All Chapters of My Professor’s Obsession: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

The walk from the parking lot to the architecture building felt like balancing on a thin wire. My legs were heavy from the night on the cot, and every time the wind hit my neck, I felt like the iron collar was still there. I had to look like a normal student. I had to act like I wasn't living in a secret room with a man who had been watching me for years."Sera! Hey, Sera!"I stopped near the fountain. It was Dominic. He was wearing his team jacket, looking like he owned the sun and the air."I'm late for class, Dominic," I said. I kept my eyes on my shoes."You're always late lately," he said. He stepped in front of me, blocking the path. "And you look like you haven't slept in a week. What’s the matter? Is the Ice Professor working you too hard on those... archives?""It’s a big project," I said. "He wants the exhibition to be perfect."Dominic laughed. It was a loud, mean sound. "He wants you to be perfect. But you don't look perfect today. You look messy. You look like you're fall

The next morning, the black car didn't take me to the architecture building. It stopped in front of a private club by the harbor. The air tasted like salt and money."Wait here," the driver said.I didn't have to wait long. A woman walked out of the club. She looked like a older, sharper version of Caspian. Her hair was pulled back so tight it looked painful, and her suit cost more than my father’s old house. This was Helena Blackwood. The woman who really ran the Board."You’re smaller than the photos suggest," Helena said. She didn't say hello. She just got into the back seat next to me."I’m Seraphina St. Claire," I said. I tried to keep my voice steady."I know who you are, child. I’ve spent the last hour looking at your family’s debt records," she said. She tapped a gold pen against her leather bag. "My son has a habit of collecting broken things. He thinks it makes him a better architect. I think it makes him a target.""I'm not a thing," I said. "And I'm not broken."Helena lau