Chapter 57 HER MASK SLIPS
Clara’s POV:
Professor Asher laid Miss Elsie gently on the infirmary bed the moment we stepped inside.
Her eyes were still squeezed shut like she was holding onto pain by sheer will, her hands clutching tightly to his shirt as though letting go might break her apart.
I stood a few steps away, awkward and unsure, watching the way his eyes never left her face - how they scanned her expression like he was trying to measure every breath, every twitch.
“I’ll get the nurse,” Professor Asher said quickly, already turning toward the door.
“No.”
The word came out hoarse. Weak.
Miss Elsie’s hand shot out and caught his sleeve before he could fully take a step.
He stopped instantly.
“No?” he repeated, squinting at her.
She nodded faintly.
“Please,” she croaked. “Just… just give me a second.”
He released a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair.
“Elsie,” he said firmly, “You’re in pain. You don’t need any fucking second—you need a doctor.”
She shook her head slowly.
“No, I don’t.”
Her lashes fluttered, her breathing uneven, fingers still curled tightly around his sleeve like she needed him there to stay upright.
My stomach twisted.
“It’s not as serious as you think it is,” she murmured.
She turned her face away slightly, and from where I stood, I noticed her cheeks redden.
Professor Asher furrowed his brows, then let out a soft, confused chuckle.
“What do you even mean by ‘not as serious as I think,’ Elsie?” he asked. “You were literally on the floor. Groaning in pain.”
“That’s because it hurts so much,” she cut in quickly.
He fell silent after that, just staring at her, jaw tight.
Then he sighed.
“Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll sit here with you
for some time before I go call a nurse.”
“No.”
Her eyes snapped open - too fast.
“No,” she said again, more controlled now. “It’s fine. Really, Asher. I don’t need a nurse. It’s nothing severe.”
She hesitated, then added softly,
“I mean… it’s simply just a girl’s thing.”
Oh.
The realization hit me instantly.
Professor Asher’s face scrunched into confusion.
“A girl’s thing?” he echoed.
She nodded, biting her lip, suddenly shy.
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “It’s that time of the month. I just didn’t know how to say it to you.”
Silence fell.
Thick. Awkward.
His jaw tightened. I couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or irritation - but he straightened slightly.
“I’ll inform the nurse anyway,” he said.
Her hand flew out again, gripping his wrist.
“P-please,” she whispered. “Trust me when I say I’m fine, Asher.”
Then - unexpectedly - her eyes shifted.
They met mine from behind him.
“I’ll just need Miss Bennett with me for a few minutes.”
My brows pulled together.
Huh?
Professor Asher turned to look at me, his gaze sharp but questioning.
She smiled faintly.
“Hope that’s not a problem, Miss Bennett.”
I jerked my eyes away from him instantly, heat rushing to my face.
“O-of course not, ma’am,” I stuttered.
“It’s no issue at all.”
She smiled wider, relieved - or at least convincing enough.
Professor Asher exhaled slowly.
“Fine then,” he said. “I’ll wait outside.”
She nodded.
As he turned to leave, he paused.
“Um,” he added, clearly uncomfortable, “What specific products or pads do you use—”
“I’ve got everything handled, Asher,” she cut in smoothly. “Thanks a lot.”
He nodded once.
But before he walked past me, his eyes met mine.
I looked away immediately.
The door clicked shut behind him.
And just like that—
The room felt different.
Smaller.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Miss Elsie released a deep sigh, soft but heavy, like she had been holding it in for ages.
I found myself fiddling with my fingers, awkward, unsure of where to stand or what to do.
My heart was still racing from the encounter with Professor Asher, and now this…
I took a hesitant step toward the bed.
“Umm… so, ma’am… how are you feeling now?” I asked, my voice careful, almost small.
She didn’t answer. Not a word.
Instead, she shifted slightly, adjusting herself on the bed. Effortless. Like it hadn’t cost her a single muscle.
Her movements were too smooth. My brows knit together as I watched her.
Then she rolled her eyes, rubbing her temples, and muttered, “That was so much work…”
I froze. My lips tugged into a frown.
Wait… what?
She was clearly in pain just a few minutes ago.
Why is she suddenly… like this? Steady, calm… like nothing happened?
And what does she even mean by that?
I squinted my eyes at her, scrutinizing
every movement, every twitch. My stomach tightened.
Miss Elsie turned her gaze directly toward me, her eyes sharp, almost piercing.
Then she scoffed and rolled her eyes, her tone laced with irritation.
“Now, that’s the exact look that I hate, Clara,” she said, irritatingly.
A shiver slid down my spine.
The realization hit me like ice water.
She’s been pretending?
I blinked, trying to process it. My voice came out shaky, almost breathless.
“You… you were pretending?” I whispered, disbelief threading through every syllable.
Her lips tugged into a mockingly sweet smile, but there was something in her eyes - cold, calculating, obsessive.
“Yeah,” she said, almost sing-song, leaning slightly closer to me, her voice chilling in its casualness.
“It finally clicked, huh?”
I stumbled back slightly in my mind. My pulse stuttered.
Why would she do this?
Why would she go to all this trouble just to make us think she was in pain?
Her eyes didn’t leave mine. The way she held my gaze made it feel like she could see straight through me, like she was testing me, measuring me.
“And here I thought you’d notice sooner,” she added softly, almost teasing, almost dangerous.
I swallowed hard, my hands tightening around my notebook. My heart raced.
I tried to speak, but my voice caught.
Instead, I just stood there, stunned, watching her, trying to understand what she was doing—and why.
Her smirk widened slightly, just enough to make me uneasy.
“Relax, Clara,” she said, almost whispering.
“I just needed a little… attention. That’s all.”
Attention?
The word echoed in my mind. None of this made sense.
I didn’t know whether to be angry, scared, or… unsettled in a way I couldn’t describe.
I just stood there, staring at her, my fingers fiddling nervously. Every instinct in me screamed that something wasn’t right.
Then, slowly, she got off the bed.
Each step she took toward me felt like she was savoring every inch as she closed the distance.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest, and without thinking, I instinctively stepped back.
She chuckled—a low, unsettling sound that made my skin crawl. She swiped her hair off her shoulder, lips tugged upward into a smirk, and scoffed.
“Ohh… now you’re scared, huh?” she said, voice smooth but laced with menace.
“You know, I’ve always wondered what Asher saw in you…”
I froze, my stomach twisting. Her eyes roamed over me, sizing me up and down, her gaze sharp, piercing.
“What did you even think, huh?” she continued, circling slightly as if she owned the room.
“You were gonna spill the truth to him, weren’t you? Saying I fed you that information on meeting him at the warehouse… and then what, huh? He’d get mad at me?”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, disbelief shaking my voice.
“Why… why did you do it?” I muttered lowly, staring at her.
“Why the pretense… the lies? You literally made him think I was chasing him!”
Her smirk widened, cold and unnerving.
“It worked, didn’t it?” she said, her voice silky but dangerous.
I snapped at her, anger mixing with fear.
“I almost died!”
Her eyes widened slightly at my words, a flicker of something - shock, maybe even fear—crossed her features.
But it vanished almost immediately.
She let out a small, wry smile, almost casual, as if she hadn’t just frozen me with her stare.
“And that… was the plan, darling,” she said softly.
“Who do you think was behind powering the cement engine?”
My heart stopped.
I stared at her, frozen, blood rushed out of my face as her words registered.
“You… you trapped me,” I said, my voice trembling.
“No,” she corrected smoothly, almost proudly. “I removed you.”
I shook my head, hands trembling at my sides. “Why?”
She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing as she circled me again, her movements slow, predatory.
“Because,” she said, her voice low and venomous, “You don’t know your place… even when I made it clear to you, Clara Bennett.”
The words landed like a slap. I flinched instinctively.
Before I could respond, she opened her mouth again, her tone dark and unrelenting as she started pacing around me.
“You walk around acting harmless,” she hissed, “But you have no idea the effect you have on him…”
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice.
“Then why did you act like you were looking out for me? I kept my distance from him! I strictly avoided him! How was it my fault that I simply followed an instruction that came from you… saying it came from Professor Asher to meet him at the warehouse?”
Her head snapped toward me, eyes blazing. “Because,” she spat, venom dripping from every word, “It was all a goddamn plan to remove you off the path!”
I flinched at the brutality in her words.
“You have no idea just how much I despise the mere presence of you, Miss Bennett,” she continued, circling me like a predator closing in.
“You think I don’t see the way Asher looks at you… the way he notices every little thing you do… and yet here you are, walking around like you belong!”
I backed up instinctively, my chest tightening, pulse pounding in my ears.
Every word she said was like a cold knife slicing through me. I had never expected this level of obsession… this intensity.
Her smirk remained, unnervingly calm, but her eyes were sharp, calculating, like she was marking me, like she was already planning the next move.
I couldn’t speak. I could barely breathe. All I could do was stand there, stunned, my mind racing, trying to comprehend just how far she had gone… and how dangerous she really was.
I barely had time to catch my breath before Elsie’s voice cut through the heavy silence.
“You have no idea how much I wanted to hurt that injured foot of yours,” she said, eyes gleaming, her voice low and venomous.
My mind froze. I couldn’t help but think back to that night. The night I had gone out with Jake and everything went wrong.
I had injured my foot, twisted it badly, and Professor Asher… he had rescued me.
Pulled me up, carried me even. I remembered his care, his concern, the way he’d looked at me.
The memory made my chest tighten, but before I could dwell too long, Elsie’s words snapped me back.
“Do you have even the tiniest clue,” she continued, stepping closer, her gaze unwavering, “How I felt seeing the one man I yearn for… treating you with that much care and affection?”
I squinted at her, feeling a mixture of disbelief and unease. I opened my mouth to speak, then hesitated.
“You do realize,” I finally said, my voice steadier than I expected, “It’s… embarrassing to talk like this about a man that doesn’t love you back. At least, from what I’ve observed, he doesn’t… feel you.”
Her face hardened instantly, the playful smirk vanishing like mist. For a moment, she said nothing.
I didn’t know where I got the nerve to even respond to that, but then… an eerie, chilling smile broke across her lips.
“Ohh, darling Clara,” she said, her tone slow, deliberate, almost taunting. “It’s never embarrassing… when you’ve been mated to him, right?”
I froze.
W…what?
Her dark chuckle echoed in the room, low and menacing.
“Cat caught your tongue now?” she teased, leaning in slightly, her gaze unflinching.
I stared at her, scrutinizing her, trying to tell if she was joking. But she wasn’t.
Every inch of her posture, every flicker of her eye, screamed obsession and possession.
Then my mind raced. Then why doesn’t it feel… or look like they’re mates?
She continued, voice low, venomous, almost a whisper but sharp as a knife.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the saying… love can make people go to extreme lengths, haven’t you?”
Her lips curled into a humorless laugh. “I didn’t come to Cleveland College as a stupid lecturer or an assistant.”
“I’ve been… stalking my lover for the past three years. Ever since we broke up. And when I found out he lectured at a certain college, I had to come… to get him back, to see things for myself.”
“Honestly…” she laughed again, short and sharp. “…I found it hilarious that he’s teaching now. Asher hates teaching, always has. Makes me wonder why he lectures now… but then again, you just can’t understand him.”
Her playfulness drained completely, leaving only a chilling seriousness as she stared at me. I couldn’t move, my throat dry, my pulse hammering.
“And now,” she said slowly, her eyes narrowing, “Finding out that a certain… white, silver-haired dumbass girl had him wrapped around her fingers… I knew right then and there I had to do something about it.”
My heart dropped. I barely breathed.
“But,” she continued, voice dangerously soft, “Let’s just say, for some goddamn reason, he still finds his way back to you…”
She stepped closer, circling me like a predator. Her words landed hard.
“I’ve always noticed… how he watches you. Makes me wonder if there’s some unspoken history between you both…”
I swallowed hard, throat going dry.
“Clearly,” she spat suddenly, her tone sharp as knives, “There isn’t. Asher’s mine. You might have him wrapped around your fingers, but he wouldn’t dare get down with you. Asher’s mine. Maybe not officially… but he’ll be.”
I whispered, my voice trembling,
“You’re delusional.”
She chuckled, a low, dark sound that crawled under my skin.
“Hmm… alright then,” she said, tilting her head. “But if you truly value your education… your reputation… and your safety… you’d do well to stay away from him.”
“Because the one reason I haven’t implicated you or caused chaos by claiming you two are having an affair… is because that would mean hurting my baby, Asher.”
“And I’m not that cruel… not when I haven’t gotten the proofs yet that something actually transpired between you both.”
She leaned in slightly, eyes sharp, a cruel smile tugging at her lips.
“So, dear Clara… do well to stay the hell away from him while I’m asking nicely.”
She paused, then added, almost playfully, but chillingly:
“There’s a trip coming up… please do yourself a favor and not attend. It’ll save us both the stress. And lastly… if Asher so much as gets a whim about what just happened…”
Her eyes sparkled, cruel and cold. “Glad this room’s soundproof. Even if he’s outside, he won’t hear a thing. And trust me…”
She leaned in closer, voice dropping low, deadly, “…you wouldn’t want to know what I’d do to you if he found out anything, Clara.”
A shiver slid down my spine, crawling all the way to my toes. My mind went blank, heart hammering in my chest.
Just then, the doorknob rattled. Instantly, Elsie jumped back onto the bed, her entire demeanor shifting in a heartbeat.
Her face scrunched in pain, lips trembling, her voice weak.
“Please… help, doctor… make it stop… it hurts so much…”
I stood frozen, unsure what to do, still reeling from everything that had just happened.
The doctor stepped in. “What happened, ma’am?”
Elsie, still feigning agony, pointed at me from behind the doctor.
“Please… tell her to go. I’ve been asking her to step out,” she said weakly.
The doctor nodded. “Please, step out, ma’am.”
I finally regained some control over my trembling legs. My mind was racing, still processing every terrifying detail, every twisted confession.
Slowly, I stepped back and turned, walking toward the door.
I placed my hand on the doorknob, pausing for a moment.
Her eyes met mine immediately, and she smirked.
I shivered once more, then stepped out, shutting the door behind me.
And as I leaned against it, I couldn’t stop thinking…
Why has my life suddenly gone so sideways?
And how… how is Miss Elsie this dangerous?