There had been a shortage of faculty at the start of the freshman year, so I had temporarily stepped in to take on the role of a student advisor.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, I had deliberately dressed down in the plainest shirt I could find and put on a pair of thick black-rimmed glasses.

However, a troublemaking student brought a group of people and blocked me on the field just as the opening ceremony ended.

"Hey, old hag, you're done being a faculty member in Salt-U. How dare you dress like that on purpose to mess with my eyes! Strip and get on your knees, and I might let you off this once!"

I narrowed my eyes, irritation rising. Then, I reminded him of the student code of conduct. He immediately blew up. "Cut the act! Who do you think you're fooling? My dad's the Director of Academic Administration! He's the one in charge of your evaluations!"

The field suddenly fell silent, and all the freshmen began sneaking glances in our direction.

I unhurriedly took off my glasses and let out a low chuckle as I looked down at the meeting notes in my hand.

His father was a director, he thought that was enough of a reason for him to behave so imperiously. In that case, I supposed that the first item on the board meeting agenda that day would be the dismissal of the Director of Academic Administration.

A Lesson in Authority

I had thought that teaching at a university would mean dealing with a few difficult colleagues at worst. I never expected the real headache to come from these reckless, clueless students.

"Did you hear me? I told you to strip and get on your knees!" Arlo Latham kicked over a trash can, the loud crash making the surrounding students flinch. "Keep dragging your feet, and I'll have you thrown out of Salt-U right now!"

This kid, who threw his weight around just because his father was the Director of Academic Administration, was standing in front of me with two lackeys who were blocking my path.

I looked at the three of them and suddenly found it almost laughable. They should be around their 20s, which meant that they should have been in the library preparing for exams or sweating it out on the field. Yet, here they were, playing at being street thugs.

I calmly brushed my fingers over the teacher's ID badge pinned to my chest and spoke in an even tone. "School regulation 27: any student who insults faculty will face disciplinary probation at minimum, and expulsion at worst."

Then, I opened my contacts list. "Judging by the three of you, you're from the athletics department. Since you're this lacking in basic manners, I don't mind having a word with your dean."

The blond lackey behind him snatched my phone, his voice dripping with mockery. "You've been a counselor for a few days and already think you're hot stuff? One word from Arlo, and you're out of Salt-U!"

The other one chimed in right after. "Do you even know who Arlo is? No one in Salt-U would dare defy him!"

I took a slow, steady breath, my nails unconsciously digging into my palm. I kept reminding myself of the promise I'd made to my father at home—that I had to stay calm and never rush into conflict, no matter what happened.

After I steadied myself, I forced a professional smile. "I—"

Just as I was about to speak, one of Arlo's lackeys suddenly covered his mouth in exaggerated shock. "Boss! This old hag's been staring at you this whole time! Do you think she's into you?"

Arlo looked me up and down as if inspecting merchandise before curling his lip in disgust. "Her? A woman dressed like some market hag? I'd still think it would be beneath me to even breathe in the same room as her even if she paid me."

Then, he turned to his lackeys with a grin. "Honestly, she'd be better off working in the red-light district for free. It's not like any man would ever want a hick like her anyway."

I couldn't help but frown at his churlish remarks. College athletes these days had no real ability, but their ego sure was sky-high.

I extended my hand calmly. "Give me back my phone. I'll pretend this never happened."

Arlo's expression darkened instantly. "Who the hell do you think you are, bargaining with me? I might as well write myself out of the Latham family if I don't make you beg on your knees today!"

His two lackeys immediately closed in with sinister grins. A clear female voice cut in just as they were about to grab my arm.

"The school specially hired Ms. Tyne. How can you treat her with such disrespect?"

I turned my head. The person who had spoken was the grade coordinator, Leona Zeller.

She wore a deliberately pleasant smile as she walked up to Arlo. "Arlo, Ms. Tyne just arrived and doesn't understand the situation yet. Let's not make a big deal out of this for my sake, if nothing else."

Arlo brushed off his shoulder dismissively. "This ugly freak ruined my mood with her outfit! I'll take it up to my father if she doesn't apologize on her knees today."

Leona's expression stiffened for a moment before she grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.

Her lowered voice carried a clear threat. "Have you lost your mind? His father isn't just the Director of Academic Administration, he's also on the board! Apologize now. Otherwise, forget about attendance records, you won't even keep your teaching license!"

When Arrogance Meets Authority

Then, she raised her voice again and put on a show of scolding me. "Ms. Tyne, you're a teacher, so you need to be mindful of your appearance! How do you expect students to respect you when you dress so poorly? Now, apologize to this student right this instant!"

I looked at the fake smile plastered across her face, my irritation rising to the surface. This was the same grade coordinator who always preached about "professional ethics." Yet, she was now bowing lower than a restaurant server.

I slowly pulled my arm back, ignoring her stunned gaze as I spoke word by word. "What's the first rule in the teacher's code of conduct? Equality between teachers and students. Mutual respect."

I understood Leona's intention to smooth things over between Arlo and me. After all, she was the grade coordinator. Her salary would take a hit if things escalated because of me. However, she also couldn't afford to offend Arlo's father.

So, I made my stance clear. "I did nothing wrong today. I will not apologize."

Students passing by noticed the tension escalating, and every one of them wore a look of barely concealed amusement.

"I heard Arlo's dad is about to be promoted to principal. Elara Tyne just had to offend him at a time like this. I guess she doesn't want to keep her job at Salt-U."

"Honestly, she's just young and fearless. It doesn't matter how old you are in this world. Money talks."

"As long as I don't offend Arlo, forget apologizing, I'd beg on my knees if I had to!"

Their chatter reached my ears, and Arlo grinned smugly. "Did you hear what they're saying, ugly? If you piss me off today, forget Salt-U, I'll make sure you don't have a place anywhere in Saltmere!"

I couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh. His father was just a Director of Academic Administration, not the mayor.

At that moment, his gaze fell on the "R" logo on my shirt, and his face twisted with disdain. "A single piece from Ridi costs at least tens of thousands. A nobody like you can't possibly afford it! Didn't you check if you even matched the brand before buying a knockoff?

"I'd bet you got it off the app selling counterfeit goods for 9.9 with free shipping and cashback for a five-star review!"

Laughter broke out around us again.

I paid it no mind, only glancing down at the logo on my shirt. My father had bought it for me before, saying it looked casual and suited me. I never paid much attention to brands. I'd wear whatever he got me as sleepwear, even if the fabric felt comfortable.

Besides, my father never bought fakes, so the shirt was definitely authentic.

Arlo must've thought I had been scared stiff when he noticed that I wasn't responding, so he knocked the documents out of my arms and sneered, "Why so quiet? Where'd all that attitude go? Scared now? Thinking about how to beg for mercy?"

As the papers scattered onto the ground, my temper finally flared. "What do you think you're doing? Is basic courtesy too much to ask from a student?"

He didn't say anything because his eyes widened in shock when his eyes caught the words "Board of Directors" printed on the document.

Arrogance Meets Reality

"Why do you have a Board of Directors meeting booklet?" he screeched in disbelief.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Why can't I have one?"

At Saltmere University, the Board of Directors wasn't something just anyone could get into. One was either a highly respected senior professor or someone with serious financial backing. Anyone allowed to attend was a figure of real influence.

When one of Arlo's lackeys noticed something was off with his expression, he quickly chimed in, "Boss, don't take her seriously. Look at her. She's ugly and broke! What could she possibly be? That's definitely a fake document she printed to put on airs!"

I couldn't help rolling my eyes again, wondering if he actually had anything in his head besides showing off?

My eyes fell on my watch, which was now pointing to 11.40 a.m. I frowned because the board meeting was set to begin at noon. I needed to get there early. Otherwise, my ears would have to suffer through another round of my dad's nagging.

So, I took my phone back from the lackey's hands after I picked up the booklet.

"What are you doing?!"

I didn't bother turning back as I walked away. I was taking my phone. What else would I be doing?

Alas, I had only taken a couple of steps when Arlo grabbed my sleeve. "Hey, ugly, stop right there! Did I say you could leave? Wanna bet if I'll have you thrown out of Salt-U right now?"

I was in a hurry to get to the meeting room and had no time to waste on him. To make matters worse, his two lackeys rushed over to block me as well. During the scuffle, someone even stepped on Arlo's shoe .

"Are you blind, ugly? How dare you step on my shoes? You couldn't afford to pay for these even if you slave away for 10 lifetimes!"

My gaze dropped to his shoes. They were just an ordinary pair of athletic sneakers. I didn't know much about clothes, but I knew enough about shoes.

"I have a meeting to attend. I don't have time to waste here. How much do you want? Just name the price so I can compensate you."

As I raised my phone to make a transfer, Arlo laughed. "Ugly, are you joking? You think these are like the cheap trash you wear? I'm telling you, you could never afford something like this even if you sold everything you own—"

I wasn't in the mood to listen to his bragging, so I cut him off. "Is 1,000 enough? I'll transfer it right now."

Arlo's expression twisted again. "1,000? That won't even cover one shoelace. How dare you look down on me!"

Then, his eyes flickered maliciously, clearly plotting something. "But I'm not unreasonable. I might consider letting this slide if you strip naked, get down on your knees, and bark like a dog twice."

I didn't bother holding back after how aggressive he was being. "Don't get too ahead of yourself. When we were arguing earlier, the cup you were holding also damaged my bracelet."

Arlo didn't care in the slightest. "It's just some crappy bracelet. The damn thing looks like glass. Only a hick like you would treat it like treasure. Go on, name a price. I'll pay you double, but you still have to kneel and bark."

I looked down at the bracelet, falling into thought. My father's words echoed in my mind.

"Elara, this is a very valuable family heirloom. It's made from top-grade emerald. Take good care of it."

After a moment, I spoke again. "I honestly don't know how much this bracelet is worth. However, I do know one thing… You definitely can't afford it."