An Urgent Appointment

Chapter 10.

An Urgent Appointment.

Lyla Atelo.

"Good morning, class." I held my head high as my heels clicked against the tiled floor.

The class was extremely quiet unlike the last time I had met with them for the first time.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lyla." They all chorused at the same time.

My treacherous eyes scanned the class to look for him, and there he was, sitting comfortably at the back seat once again. His eyes roamed my body lazily, and I couldn't help but feel self conscious in the crocheted white gown I wore.

"I hope you've all had a good week." I cleared my throat and continued towards the white board. "As you all know, I am a traditional teacher. Well, for now." I dropped my books on the table and continued. "I won't be teaching you with a laptop, projector, or any of those technologies. You would have to get your exercise books, pens, and textbooks. I love to avoid any possible distractions, okay?"

I expected to hear them murmuring in disagreement, but they all nodded and began to take out their books and pens. What shocked me the most was the corner of my table. There was a box there, and it was filled with all their phones and laptops. Only one person could have done this, and my eyes darted to him.

He pasted a smirk on his face and mouthed to me. "You're welcome."

He didn't seem angry that I had been avoiding him all week after his text message and our last encounter. I cleared my throat once again.

"Today... We will be discussing 'Power' in business." I began and started writing on the board. "And I know that this word has a lot of branches in terms of business, but today's discussion would be narrowed towards communication with clients."

I paused and waited for my student's reactions before continuing. "I know that most of your parents own huge companies, and that is mostly because of how they seal deals. Being able to seal a deal is power, and how do you think they do that? Anyone?"

Nobody raised their hands. I frowned slightly. Was this one of Sage's doing?

"Is it that none of you knows the answer, or you do know but you don't want to answer?"

They shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"I would like my class to be interactive, if not, I'm walking out of here and going straight to the principal's office to have her change me from teaching your class."

No one seemed to budge. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the students turning to look in Sage's direction. Sage, on the other hand, did not look amused. His eyes bore holes into me. Soon, someone raised a hand.

Speak of the devil's best friend.

"Yes? Mr. Rudiyah?" I nodded for him to continue.

"Our parents seal deals because they communicate with their clients and come to an agreement?" His statement was more of a question.

My face broke into a small smile.

"That is one of them. Anyone else?"

Sage raised his hand. I gulped as our eyes met.

"Yes? Mr. Dominic?" My voice was shaking, and I knew everyone had heard it.

He rose to his full height, something his friend hadn't done. "Well, people seal deals because they've been able to understand the type of person their client is."

"That's the same thing I said. You're only changing the words." Elijah whined from beside Sage.

I nodded with a small smile on my face and gestured for Sage to have his seat.

"Well, both of you are correct in your own way, but..." I paused and picked up a book from the heap that I had brought into class. "I would love for you all to read this book— the forty-eight laws of powers by Robert Greene. Just like Mr. Dominic says, understanding your client is one thing, and yes, communicating with your client like Mr. Rudiyah says it is what leads you to understand your client. But after that, what next? Is there anyone that has read the book? Can you enlighten us on what to expect?"

As usual, no one raised their hand except Sage.

"Anyone apart from Mr. Dominic?" I asked again, but they all remained quiet. "So, does this mean you're all going to do a five page essay summarizing the entire book? You leave my class forever if you use artificial intelligence to do this work. That, or you have to say something in this class."

If there was anything I knew about students, it was the fact that they hated assignments, and this seemed to crack them. One student raised his hand.

"Yes? Mr. Miles." I gestured to the ginger haired boy that raised his hand.

"My father has the book." That was all he said before sitting down.

Huh? I almost screamed in frustration. My eyes found Sage's whose hands were still up in the air.

"Mr. Dominic, please enlighten us about what you've read in the book. Make it as interesting as possible to have your colleagues read the book and also ask questions."

He nodded and turned away from me, looking at the rest of the class. "Everyone should read the recommended text and write a fifteen-page long essay summarizing what you've understood so far. And like Mrs. Lyla has stated, the use of AI is highly prohibited. Try as much as possible to submit the assignment before the end of the month." With that, he turned back towards my stunned figure. "Is that good enough to your liking, ma'am?"

I could only nod like a lizard. I was too stunned to speak. What was he trying to do? Show that he had more power than I, the class teacher?

"The forty-eight laws of powers basically teach one how to understand, in this context, our clients. Not only do we understand, but act in a psychologically manipulative way or get what we want while presenting to them what they want to hear."

"Manipulative?" I smiled slightly at that word. He was surely a smart student. I guess that was one of the perks of being homeschooled as a wealthy child.

"Yes. Seductive, and manipulative, Mrs. Lyla." It could have just been my ears, but did his tone change and get softer?

He pinned me with his stare, licking his bottom lips. "It's like knowing what someone wants and giving it to them, no matter how much they resist." He continued, and my breath hitched. Was he talking about me? "Or...they pretend not to want it, but their eyes tell you a different thing. Their body language... It teaches you how to read people and use that to your advantage. It teaches you how to get what you want and when you want it regardless of any obstacle." His voice dipped even further. "Just like I get what I want."

The last statement sent my entire body bubbling.

"That's... That is really intense, Mr. Dominic." I nodded in approval. "That's your personal understanding of the book. It's insightful."

"I like intense. Who doesn't?" He gave me a knowing look, reminding me of the Sunday night that he had me bent over the hood of my car. That night was... intense.

"You can sit." I forced a smile on my face, turning to the rest of the class. "Does anyone have a question or contribution?"

More than half of the entire class raised their hands this time. Questions flew from all directions until I got tired.

"I'll attend to more questions by the end of the class. For now, we have barely ten minutes to wrap up and we haven't gone far. Take out your notes as I dictate your notes."

Time seemed to fly faster than ever because the bell rang. All the students began to line up in front of the desk, putting themselves in a single file. I could feel the warmth spreading in my chest to find them eager to learn from me. It was something I dreamed of for so long.

Suddenly, the crowd seemed to part, and I watched as Sage came forward. The air was suddenly charged and tensed.

"Don't worry, I'll go last." He told his colleagues and stood behind the last person, leaning his weight into the closest table.

If this happened, it would mean that he and I would be left alone in the class. I didn't want that. Not because he would tease me, but because I didn't trust myself either. I didn't trust my body.

I waited until the third to the last person came up.

"Oh my goodness!" I yelped in surprise and checked my wristwatch. "I forgot that I have an appointment with my doctor." I kicked the chair from behind me and stood up. "We will continue the Q and A session later. For now, I have to run."

I snuck a glance at Sage's face. Once again, I watched the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement. He knew I was lying. He could tell with one look at my face. And something told me I was going to pay for doing this.