispered, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "You smell like... fresh meat."
"Ethan!"
Albert was on his feet in a second, his previous embarrassment forgotten, replaced by a volcanic rage. "Don't you dare touch him!"
Ethan didn't move. He kept his eyes on Louise. "Albert Rev. How many times do I have to tell you? Don't interfere with my business."
"He is my business!" Albert roared.
Before Ethan could react, Albert vaulted over the front bench, his body a blur of motion. He delivered a powerful flying kick that caught Ethan squarely in the chest, sending the rogue leader stumbling back off the platform.
"Get him!" one of the fraternity members screamed.
In an instant, the peaceful lecture hall turned into a war zone. Ethan's gang lunged at Albert, but Albert's friends didn't sit still—they leaped into the fray to back him up. Desks were overturned, books were flying, and the sound of fists hitting skin filled the room.
Louise stood frozen against the blackboard, his eyes wide with trauma. He had come here to escape the violence of his father and the obsession of Jacob, only to find himself in the middle of a riot.
The heavy silence that followed the Chancellor's roar was more deafening than the fight itself.
Chancellor Vance stood at the door, flanked by senior faculty members who looked on with expressions of pure disgust. The air in the lecture hall was thick with the smell of sweat and iron. The room was a disaster—shattered pens, torn notebooks, and overturned heavy oak desks littered the floor.
"Stop it all! I said STOP IT!" Vance's voice shook the very walls.
The movement in the room froze instantly. Albert stood over a fallen fraternity member, his knuckles split and bleeding, his uniform shirt torn at the shoulder. Across from him, Ethan wiped a smear of blood from his lip, his eyes still burning with a dark, unbothered fire.
The innocent students huddled in the corners, trembling.
The Chancellor's eyes swept over the carnage, finally landing on Louise, who was still pressed against the blackboard, looking pale and shaken.
"Professor Stone," the Chancellor said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous vibration. "Please come to my office immediately."
He then turned his glare toward the fighters. "Ethan. Your gang. Albert. Your friends. Every single one of you involved in this disgrace will follow us to the office now. No explanations. No excuses."
As the Chancellor and the other professors turned to leave, their hushed whispers floated back into the room: "This class is a complete nightmare... Thank God they aren't my students. The Stone boy won't last a week."
Louise didn't look at Albert. He didn't look at the mess. With trembling hands, he gathered his books and tablet, clutching them to his chest like a shield. Without a word, he hurried out of the room, his head bowed, his dress shoes clicking rapidly against the floor as he fled the scene.
Inside the quiet room, the tension remained. Austin, a top student who usually kept his head down, finally snapped.
"See? You did it again," Austin said, his voice thick with frustration. "That Professor is going to resign by tomorrow morning. You guys have ruined everything since the first day of freshman year. I should have joined a different university."
Ethan didn't look ashamed. He walked over to Austin, towering over him with a cold, jagged smile. "Don't worry so much, Austin. We've passed every year so far, haven't we? This final year will be no different. We rule this place, not the professors."
He turned to his gang, tilting his head back. "Come on. Let's go see what that old man wants."
Ethan's gang followed him out like a pack of wolves. Albert, breathing heavily, shared a look with his friends. They knew this was bad. Albert's eyes lingered on the doorway where Louise had disappeared. He hadn't meant to cause a riot—he had only wanted to protect the man who had already become his obsession.
With a heavy heart and bloodied hands, Albert led his friends toward the Chancellor's office to face the consequences.