Chapter 147 Blackmail

Chapter 147 Blackmail
Xavier’s Point of View

“Good day, Mr. Blackwood.” Mr. Hawkins, the Head of the Business School Department, greeted me the moment I stepped in his office. He hurried toward me, visibly trembling with excitement as soon as his eyes landed on me.

I could tell immediately.

It was all eye service.

I'd met enough people through working and studying under Father to recognize the type. People who would bend over backward for you, not because they respected you, but because of the influence you have over their lives.

“The Dean told us you would be coming to our school last week.” He smiled as he stepped fully out of his desk. “We were instructed to make sure you received a warm welcome.”

“Thank you for the welcome.” I slipped my fingers from my pockets and accepted the hand he extended toward me. “But I don't expect any special treatment. I'm just like every other lecturer here.”

He laughed.

“You don't have to be modest, Mr. Blackwood.” He gave my shoulder a friendly pat. “It's not every day we get an opportunity like this. The son of the Minister of Education choosing our small, almost nonexistent college to lecture at…”

I winced.

He probably meant it as a compliment.

But Christian had always been right about one thing.

Once you were born as Father's son, people stopped seeing you as a person.

They saw an extension of him, his money, and his name. And even now, despite everything I had gained, I sometimes missed the life I'd had before.

The simpler one.

The life where I had been nobody.

“I'll show you to your office,” Mr. Hawkins announced.

He hurried back to his desk, grabbed his glasses, and slipped them on before leading me into the hallway.

I followed him.

Just as the Vice Chancellor had promised, my office was comfortable and removed from the other lecturers, giving me the privacy I needed. The room was far better than what most junior lecturers were given.

But then again, I wasn't exactly being treated like one, not when my father was the Minister of Education.

What I hadn't expected when I came to this run-down community college was to find one of Lana's brothers sitting in my classroom.

I certainly hadn't expected him to be a student here, but now that he was, I saw it for what it was.

An opportunity.

Perhaps the universe had handed me exactly what I needed, and I wasn't about to waste it.

Leon sat nervously across from me. I leaned back in my chair, studying them carefully.

Leon was the calmer one. He spoke more carefully, responded without immediately letting his emotions take control.

His brother was different, and he was the one I needed to put in his place. I needed both boys to understand who was in control of this situation.

It would be much easier to deal with Lana's hatred if her brothers were on our side.

They could become valuable allies.

Very valuable.

The office door suddenly burst open, the other brother stormed inside. The moment his eyes landed on me, his expression twisted into a deep frown, his jaw tightening as a scowl settled across his face.

Bingo.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He growled and I said nothing.

I simply gestured toward the door.

“Close it.” Our conversation was private, and I didn’t want anyone else listening to all the interesting things we would talk about.

My gaze shifted briefly toward Leon.

That seemed to be the only leash capable of keeping his brother under control.

And right now, he reminded me far too much of Christian.

“Please, come and sit down for a minute,” Leon said to his brother.

The scowl on the other boy's face deepened, it was like watching someone pour gasoline onto an open flame.

“You shouldn't even be sitting there, Leon,” he snapped, then his attention returned to me. “Look, Mr. Blackwood, if this is about our sister, then you should know we have nothing to talk about.”

“Please, come and take a seat,” I said calmly, and he glared at me. “This has nothing to do with your sister.”

I paused. “It has everything to do with you and your brother.”

His expression darkened, but he said nothing.

After a moment, he reluctantly moved toward the chair and dropped into the seat beside Leon.

Both brothers were now sitting opposite me.

“Since we're both here, what do you want?” Leon asked. my gaze moved between them.

It was still unnerving how much they looked alike. If they hadn't been wearing different clothes, I probably would have mistaken one for the other again.

I smiled.

“I don't know your name.” I asked towards the hot-tempered one.

“And why the fuck do you want to know my name?”

“Language, boy.” I said it calmly, without raising my voice. “I may be familiar with you, but while you're in this office, I want you to remember that I'm a lecturer at this institution. And I expect the respect that comes with that position.”

Silence settled over the room.

Liam stared at me for a moment, his jaw clenched. When he didn't say anything else, I took that as an indication that he'd understood.

“Ahem.” I cleared my throat and calmly repeated the question. “What is your name?”

“Liam Rowan.”

I nodded. “Leon and Liam.”

“Could you please get to the point?” Liam asked impatiently. “Why did you call us into your office all of a sudden?”

“While I was meeting with the Dean, we had a conversation, and afterward, he gave me a copy of the institution's handbook.” I leaned back in my chair. “Inside it are the general rules governing both students and lecturers.”

I picked up the handbook from my desk and flipped through the pages.

Then I held it out toward Liam.

“Take a look at number forty.” He took the book, his eyes moved down the list, and then stopped before his entire expression changed. I could see Leon leaning slightly closer, trying to read the rule over his brother's shoulder.

A grin tugged at my lips.

Liam's eyes lifted toward me, and they narrowed.

“You won't do that,” he growled, before he could say anything else, Leon took the handbook from his hands and scanned the page himself.

His expression hardened as he found the rule.

I watched them both carefully.

“A student of this institution is prohibited from participating in illegal activities, including fighting, gambling, assault, or any other activity that may tarnish the reputation of the institution.” I paused. “The penalty for violating this rule is expulsion.”

Silence settled on us, as I let everything sink.

“Now, Liam…”  My gaze fixed on him. “Let's talk about your little fighting career.”

The two of them went silent almost instantly.

Their eyes widened, and Liam nervously bit down on his lower lip.

“You don't have any proof that we were involved in that,” Liam snapped.

Leon immediately grabbed his arm, pulling him back before he could say anything else.

I almost smiled.

“Apart from the fact that I could be a firsthand witness,” I said calmly, “my car has a dashcam. And everything that happened that night was recorded.”

Their eyes widened.

“So…” Leon finally broke the silence. “Are you going to get us expelled?”

“Not exactly.” I leaned back in my chair, watching the relief that briefly crossed their faces. “But I do need you both to cooperate with me on something.”