Chapter 19 19
“Now apologize to Mr. Ruiz,” the dean ordered.
The blood drained from Sofía’s face at his sudden command.
Why should she apologize when she had done nothing wrong?
“Mr. R-Ruiz c-cornered m—” she began shakily, but the dean cut her off sharply.
“This is your last chance, Sofía. If you want to keep your scholarship, you will apologize right now,” he roared.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
This was unfair.
So unfair.
She hated him.
“I-I’m s-sorry,” she whispered, her throat tight, her pride burning to ashes.
It was a complete injustice.
“Good. You may leave now. And I hope I won’t be hearing any more complaints from you,” the dean said calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Sofía never lifted her head.
With watery eyes and a heart crushed beneath the weight of what had just occurred, she walked out of the office, feeling Mr. Ruiz’s burning stare follow her.
May he rot in hell.
The words echoed angrily in her mind as she rushed to the restroom.
Inside, she splashed cold water onto her face, breathing deeply as she stared at her reflection. Tears threatened again, but she forced them back.
She straightened herself and headed to her next class, which had already begun.
The rest of the day passed in a haze.
Her thoughts were consumed by the devil who had humiliated her in the dean’s office.
How dare he place all the blame on her?
How could he twist the truth so easily?
When break time arrived, she went to her usual classroom her sacred place and sat near the window, staring blankly outside.
Her stomach growled for food, but she had no appetite.
Her lunchbox remained untouched.
Soon, it was time for his class.
The torturous class.
Sofía took the front seat and sat quietly.
“Aww, fatty’s sad,” Miguel teased from beside her.
She didn’t respond.
Didn’t look at him.
Didn’t say a word.
He dragged his chair closer, sitting right beside her desk. Resting his elbow on the table, he leaned toward her with a smirk.
“What’s wrong, darling? Why the long face?” he mocked, reaching out to touch her cheek.
She flinched back instantly.
“Don’t!” she growled.
At that very moment, the room settled into silence as Mr. Ruiz walked in.
Miguel barely had time to pull back his chair.
“Sit down, Miguel!” Mr. Ruiz’s dark voice echoed through the classroom.
Miguel immediately dropped back into his seat.
Fernando Ruiz shot a deadly glare in Miguel’s direction.
He hadn’t missed how close Miguel had been hovering over her before he entered.
He had only heard her sharp reply not what Miguel had said.
His hawk-like gaze then shifted to Sofía.
She sat in the front row, eyes lowered to her notebook, her face dull and sad.
His fragile little mate.
Only he knew how hard it was to stand so close to her and not touch her.
She was his.
His mate.
His fucking mate.
Her body, her soul, her heart all belonged to him.
Yet he had to restrain himself, stop the animal inside him from claiming her like a savage.
He was her teacher.
She was his student.
Anything between them was forbidden.
A sin.
And somehow, that only made the desire burn hotter like a reckless teenager craving what he couldn’t have.
The wait was agonizing.
But it only sharpened his hunger for the forbidden fruit.
Masking his thoughts, he straightened.
“Open your books,” he commanded.
Everyone obeyed.
He lectured while solving problems on the board.
When the bell rang, Sofía rushed out with the others.
She went straight to her final class, and as the minutes passed, her heart beat faster and faster.
Soon, it was time.
Time to face her nightmare.
The way he had twisted the dean’s mind was beyond her understanding.
He had manipulated him.
Fed him lies.
And the dean had believed every word.
She had planned to report him but he had beaten her to it.
Why would he do that?
Why had he crossed the line in his office in the first place?
Was he insane?
Had he escaped from some mental institution?
Gathering every ounce of courage she had, Sofía walked to his office and knocked.
Every part of her screamed to stay away from him.
But how could she risk her scholarship?
Her future?
Her entire life depended on it.
“All because of this beast,” she thought bitterly.
“Come in,” his voice called.
She twisted the doorknob and stepped inside.
He was sitting there.
Not in the head chair but in the same seat he had used the first day he taught her.
Jaw clenched, she walked closer, pulled the empty chair slightly away from him, and sat down quietly.
Taking out her notebook and pen, she began working on the problem.
But every nerve in her body was painfully aware of his closeness.
And of his dark eyes fixed on her.
Fernando watched her with pure amusement.
Her hands trembled faintly, though she tightened her grip on the pen as he leaned closer.
Deliberately, he dragged his chair nearer to hers.
Her body stiffened.
“Open page sixty-five,” he said, his eyes burning into her soft, angelic face.
She looked so young.
Too young.
He explained the problem while solving it, and she forced herself to focus on the numbers instead of the heat radiating from him.
After covering a few topics, he finally said, “That’s enough for today.”
Sofía packed her bag at lightning speed.
Just as she started to stand
He grabbed the armrests of her chair and yanked it closer.
A startled squeal escaped her lips as she stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.
“What was Miguel saying to you when I walked into the classroom?” he demanded, his voice dripping with venom.