Another day to question my life choices. Well not really question them, I'm where I need to be at this moment and I don't doubt that. It's more of the daily reminder of why where I am at the moment is really fucking annoying.
I loosen my tie as I take a seat in my office, I lean back in the chair and sigh. When I decided to become a professor, I highly overestimated my tolerance and patience and every day in this institution of spoiled brats reminds me of that.
Having to deal with different levels of incompetence, nonchalance and disrespect all at once is more exhausting than running a successful business.
I'm rubbing my forehead when I hear a tentative knock on my door and feel a renewed rush of irritation. Speaking of incompetence…
An image of a certain student forms in my head as I remember her small form sprawled over her desk, the perfect picture of unbothered. I know students like her and I have dealt with many of them in my time in this university; privileged, pretty and used to getting everything they want including good grades they don't deserve.
Her coy act won't fool me.
I hear that soft knock again and grit my teeth, now more than a little irritated.
"Come in" I say and I watch the knob turn and then she comes into view.
She walks in looking unsure and nervous as she fidgets with the strap of her bag.
She's dressed mildly compared to the extravagant way that the students here dress. She is wearing an oversized knit sweater with a puppy on it, washed baggy jeans and white sneakers. She almost looks like a child which makes this situation even more annoying.
She has her jet black hair in a messy bun and her bangs almost conceal her dark blue eyes which might be contacts. She has soft Asian features but looks a bit mixed race, she's also really small. What the hell is this girl doing in my class for final years?
She's still fidgeting, I don't want to yell at her but something about this girl grates on my nerves. I sigh,
"Have a seat miss Lee", I point to the chair across my desk.
She quickly sits down and before I can say anything, she begins;
"I'm really sorry sir- I mean Professor Blackwell, I promise it won't happen again", she finishes with an exhale, staring at her folded hands in her lap.
"Your apology means nothing to me Miss Lee, it also changes nothing", I stand and she looks up at me, her eyes widening and I don't know if it's because of my words or my height.
"Why are you taking this course?" I ask and she stares at me for a few seconds. Just when I'm about to lose what little patience I have left, she replies;
"It's an elective"
I nod, "Is that why you refuse to take it seriously?"
Her eyes widen again, "N-no sir, I take all my courses seriously, I just had a long night". She says and I almost roll my eyes. She was probably out partying and came into my class hungover.
I know students like her, they act nervous and innocent and try to manipulate lecturers into feeling sorry for them while they neglect their responsibilities.
"My rules are simple and I clearly stated them at the beginning of the class but you chose to ignore them. I must warn you that I am not easily swayed by theatrics and crocodile tears. I will not hesitate to fail you if this happens again, understood?"
"Yes Professor Blackwell", she mumbles, now staring at her sneakers. I resist the urge to snap at her that her act won't fool me.
I walk closer to her and she stiffens,
"Look at me when I'm talking to you Miss Lee", I watch her swallow as she looks up at me tentatively, her ridiculously long lashes fluttering around her bright blue eyes.
"Do. You. Understand. Me?" I ask again.
"Yes Professor Blackwell" she says clearly this time albeit softly.
I give her a long look then return back to my seat.
"I suggest you go and revise all that I taught today, we meet again at the end of the week and I expect your full participation. You may go." I say as I point towards the exit.
She nods and picks up her bag, I watch as she makes her way towards the door and leaves without another word.
Once the door clicks shut I lean back into my seat and stare at the chair she just vacated, her berry scented perfume still lingering in the air. I can't help but replay our interaction and for the first time I can't tell if someone is pretending or not.
Aria Lee is either a really good actor or this is just how she is, I can't tell which is more annoying. Hold on. Why the fuck am I thinking about whether or not a student is pretending, now I'm irritated all over again. I need a drink.
I'm just about deciding if I should call it a day when my phone rings, I pick it up to check the caller and sigh, Martin, my Personal Assistant. I reject the call and stand up, I'm going home.
I pack up my things and the papers I need to grade.
I'm putting my bag in the back seat of my Aston Martin when my phone rings again, I'm about to reject the call again when I see it's my cousin. If I reject Landon's call he'll definitely show up here and piss me off to death. I get into the car and connect the call to the car speakers.
"What?" I ask as I pull out of the parking lot.
"Well good morning to you too sunshine", he snarks and I roll my eyes.
"Get to the point" I tell him, wondering why everyone is hell bent on annoying me this morning.
"If you had picked up when your assistant called, I wouldn't have had to call you Adrian. We had an agreement, you get to cosplay as professor but you do not jeopardize our business".
"I'm not cosplaying you idiot, I actually have real papers to grade and all". I reply ignoring his whole speech.
He just sighs and maybe I feel a little guilty, he sounds exhausted.
"Why was Martin calling?" I ask
"I need to know if you have looked through the Crownspire Corp contract and signed it, we need to seal this deal as soon as possible." He asks as I slow down, entering traffic, I sigh.
"Yeah I already went through it last night, I'll sign it in an hour or so and send it over"
"Good" he says then hangs up.
"Asshole", I mutter.
The light turns green, I put my phone on silent mode and head home, not in the mood for anyone anymore.
The moment the elevator opens and my penthouse comes into view, my tense shoulders relax a bit and I take in the smell and feel of my own place. An environment I can control and shut everyone out of. It's too early to be drinking so I make myself a cup of black coffee.
I scroll through my emails as I sip my coffee, checking if anything needs my immediate attention. I ignore all the ones from my dad and his assistant naturally.
I do a final proofreading of the Crownspire Corp contract, sign it and send it to Martin.
I change into some gym shorts and go to my home gym to do some workouts to relieve some tension. While I'm on the treadmill I mentally note my agenda for the day and a certain face pops up in my mind. Those doe eyes staring up at me panicked after bumping into me earlier this morning before she fucking ran.
I scowl,
"Why the hell do I keep thinking about that girl?"
Now convinced that I probably need to go out for a drink or two later today. I increase the speed on the treadmill and turn on some music to distract myself.
Forty minutes later, I'm done with my workout, I take a cold shower then go to the kitchen to make something to eat. I'm more than a bit worked up today and cooking usually relaxes me.
My phone goes off and I instantly regret removing it from silent mode. I check the caller, Father.
I ignore the call like I have been doing for the past two years. You'd think his pride would prevent him from calling me but one thing I've learned about Liam Blackwell is that he would do anything to get what he wants. And he wants me home.
I finish up my late breakfast and start grading the papers I brought home.
I'm reading through an essay and not for the first time today, my mind reverts to the memory of that girl in my office staring up at me as I towered over her. In that moment, if I had asked her for anything she probably would have given me without hesitation. Even…
I face palm and scold myself again for my line of thinking, wondering why I'm allowing this girl to take over my thoughts today. I'm probably just intrigued, Landon says I obsess when I see something my twisted brain deems fascinating.
The question is, what's so special about Aria Lee?