LOGINARIANA'S POV
*Ring
*Ring
*Ring
“Shit.” I groaned and hit the alarm, turning it off before it could ring again. I almost went back to sleep again but my brain suddenly reminded me that today was Monday.
Fuck school.
Reluctantly, I tried to roll off the bed but a splitting headache suddenly hit me as I winced slightly. My head felt like it was being smashed with a hammer.
I wriggled out of bed, holding my head tightly.
Just as I passed by the mirror, my eyes caught my reflection. I paused, my brain scrambling to piece together last night's events.
First, the breakup–Scott’s betrayal and his hurtful words.
Second—
Wait, second?
I went to a club, had a few drinks, tried leaving and…
Oh my God.
I mistook a hot man with sexy blue eyes for a wall. I slapped my head as heat rushed up my cheeks in embarrassment.
Gosh, what was I thinking?
He offered to take me home when he saw how drunk I was, but…
A loud gasp escaped my lips as I mouthpalmed still staring at my reflection in the mirror.
He gave me an orgasm.
What the fuck!
“I feel hot… please… I'm not drunk.” I could still recall my own words.
The truth was I was actually a bit aware of what I was doing.
This hot, sexy blue–eyed stranger gave me an orgasm without even fingering my pussy or fucking me.
My skin tingled at the thought.
Fuck, I didn’t even know his name. There was no use, we were probably never going to cross paths again.
But why does it feel this good when I’m still hurting?
“You were just a toy to me, Ariana.” Scott’s word rang out in my head as my face fell instantly.
Images of him on the bed with Tania, fucking her pussy from behind drifted into my head.
My chest tightened. It felt like a dagger pierced through my heart.
I thought what he had was real. Those moments we spent, those feelings, the sex–all fake.
I hiccuped.
Screw him. Screw his so–called cousin.
Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Maya.
“Ria…don't tell me you plan on skipping classes today because you spent the whole night with Scott. And I think we might have a new professor. Get your ass here!!! ”
Maya probably thought I had spent the night with Scott.
If I told her we'd broken up, she'd most likely hit me with an "I warned you" before pulling me into a hug. It wasn't because she was cruel, but because she had never really trusted him.
Right now, I wasn't sure I could handle hearing that she had been right all along.
Then, I recalled something else she said in the text.
New professor? Interesting.
I glanced at the wall clock. Past 9.
Fuck, I'm late.
I hurriedly took my bath, got dressed and rushed to the school.
At school, I slipped into an empty seat beside Maya. The hall was crowded as students struggled to get seats before the class began.
“You're right on time.” She muttered with a half smile. She dug her hands into her bag and took out a food flask.
“Breakfast?” She titled her head slightly. I shook my head. “I made toasts, I bought coffee too.” She smiled heartily and pushed them to me.
“Not hungry.” I shrugged, bringing out my books.
Her face fell. “That's unusual, considering how much of a foodie you are.” She muttered, her brows furrowing.
I didn't say a word. My mood obviously wasn't good today.
Then, she leaned in and sniffed me. Typical Maya.
I shifted slightly. I wasn't new to this.
“Gosh, why do I smell sex on you?” She asked, her gaze squinted in suspicion.
My heart almost stopped. Didn't I wash up properly?
Then, she rolled her eyes. “Ofcourse, Scott's doing.”
My chest tightened, hearing his name. His hurtful words slammed into me all at once. Tears stung my eyes as I looked away before Maya could notice.
But she already did. “What… what happened?” Her tone wavered.
I hesitated.
Part of me didn't want to tell her. Maya had warned me about Scott more times than I could count.
But my chest felt so heavy.
I was honestly tired of pretending I was okay.
She was my best friend. If there was anyone I could tell, it was her.
I sniffled. “We broke up.” I said slowly.
She gasped loudly, enough to make a few students turn their heads to us. “How?…what the hell….what the fuck happened?” Her pupils dilated as she asked.
But just when I opened my mouth to speak…
The lecture hall doors opened, and the noise slowly began to die down.
I barely looked up.
At that point, I was more interested in avoiding Maya's questions than paying attention to whoever had just walked in.
The head professor entered first while someone followed behind him. He was tall, dark haired with broad shoulders.
I glanced up absentmindedly, then looked away. How do tell Maya that Scott only used—
Hold on…
My head snapped back so fast my neck hurt.
My breath caught.
No.
My fingers tightened around my pen.
No way.
The man standing beside the head professor looked painfully familiar.
My heart skipped, then dropped straight to my stomach.
Blue eyes!!!
My stomach twisted as memories crashed into me all at once.
His hands on my waist. His voice low against my ear. "Cum for me, little red..."
The pen nearly slipped from my fingers.
Oh my God.
It was him.
The hot blue-eyed stranger from last night. He was standing right there, alive and real.
And somehow even more attractive in daylight.
I almost cursed myself at my own thoughts.
My chest rose unevenly, my pulse spiking so fast.
What is he doing here…?
The head professor cleared his throat. “Good morning, everyone.”
I didn’t hear anything else. My eyes were locked on the same face I had been too close to just hours ago.
Fuck.
“I’ll be introducing your new professor for this course.”
My heart skipped, then slammed hard against my ribs.
I swallowed, throat dry.
No.
No, no, no—
“Thiago De la Cruz.” The name echoed.
A wave of murmurs spread across the hall, but it sounded distant like I was underwater.
He stepped forward, calmly.
“Hello everyone. I’m Thiago De la Cruz—your new professor.”
His voice, that same deep voice that asked if I wanted to sleep against his chest all night.
My grip tightened around my pen. I couldn’t breathe properly.
Then his eyes met mine.
I inhaled sharply as my stomach flipped.
A flicker of recognition and shock flashed across his face. His hand tightened slightly around the marker, just for a second but it disappeared just as fast. His expression went blank again.
My chest tightened painfully as panic and embarrassment ate me whole.
I looked down immediately.
“Ria…?” Maya whispered beside me. “Why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?”
Because I have. The man who gave me an orgasm last night is standing in front of the entire class, introducing himself as our new professor.
I forced a small shake of my head. “Nothing.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she let it go.
Professor Thiago turned to the board. But before he fully turned, his eyes met mine again. It was just a quick glance but I saw his jaw tick.
“Let’s begin.” His voice echoed through the hall.
That same voice echoed in my head, warning me to stop moving against him.
My grip on my pen tightened. Fuck.
I shifted in my seat, trying to focus, trying to push everything away. Last night wasn’t supposed to follow me here.
But now… Now he was my professor.
A cold wave of panic slid through me.
He had tried to stop it. He had warned me. And I—I didn’t listen.
What if he thinks I threw myself at him? What if he reports me? What if he fails me in his course? What if—
“Ria,” Maya nudged me again softly. “Are you even listening?”
I blinked. “Yeah.”
She leaned closer. “Not to be dramatic, but… this man is so hot.”
I said nothing because I didn’t trust my response.
“Like… seriously,” she continued in a whisper. “Young, tall, look at his attractive blue eyes. He won't be boring like the last one.”
A few girls in front were already giggling, throwing glances at him, clearly trying to get his attention.
I kept my eyes on my notebook. I didn’t want to look up again.
No, I couldn’t.
The class went on, but I barely heard anything. My mind kept drifting back, mixing last night with the present.
Finally, the unbearable lecture came to an end.
“Alright, that will be all for today,” Professor Thiago said.
Chairs shifted as students began packing up. I quickly grabbed my books, eager to leave before anything else happened. I stood up, avoiding the front completely.
“Let’s go,” Maya said, already standing.
But just as I took a step…
“Ariana Castillo.”
I froze.
How… how did he know my name?
The entire class went quiet for a second.
Professor Thiago looked directly at me. “My office.”
I almost fainted.
THIAGO'S POVScott stared at me in disbelief, his hand pressed against his jaw. He looked genuinely shocked, like he couldn't understand what had just happened. And perhaps he couldn't. He had never seen me lose my temper like this, let alone raise my hand against him, especially not in front of our parents. He had always known me to be controlled, even when I was angry. I rarely let my emotions get the better of me, and I certainly never resorted to violence. But apparently, he had finally pushed me too far.He stared at me, trying to process what had happened. Then, slowly, his expression changed. He straightened, lowered his hand from his jaw and let out a humourless scoff, like he had suddenly decided that being punched wasn't enough reason to keep his mouth shut."She's never been yours, Thiago."My jaw tightened.Scott took a step forward, his eyes fixed on mine. "She's mine. I met her first."I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing.After everything he had done to Ariana,
THIAGO'S POV The drive to my parents' house was anything but pleasant.I had barely slept the previous night. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered Ariana's face as she told me about the arrangement. The tears, the frustration in her voice, and the way she struggled to understand why her aunt would put her in such a position.And then there was Scott.That bastard had actually agreed to marry her.I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, my jaw clenching at the thought. Soon, I arrived at my parents' house. I parked in the driveway, grabbed my phone and stepped out of the car.The moment I walked into the house, I heard laughter coming from the dining area.I followed the sound, and my steps slowed when I reached the entrance.Scott was sitting at the dining table with my parents, smiling as he enjoyed his meal. My mother was seated beside him, looking particularly pleased about something he had said, while my father listened with an amused expression.It was an unusual scene.
ARIANA'S POVI sat in the passenger seat with my head slightly bent, my fingers playing with my nails. The tears had stopped, but I could still feel traces of them on my cheeks. My eyes probably looked terrible, and my throat felt sore from crying.Thiago sat beside me, giving me the time I needed.The car was still parked.Neither of us had said much since we got into the car, but I could feel his attention on me. He had been waiting patiently, and I knew he wanted to understand what had happened.I took a shaky breath and rubbed my thumb against the edge of my fingernail. "She wants me to get married."Thiago's brows dropped.I swallowed. "Aunt Victoria. She wants me to get married, and apparently, she's already discussed everything with the family."I paused, trying to gather my thoughts."She called me here to tell me that I'm getting married. Just like that. She didn't ask whether I wanted to get married or whether there was someone in my life. She simply informed me that she had
ARIANA'S POVI pushed the document away completely. "I'm not signing this."Victoria didn't look surprised. "Then you have made your decision.""No, I haven't!" I protested. "I haven't agreed to marry Scott, and I'm not giving you my properties either. You can't just take everything from me because you want to!"She gave a quiet, humourless laugh. "I haven't asked you to decide this second."I frowned. "What?""I will give you some time to think about it."I shook my head. "There's nothing to think about. I'm not marrying Scott, and I'm not signing away my inheritance."Victoria picked up her glass and took a small sip before placing it back on the table. "Three days."I blinked. "What?""You have three days to think about it and let me know your decision.""Three days?" I repeated. "Aunt Victoria, you can't be serious!""That is more than enough time.""No, it isn't! You can't expect me to make a decision like this in three days!"She closed the folder and gathered the documents neat
ARIANA'S POVI stared at her hand as she reached for the folder, my heart pounding so hard that I could feel it in my throat.Victoria opened it and pulled out a few documents. She placed them on the table, turning the first page towards me."Since you seem to have forgotten that your future is not something you can simply do whatever you please with, perhaps this will help you understand your situation."I frowned, my eyes moving over the papers. "What is this?""Your inheritance."I looked up at her. "My what?""Your parents' properties, Ariana. The businesses, the houses, the investments and everything else they left behind."My eyes dropped to the documents again. I recognised some of the names and addresses. They were familiar because I had grown up hearing about them, even though I hadn't been directly involved in managing any of them."What about them?" I asked cautiously.Victoria leaned back in her chair."Everything your parents owned was transferred into your name after the
ARIANA'S POVShe rested one hand on the document and looked at me."You're in your fourth year of college, Ariana. By next academic year, you'll be entering your final year. You'll be graduating soon, and I believe it's time you started taking your future more seriously."I frowned slightly.What did that have to do with anything?She continued before I could ask."You're not a child anymore. You've spent enough time enjoying the freedom that comes with being young, but there comes a point when you have to start thinking beyond your immediate happiness. Your education is important, of course, but it isn't the only thing that matters. You need stability. You need direction. And you need to understand that the decisions you make now will affect the rest of your life. Your father worked hard to secure your future, and I have spent years making sure everything he left behind remains in order. I won't sit back and watch you make careless decisions simply because you think you have all the







