He was caught off guard. His lips parted slightly, and he looked at me again, making us both stop walking.

I bit my lower lip and smiled at him. The setting sun highlighted his features even more—I couldn’t deny how striking he looked.

“I heard Carlo and the other students invited you to their place. I’m going. Hope you come too. See you!” I said, waving goodbye, then turned and walked away.

If I can’t have your attention by force, then I’ll make you crave it, sir…

It was already evening when I arrived at Carlo’s condo. Megan was already there along with the others. I had half-expected to run into Sir Griffin, but he wasn’t there, which made me smirk to myself.

I flopped down next to Megan, who was holding a red cup filled with drink.

“You know, Sir Griffin’s only three years ahead of us,” Megan told me.

Before I could even respond, Carlo handed me another cup and sat down to my left.

“He’s just a substitute teacher, but the person he was filling in for isn’t coming back, so the university hired him. He just graduated abroad,” Carlo explained.

I nodded. No wonder he had that aura about him.

“Will he come?” I asked them.

Sam, who was playing billiards with the others, glanced at me and laughed.

“Is he your type? He won’t fall for you. Too much of a saint, Eris. And you—you might as well replace Satan for all your sins,” he joked, and the others burst out laughing too.

I didn’t take offense—they were right. I’ve bent a lot of rules. I’ve had my thrill in risky places, and I craved challenges. But I’ve never experienced something like this with a professor. That’s uncharted territory.

As I quietly sipped my drink, I felt Carlo brush my thigh occasionally. I shifted away when it got too close.

He chuckled nervously. “Come on, Eris. Just relax,” he whispered.

Megan was still beside me, absorbed in watching the billiards game in front of us, so she didn’t notice what was happening between Carlo and me.

I stayed still as Carlo got a little too close. I didn’t encourage it—he had a reputation I wasn’t interested in, and every time we hung out like this, he tried his luck with me.

“Stop it, Carlo. You know I don’t like you,” I said firmly, moving away from his unwanted advances.

“You don’t need to like me while I fuck you, Eris. Come on,” he insisted more and grabbed my legs. I let out a gasp when I felt the pain.

I tried to push him away, but he was too big and didn’t budge. I didn’t want to ruin the night—it was his birthday—and I certainly didn’t want to make a scene just because I said no.

“I don’t go for guys like you who have an STD. Stop it, or I’ll scream,” I whispered firmly.

He chuckled softly in my ear, still teasing.

“Try it. Let’s see who’ll believe you. You’re known to play games, Eris. Stop pretending to be innocent.”

“Sir Griffin!”

My ears shot up the moment I heard him. I lifted my head—and froze—when I met Sir Griffin’s dark, piercing gaze on Carlo. His expression left no room for doubt, and the intensity of his stare made me shiver.

“Shit. He’s here,” Megan hissed, glancing at me. When she realized what was happening, her eyes went wide and she slapped Carlo’s arm hard.

“Fucking pervert! How many times have you been rejected? Stop pushing! Get out of here!” Megan shouted, furious.

As expected, no one else intervened, though a few whispered and stared. Carlo just laughed nervously, raising both hands as if surrendering.

“Easy, Meg. I was just joking. Okay, I’ll leave now,” he said and quickly stood up.

Megan just flipped him off before turning back to me.

“You okay? Why didn’t you say anything? I was right beside you, Eris. That guy’s a total idiot.”

“Is this seat taken?”

We both turned to the voice. Before either of us could respond, Sir Griffin had already taken the seat beside me. I felt my heart slow and then skip a beat—especially since I was sure he had seen and heard what happened earlier.

“Ah! I’m just grabbing some drinks. What would you like, sir?” Megan asked as she stood up.

“Whatever you’re having,” Sir Griffin replied, glancing at me.

Megan went to the condo’s bar counter, leaving the two of us alone. I still didn’t know what to say after earlier, so I stayed silent. He shouldn’t have seen or heard that.

“Are you okay? Was that guy forcing you earlier?” His voice was serious, commanding, and I felt it press against me.

My throat went dry. I swallowed and looked away.

“I’m fine, sir…”

“Cut the ‘sir,’ Eris. We’re not at school. I’ll stay until you get home,” he said, his tone serious but slightly softening, making me even more speechless.

“Bro, Kael! Glad you made it!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two guys walk in, immediately greeted by Carlo and Sam. I almost ignored them, but then my gaze caught one of their faces.

My jaw dropped. I froze. It was the guy I had the one-night stand with!

I kept my eyes on him until he finally looked back at me. Just as it seemed he might recognize me, he smiled—but the moment he saw who was beside me, the smile quickly vanished.

“That’s Eris, bro. You heard about her?” I heard his companion say as they passed in front of us.

The guy they called Kael glanced at me again and smirked.

“Never heard of her. Introduce me later,” he said, deliberately letting me hear him.

I swallowed hard. The same flutter I had felt that night at the bar while with him tickled my stomach again—but it vanished as Megan returned, handing Griffin his drink.

“We thought you didn’t drink, sir,” Megan said, sitting across from me and flashing me a knowing grin.

I went even quieter, feeling their eyes on me.

“I drink occasionally. I break rules sometimes too,” he said, his tone meaningful, and I nearly choked on my own heartbeat.

“Ms. Valoria, would you mind helping me bring this to the faculty room?”

My gaze instantly shot to Sir Griffin when he said that. I had just finished packing up my things and was getting ready to head home. Megan and I exchanged looks, and I gestured for her to go ahead before I walked over to him. I could feel the lingering stares of the few students left inside the classroom.

“Can’t you handle it on your own, sir?” I asked meaningfully, flashing him a smile before taking his laptop bag.

“Well, it’s hard being alone sometimes. What happened last night? Who took you home?” he shifted the topic once we stepped outside, catching me a little off guard.

“I went home with Megan, sir. Her older brother picked her up,” I replied.

“I see. I thought it was that transferee who brought you home. I saw you with him when you left, so I decided to head out first. There was also an emergency at home,” he explained, making me glance at him with a small grin.

His expression was serious, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Was this his way of getting to know me? Was he giving me updates face-to-face now?

“I don’t even know him well enough to ask for a ride home. Don’t be jealous, sir,” I teased.

He didn’t reply. His brows just furrowed, which made me pout a little. As we passed by the court, I spotted Kael with Carlo and Sam off to the side, watching the volleyball players in training. The moment Kael noticed me, he grinned and motioned with his phone, so I quickly pulled mine out.

There was a text from him waiting, and I immediately read it.

Kael:

Is that professor your boytoy now? What about me?

I bit my lower lip to keep the smile from breaking through before replying to him.

Kael:

He’s our professor, but if he’s willing to be my boytoy, then sure. Jealous now?

I lifted my gaze back to him and saw the grin spread across his face as he looked at his phone. Just a few seconds later, my phone buzzed again.

Kael:

Meet me on the 4th floor now.

When I glanced his way again, it seemed he had already excused himself from the other two and was striding off without another glance.

“Eyes on the road, Ms. Valoria. Do you have plans today?” Sir Griffin’s voice pulled me back, forcing my attention to him.

“Nothing, sir. Why? Are you planning to ask me out on a date?” I teased.

He didn’t respond right away. His jaw just tightened as we reached the faculty room. I quietly set his laptop bag down on the table and looked at him, sensing that familiar irritation again.

“I’m not yet familiar with this area. If you’re free later, would you mind accompanying me?” he said in a serious tone that made my mouth fall open for a moment.

But it was only brief. A smirk tugged at my lips as I held his gaze until he finally fixed all of his attention on me.

I could tell he was serious from the way he said it. No one else was inside the faculty room at that hour, and my imagination started to play again. Maybe if I teased him a little more here, he’d take the bait and give in.

But I brushed the thought away just as quickly.

“So… are we at the next stage now? Is this what you call breaking the rules?” I asked with a mocking lilt, reaching slowly for his necktie and letting my hand trail lightly across his chest.

His eyes blazed instantly. I could clearly see the rough movement of his Adam’s apple and the clench of his jaw. But before I could even think he was about to give in, he swiftly caught my hand.

“Never mind. I’ll ask my fellow professor instead. You may leave now,” he said coldly, tapping my hand away.

I could feel the irritation swelling in my chest. Rolling my eyes, I left the room and headed straight to the 4th floor where Kael was waiting. The moment I stepped inside the restroom where he stood, I attacked him with a kiss, tugging desperately at his uniform.

“Whoa, chill… Wait, Eris…” he tried to stop me, grabbing both my hands.

That only fueled the fire inside me. It felt like I was being rejected by a man for the second time.

Kael chuckled as he looked at me, the mockery in his eyes plain as day. From the very first time I saw him, it was obvious he was only after sex, yet whenever we were together, it felt like he was trying to prove something more.

Just like last night, when I caught him talking to Carlo about me.

A curse slipped from my lips as realization hit me. I harshly slapped away the hand that held mine and stepped back, fixing my blouse.

“Now I realize—you had a deal with Carlo that night, didn’t you?” I confronted him.

His expression changed in an instant. He tilted his head and shook it, but I laughed. The lie was written all over his face. What else should I expect from men like him? Men are always like this when it comes to confrontation.

“What did he tell you? That that asshole with an STD has already tasted me? That it’s your turn now, and you’ll brag to your whole circle about how good I am, how delicious I taste? What? Did you already mention to them about our one-night-stand, huh?” I burst out, my chest tightening with rage.

“Eris, what’s wrong with you? Did you have a fight with your professor, is that why you’re acting like this all of a sudden? You’re unbelievable,” he said with a laugh, which only fueled my anger even more.