Chapter 8

• Selene's POV
• Two days ago, we turned in the assignment and the weight of it was on my chest like a heavy stone.
• Today, Professor Hart sent individual emails requesting that I and Emily report to his office.
• The moment two of us stepped inside his office, Emily's confidence was painted on her face, but mine didn't even exist.
• Professor Hart sat behind his desk with an expression that was cold, unreadable and impossible to decipher. He acted nonchalantly. We stood there for a while before he looked up to see us.
• “Good day Professor," We both chorused. He ignored our greetings and flipped through the two brown folders that were in front of him, then he finally lifted his eyes.
• “Emily," he called out in a cold manner as he began.
• Emily jerked and straightened herself a bit while trying to smile.
• “You failed," he uttered bluntly. “You failed badly and based on your performance you don't deserve to remain a PhD student under me anymore.”
• Emily's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, “Professor…”
• “I will be removing you from my supervision and I'll be doing that immediately." He added.
• His voice was brutal and his decision was final. I was afraid of my outcome as I watched Emily's face twist in humiliation and rage.
• “Oh, wow!" She scoffed. “Instead of you pretending I didn't deserve to be your student, you could have just mentioned that you are fucking her. That is the exact reason you are doing all you're doing."
• My heart stopped as I turned to stare at her.
• Professor Hart’s eyes snapped up immediately, and they looked cold.
• “One…more…word,” he uttered quietly. Emily went pale, but her audacity was still grooming. "...and I will make sure that no university accepts you for the PhD programme.”
• Silence hummed in the air.
• Emily's confidence vanished instantly and she couldn't utter a word. She went pale, and swallowed hard as she grabbed her bag with shaky hands before storming out of the office.
• The door slammed behind her and I exhaled slowly. I just realized that I had been holding my breath.
• Then, I lifted up my head slowly to look at him. A stare of terror and desire.
• The chill that hit me wasn't from fear anymore, it was from something totally different.
• I realized that the man who was sitting before me was not the same man who touched me like he wanted to consume me. Not the same man who made my body unravel in different ways I never knew it could, or the man who whispered in every part of my skin.
• This version of him was different. He was my professor and he had a different demeanor and authority. However, I was stunned that I was still terrified in a way that made my knees wobble.
• At first, he didn't look at me. When he finally did? Oh, God!
• My heart jumped lightly because of the spike of adrenaline that ran through my blood. Even when his expression was unreadable, the intensity of his eyes made my breath hitch.
• “Professor…” the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Looking at your face alone makes me want to be…” I whispered and he lifted his head sharply.
• “Miss Selene?" He uttered, interrupting me with a cold tone. “Did you say something?"
• I immediately froze.
• What?
• I was stunned by his actions. What exactly did he want me to say? That I couldn't stop thinking about him? That my body reacted to him against my will?
• Or that last night I dreamed about him touching me the way he had already done before?
• No, I should not even think of doing so.
• Suddenly, I started feeling like I've been the crazy one all along. Everything I probably thought existed was just my own fairytale and delusion.
• “Maybe I'm the obsessed one," I murmured under my cold breath. “Maybe you don't want to have anything to do with me."
• His eyes flickered, and his voice stayed firm. “If you have nothing to say, Miss Selene, I sincerely suggest you leave. I have work to do."
• My chest tightened like I was suffocating. Every word he uttered hurt more than it should have.
• I nodded silently and turned to leave. Just as I reached the door, someone walked in, brushing past me.
• It was a lady who wore a fitted gown on heels. She had her hair neatly tied in a bond. She wore a confident smile.
• “Oh!” She said when she noticed me staring. “You are..?”
• "Selene." I answered quietly. “Professor Hart’s PhD student."
• Her brows lifted. “Ah, okay!"
• She didn’t spare me another glance. Instead, she walked straight to Hart’s desk with the familiarity of someone who belonged there far more than I ever did.
• “Don’t you miss me?” she laughed. “You didn’t call me once while I was on leave.”
• My stomach twisted painfully, and it made it a bit difficult to move.
• I slipped out before I could hear his response.
• The corridor outside felt colder than his office.
• HART’S POV
• The moment she walked out of my office, something inside of me snapped tight. I wanted to move badly. I wanted to follow her and grab her waist.
• I wanted to call her back, pull her back into my office and press her against the wall like I normally do.
• No…No!
• I clenched my jaw so hard that it started hurting.
• I saw her again in a close space. Her beautiful ocean eyes that softened when she spoke or the confusion in her voice. It hurt so much that she tried to hide.
• I wanted her. I needed every part of her.
• I wanted to have her in my arms to touch her. To caress every inch of her skin and claim her. To hear her moan my name while my dick grew in her tight cunt.
• Her sweet voice haunted me everyday more than any nightmare I have ever had. I craved it.
• But the harsh truth was that it was my job to protect her, even if it meant protecting her from me.
• If the school found out anything or that the rumors were true, her dreams were going to turn into ashes.
• I mean, she was the best PhD student I had ever had.
• She was brilliant and driven by purpose.
• I couldn't let my pleasure and weakness ruin her life.
• “Julian?" I blinked out of my thoughts.
• It was Scarlett. I snapped out and I saw her in front of my desk with arms crossed. She stared at me with narrowed eyes.
• “Who is that girl?"
• “My best PhD student…" I replied quickly without any form of hesitation.
• Scarlett scoffed lightly, “I didn't like the way she looked at you…” Her voice sharpened.
• “I think I’ll report her to the school authority. Those girls can’t be trusted. I won’t let anyone cause problems for you here since they won't stop lusting after you.”
• My jaw tightened instantly.
• “Don’t report her,” I said.
• Scarlett blinked. “Why? Give me a genuine reason. A real one. Because unless I hear something convincing, I will report her. I won’t let anyone destroy the reputation you’ve built.”
• I inhaled slowly and Scarlett waited for my response.
• And all I could think about was Selene’s face as she walked out… the hurt in her eyes… the way she thought I didn’t want her…
• I swallowed hard.
• If Scarlet
• t reported her, the school would tear her apart and I couldn’t let that happen.
• What response was I going to give Scarlett to let everything be?