Chapter 3

Morning sunlight filtered through the thin curtains of the small bedroom that had become my refuge. I sat on the edge of the bed, hugging my knees to my chest as I stared blankly at the wall covered with notes and reminders.

At least I still had Risa. My college friend had opened her home to me when I had nowhere else to go, saving me from becoming homeless.

And now, three days had passed since I last stepped outside this room. Even when it came to eating, Risa was the one who knocked on my door and brought food to me. My head still felt heavy.

Not just from the lack of sleep, but from the weight pressing relentlessly against my chest.

Every time I closed my eyes, memories of that night came back to haunt me.

I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away, but his voice continued to echo inside my mind like a whisper that refused to leave.

A soft knock suddenly sounded at the door, followed by a familiar gentle voice.

"Lira, are you awake?" I didn't answer. I simply sat there, staring at my fingers intertwined in my lap.

A few seconds later, another knock came, slightly louder this time.

"Lira, come on, open the door. I know you haven't had breakfast yet."

I let out a long sigh before slowly getting to my feet and opening the door.

Risa stood in the doorway, She had been my friend since our first semester at college. Her face was filled with concern, but her smile remained as warm as ever.

"You look awful," she said, looking me over from head to toe. "You haven't even changed clothes since yesterday."

I shrugged. "I didn't feel like it."

Risa stepped inside and placed a tray holding toast and a glass of milk on the small table by the window.

"You've missed three days of classes, Lira. People are starting to ask questions. I even had to tell our professors that you were seriously ill."

I lowered my gaze. "I just need some time."

"Time?" Risa looked at me in disbelief. "Lira, I know something happened to you. You don't have to tell me what it is, but you can't keep living like this. The world doesn't stop just because you got fired."

I glanced at her briefly before turning my attention toward the window.

"That bastard fired me and turned me into a homeless woman."

"Then get ready."

The tone of her voice suddenly changed.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Risa crossed her arms.

"You have to go to campus today. No excuses. Our Introduction to Psychology professor has been replaced, and the new professor is teaching his first class this morning. Attendance is mandatory. I just got a message from our class group chat saying that anyone absent without a valid reason will be considered withdrawn from the course."

I froze.

"Replaced? That quickly?"

Risa nodded.

"Apparently our old professor accepted a position overseas. The replacement is supposed to be young but extremely strict. If you skip today, there's a chance you'll be removed from the class entirely."

I sighed heavily.

"Risa, I really can't do this. My head is still spinning."

"Spinning because of what? Because you've locked yourself in this room for three days?" She sat beside me on the bed and gently took my hand. "Lira, I don't know what happened that night. You don't want to talk about it, and I won't force you. But I do know one thing. If you keep shutting yourself away like this, you're going to lose everything you still have left."

Her words struck deeper than she probably realized.

"Who is this new professor?" I finally asked, trying to delay making a decision.

Risa smiled, relieved that I was finally responding.

"I don't know his name yet. Apparently he recently returned from abroad. The faculty is keeping everything quiet for now, but rumor has it that he taught at one of the most prestigious universities in Europe. So he's probably not just anyone."

I nodded slowly.

"That sounds terrifying."

"It's really not." Risa stood and pointed toward the bathroom. "All you have to do is show up, sit through class, and pretend everything is fine."

She gave me a warning look.

"You have fifteen minutes to shower. If you don't move, I'll drag you there myself."

A faint smile tugged at my lips.

"You're incredibly bossy."

"And you're incredibly stubborn," she shot back, though relief softened her voice. "Now hurry up. I ironed your clothes last night, so you don't have any excuses."

Risa walked out of the room, leaving me standing in front of the mirror.

"A new professor?" I murmured.

For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into my chest.

Maybe it was just a strange intuition.

Maybe it was nothing at all.

Yet my heart began beating a little faster for no reason I could explain.

I shook my head and pushed the thought away before starting to get ready.

For the first time in three days, I tried to become myself again.

****

The campus felt different that morning.

The air seemed heavier than usual, though I couldn't tell whether it was because of my anxiety or because I still wasn't used to walking these hallways after spending three days locked inside a bedroom.

I had no idea how much longer I would be able to stay in college when I still hadn't found another job to pay for my tuition.

Risa walked beside me, hugging a notebook against her chest.

"Relax, Lira. It's just an introduction class today. Sit somewhere in the middle, listen to the lecture, and afterward we'll have lunch together, okay?"

I nodded, though the weight in my chest remained.

We entered a large lecture hall lined with digital boards. The room was already crowded. Students were busy searching for the best seats. Some claimed the front rows to catch the new professor's attention, while others hid in the back to avoid being noticed.

I chose a seat in the middle beside Risa.

"I heard the new professor is from overseas," a female student whispered behind me. "His name sounds foreign. Kind of European."

"Yeah, but apparently he's ridiculously handsome," her friend replied excitedly. "He's also really cold, though. Like he doesn't have emotions. Even some of the other professors seem intimidated by him."

I listened without any intention of joining the conversation.

Yet the moment they described him as cold, a strange chill crawled down my spine.

Before I could process the feeling, the classroom door opened.

The sound of polished leather shoes echoed across the floor.

Without realizing it, I straightened in my seat.

Then I saw him.

The man walked into the room with calm confidence, dressed in a black shirt and a perfectly tailored gray suit. His posture was impeccable. Every movement radiated authority.

And the moment I saw his face, my heart seemed to stop beating.

Mr. Lucan Fiermox.

The man I had slept with three nights ago.

I froze.

The entire classroom fell silent as though the air itself had tightened with his arrival.

His gaze swept across the students.

Sharp.

Calm.

Commanding.

There was no smile on his face.

Only cold blue eyes that seemed capable of seeing through anyone who dared meet them.

His gaze moved casually around the room.

Then it stopped on me.

Every muscle in my body locked.

My breath caught in my throat.

It was the exact same look he had given me that night.

For several long seconds, his eyes never left mine.

Then, as though realizing something, he slowly looked away and walked toward the professor's desk at the front of the room.

"Good morning."

His voice was deep, calm, and powerful enough to silence the room instantly.

"My name is Lucan Fiermox."

He paused briefly.

"Starting today, I will be teaching Introduction to Psychology and Human Behavior."

Everything about him demanded attention.

The way he carried himself.

The way he spoke.

The quiet authority that surrounded him.

No one seemed willing to treat him casually.

I remained frozen in my chair.

My hand trembled slightly as I tried to write something in my notebook. The pen nearly slipped from my fingers.

"This introduction won't take long," he continued flatly.

"I have no interest in small talk. You're here to learn, not to impress me. Anyone incapable of keeping up with this course is free to leave now."

His tone was cold, yet filled with a power that was difficult to explain.

Risa leaned closer and whispered,

"Oh my God. He's terrifying. But kind of amazing too."

I couldn't answer.

Lucan's gaze swept across the room once more.

Then it stopped on me again.

The look in his eyes was piercing.

Intense.

Warning.

As if he wanted to make absolutely certain that I would never speak about what had happened between us.

Then, under the watchful eyes of every student in the classroom, he spoke without looking away from me.

"I dislike students who come to class distracted. If any of you arrive here without the proper mental focus, I suggest correcting that immediately."

His eyes remained locked on mine.

"Before I decide to handle it myself."

The entire room seemed to freeze.

And I knew.

That wasn't a general warning.

It was meant for me.

*****

The sky had begun to glow with shades of orange by the time I stepped out of the faculty building.

I stared at the black business card still clenched tightly in my hand.

"Lucan Fiermox.." I murmured under my breath.

The name felt both unfamiliar and dangerous.

I wanted to ignore it. I wanted to pretend our conversation had never happened. Yet somehow, his words remained lodged in my mind.

Sooner or later, you'll come back to me.

I let out a long sigh and slipped the card into my bag.

I intended to head straight back to Risa's apartment, but my steps faltered when I spotted her sitting alone in the small garden behind the main building. Even from a distance, I could see her shoulders trembling. Her head was lowered, and the faint sound of her sobs carried through the afternoon air.

"Risa?" I called softly as I approached.

She quickly turned away and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Lira..." Her voice trembled despite her attempt to sound normal. Her swollen eyes betrayed the truth.

I sat beside her without asking any questions.

"What's wrong?" I asked gently. "Why are you crying?"

Risa remained silent for a moment before taking a shaky breath.

"I just got a call from home. My mother is sick. Seriously sick. The doctors said she needs treatment immediately."

I froze.

"Oh my God, Risa. What are you going to do?"

She bit her lip, struggling to hold back another wave of tears.

"That's the problem. I don't have enough money. My savings were wiped out paying this month's rent."

Her voice cracked.

"I.. I don't know what to do anymore, Lira. I don't have anyone else in this city."

Pain tightened in my chest.

Risa was the only person willing to take me in after I was thrown out of my apartment. She had given me a place to stay, brought me meals, and even bought small necessities without ever complaining.

And now, when she needed help the most, I had nothing to offer.

"Risa..." I said quietly.

She looked at me.

"I'm sorry."

Her brows knitted together.

"What are you apologizing for? None of this is your fault."

"But I'm living off your kindness," I admitted. "I'm staying in your apartment, eating food you paid for, while you're struggling yourself. I should be helping you, but I don't even have anything left."

Risa shook her head and managed a weak smile.

"Don't say that, Lira. You're my friend. I know you're going through your own problems too."

She squeezed my hand gently.

"We'll find a way through this. Together."

I lowered my gaze.

Her kindness only made me feel worse.

And at that exact moment, Lucan's face surfaced in my mind again.

His cold eyes.

His deep voice.

The offer he had made so calmly.

If you need a job, come to me.

My fingers tightened around the edge of my skirt.

Several minutes later, I found myself standing outside the faculty office where Lucan usually worked.

Night had already fallen. Soft garden lights illuminated the windows from outside.

The office door was slightly open, revealing Lucan seated behind his desk. His black shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as he reviewed a stack of documents.

He didn't look up when I knocked.

"Come in," he said without lifting his head.

I stepped inside and stopped in front of his desk.

"Mr. Lucan."

Only then did he look up.

His gaze locked onto mine immediately.

Calm.

Sharp.

Unavoidable.

"You came sooner than I expected."

I drew a steady breath and forced myself to meet his eyes.

"I've thought about your offer."

Lucan's hand paused.

The pen that had been moving across the paper became still.

"And?"

I bit the inside of my cheek.

My pride screamed at me to walk away.

But the image of Risa crying in the garden returned instantly.

"I'll take the job."

For the first time since I entered the office, Lucan truly looked at me.

Not like a professor looking at a student.

Not like a man looking at a woman he had spent a night with.

It was the look of someone who had finally obtained something he had been waiting for.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"I thought you'd refuse until the very end."

"I thought so too."

The smile remained.

"Life has a way of forcing us to change our plans."

I lowered my eyes.

The words felt uncomfortably accurate.

Because he was right.

If Risa's mother hadn't fallen ill, if I hadn't lost both my job and my apartment, I would never have been standing in this office.

Lucan opened a drawer and pulled out a black folder.

"I'm not offering you this job because I feel guilty."

I looked up.

"Then why?"

For several seconds, he said nothing.

His blue eyes appeared darker than usual.

"Because I'm interested in you, Lira."

My heart skipped a beat.

His gaze never wavered.

"Not in the way you're thinking."

Unfortunately, that explanation only made me more confused.

Lucan leaned back in his chair.

"Since that night, too many things around you have stopped making sense."

I frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll explain later."

He slid the black folder across the desk toward me.

"Eight o'clock tonight. Fiermox Tower. Don't be late."

I stared at the folder before looking back at him.

For the first time, I had the unsettling feeling that accepting this job might be the biggest mistake of my life.

And yet. I still reached out and took the folder.