Chapter 1

I was lost in him again, In my head, Professor Damien Vale had me pinned against the wall of his office, his mouth claiming mine in a hungry, possessive kiss that stole every breath from my lungs. His large hand gripped my waist, pulling me flush against his hard body as his other hand moved slowly down the front of his shirt, unbuttoning it one by one. I could almost feel the heat of his skin, trace the muscle and the faint scars I’d only imagined existed beneath those perfectly tailored suits. His dark eyes burned into mine with raw need, like I was the only thing in his world that mattered.

“Ava…” he growled against my lips, voice low and dangerous.

A sharp sting hit the back of my head. I jolted upright in my seat, heart slamming against my ribs, a crumpled paper ball bounced onto my desk. The entire lecture hall was staring at me. Heat flooded my face as reality crashed back in.

Sophia Kensington and her puppet Lila Monroe were laughing loudly from the front row, their voices abrupting through the silence so loudly.

“Oh my God, look at her,” Sophia cackled, flipping her long blonde hair. “Drooling again like a pathetic little puppy. Were you having a wet dream in class, Blake? So embarrassing.”

Lila leaned against Sophia’s shoulder, giggling obnoxiously. “She probably creamed her cheap panties just sitting there spacing out, what a loser.”

Snickers rippled across the room. I bit the inside of my cheek hard, forcing my expression to stay normal even as humiliation burned through me, Ava don’t react. Don’t give them the satisfaction. I’d learned that lesson the hard way since sophomore year. Sophia had decided I was her favorite target the moment I beat her GPA ranking, and Lila followed like the loyal little snake she was or should I say a puppet.

I slowly picked up the paper ball and smoothed it out on my desk, pretending their words didn’t sting. Inside was written in big pink letters: “Earth to Scholarship Slut.”

Class continued, but I couldn’t focus. My eyes kept drifting to the front of the room where he stood. Professor Damien Vale, He had joined the faculty at the beginning of senior year, and from the first moment I saw him, I was ruined and obsessed. Tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp cheekbones and dark, intense eyes that made my stomach do a back flip every single time. He was unfairly gorgeous, the kind of man who looked like he belonged on magazine covers, not behind a lecture table. His voice was deep and commanding, even when he spoke in that cold, professional tone he used with everyone.

He never smiled and never showed favoritism. He acted like none of us existed beyond the grades he assigned. And somehow, that made my stupid crush even worse. Sophia raised her hand, leaning forward so her cleavage spilled out of her expensive top.

“Professor, can you explain that part again? I’m a little… distracted.”

Damien barely glanced at her. “Pay attention, Miss Kensington. The material is on the slides.” His voice had no warmth and no reaction to her obvious flirting. Just a flat response. I secretly loved that about him. The rest of the class dragged on. When it finally ended, I packed my bag quickly, hoping to slip out unnoticed but no such luck.

Sophia and Lila blocked my path at the end of the row, arms crossed, same matching smirks on their faces.

“Seriously, Ava,” Sophia said sweetly, loud enough for nearby students to hear. “If you’re going to fantasize in public, at least close your mouth, you literally looked brain dead and to be be fair it’s pathetic.”

Lila snorted. “Maybe she was thinking about Julian again. Or maybe she’s finally realizing she’ll never be on our level. Keep dreaming, charity case.”

I straightened my shoulders, refusing to shrink. “Are you done?”

Sophia stepped closer, her perfume suffocating. “Not even close. Watch your back this semester, I heard Julian’s getting impatient. He wants you crawling on your knees soon. You might as well start practicing.”

My stomach turned, julian Hale had been tormenting me for months the rich, entitled asshole who had decided he wanted to “own” me. He made my life hell whenever I rejected him, he began spreading rumors, messing with my group projects, and threatening my part time job, sophia loved helping him in doing that.

Before I could respond, a calm voice cut through the tension.

“Move.”

Zara Knox, my sharp tongued friend, appeared beside me like a storm. She glared at Sophia and Lila with zero fear.

“Unless you want me to accidentally spill my coffee on those overpriced extensions, get the fuck out of the way.”

Mia Chen, my sweet and gentle friend, stood right behind her, giving me a supportive smile even though she looked nervous.

Sophia laughed coldly. “Cute, The scholarship rejects, has a cute little bulldog.” She flicked her hair and walked off with Lila trailing behind, but not before whispering loud enough for me to hear, “Enjoy your sad little life, Blake.”

Zara rolled her eyes. “Bitches. You okay?”

I nodded, forcing a small smile even though my cheeks still burned. “I’m fine, it’s the same shit, different day.”

Mia linked her arm with mine as we walked out of the hall. “They’re just jealous because you’re smarter than both of them combined, they're just bunchs of overpriced dumb brains, ignore them.”

But it was getting harder to ignore. The bullying had worsened this semester, the pranks, rumors, public humiliation. We’d reported them multiple times, but the school authorities always dismissed it. Sophia’s father donated too much money and Julian’s family was even more powerful. We were just scholarship students making noise. As we stepped into the crowded hallway, I caught a glimpse of Professor Damien Vale walking ahead of us. His broad back was straight, steps confident and unhurried. He didn’t look at anyone, not even once. Yet my stupid heart still raced.

I wondered what it would feel like if he actually noticed me. If those strong hands touched me the way they did in my daydreams. If he unbuttoned that shirt for real and looked at me like I was his. A dangerous, addictive thought.

And If he could actually stare at me and notice me like he has never done before, just to me…