Jones Harlington had the perfect face of a sour tomato the second he saw my face. His lips pursed as he watched me smile.

"Did you get ahold of Devon?"

"No hello or how are you? That's rude, professor."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Anyways, how are you feeling now?"

"Why are you here? I want to get discharged. Now. Doctor!"

"Easy there, professor," I rested my hand on his wrinkly one, watching his heart rate spike up even though he kept a blank face. "Shouting isn't good for you. Am I making you nervous?"

"Just leave and get a doctor."

"That's the problem. I can't."

He frowned. "You can't?"

I shook my head with a smile. "No, doctor told me to watch over you. You got a fatal injury with that fall back there. It might help if you have a company, especially after what came out at the report."

"Why?" His voice tinged with an edge as he gave me wary eyes. "What's in the report?"

"Well, it's not my place to speak. I probably better leave it for Sir Devon to break it to you."

He huffed. "Just get it out already. I don't have time."

I hummed. "True."

His head snapped at me. "What!"

"Oh, it's nothing," My eyes widened for the effect, "Just my loose tongue."

"Don't play with me, Mirasol." He couldn't hide the nervous tremble in that otherwise stern voice of his.

I bit my lips to suppress a smile. "Just like you played with me?"

He went still for a second before letting out a slow breath. "What do you want?"

I shrugged. "What do you think I'd possibly want? I'm young and working. I have a whole life ahead of me. It's the people with age and weaker bodies who has to bid their times. Some say it's better to reflect on sins of the past before the clock stops ticking, don't you agree?"

"Sins?" He looked away, gulping. "What sins?"

I smirked. "So, you have no sins, huh, professor? Nothing to reflect on? Nothing to confess?"

He met my gaze with a blank look. "No. I don't recall any worth confessing."

I smiled with a sigh, crossing my legs. "Burned but not broken."

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering how Sir Devon would feel once he knew that his dear uncle had a past with his mother," I rubbed my chipped yellow nails. "A dirty, little past that his father doesn't know."

"What are you talking about!" His voice rose, breathing turned ragged.

"Relax, professor," I patted his shoulder. "Don't want the doctors to walk in on this now, do we?"

He seethed in silence, his wrinkles growing more prominent as he glared at me.

"Good job," I removed my hand with a final pat and clasped it with the other one on my lap. "Now, you see, I was going through the older files at the archive the other day, of course, to organize them as per your nephew's order, and just happened to stumble upon some pictures at the darkmost corner of a back shelf."

Professor Jones remained silent.

I hummed, shifting in my seat. "Usually, people don't go there for the organizing job or if they do, they never turn pages of the age-old files just for the heck of it. But unfortunately, that's what I did and look what I found."

I turned on my phone and picked out a picture from my gallery before showing it to him.

Professor Jones turned paler than a sheet of paper as his gaze froze on the screen.

I grinned. "Lovely couple in the kissing booth, right? Look, how shiny that wedding band is on her finger. Unfortunately, I couldn't spot the guy wearing any." I pouted, turning the phone my way. "Tragic, isn't it?"

"Delete it."

"Huh?" I raised my brows at him, pretending to never hear his stone-cold voice.

"Delete the photo and every other copies of it, Mirasol."

I turned the screen off and put it back in my purse before sitting straight. The smile wiped from my face, leaving a blank look in its place.

"And why should I?" I said, feeling the words roll out of my lips with smooth suave.

Words that someone else once spoke to me in a similar tone.

Professor blinked, leaning back in his bed. "Because, I said so."

Such arrogance...

My veins burned with suppressed fury and I clasped the phone tight in my hand.

Then I breathed and pulled my lips up. "I am not your student anymore, professor, nor am I your puppet."

"You seem to have forgotten what I hold over you."

My smile turned sadder as I looked down. "Yes, I do. A bunch of exam papers that have false slips of cheats ready to frame me."

"You were caught with them in the exam hall."

"Someone deliberately put them in my papers!" I huffed, my eyes blazing brighter as my blood boiled, "And I have a good guess who's behind it."

He shrugged. "I saved you from an expel with a pardon. I can still save you from a cancellation of your certificate due to an accidental exposure of those cheats in public."

Accidental? Ha!

"People won't take lightly of the matter if the words got out, Mirasol. The university will be forced to issue an investigation and you will face dire consequences. Your career, your life, all will get jeopardized only because you played a card wrong. Now, tell me," he turned to face me with a tilt of his head. "Is that what you want? Is that how you wish to repay me after giving you a chance and securing your future after graduation?"

Securing my future...

I let out a mirthless snicker. "Yeah, you did secure my future by locking me into your nephew's company in a mere PA position and never letting me explore my true worth," I leaned forward in an abrupt motion. "Be honest professor, you saw a gullible yet brilliant topper and forced her hands to babysit your worthless nephew for years, didn't you?"

He clicked his tongue. "You got a roof over your head and food to eat, Mirasol. I just helped you. Be grateful."

"By blackmailing me into accepting an unlimited contract with the Trexon Empire where I can not quit my job under any circumstances?"

Jones did not respond.

My lips tilted up in a sour smirk.

"I am," I straightened my back and lifted my chin. "That's why I'm proposing an exchange offer. The nullification of the contract and the evidence of my fake cheats for your real one."

"And if I refuse?" He raised his brows for an effect but that subtle twitch in his eyes ruined it for him.

This time, I shrugged. "You've been generous enough to relay my future for me. Allow me to return the favor considering you won't agree to my proposal."

He pursed his lips as I lifted my finger.

"One, the world will know what a sleazy shit you are for dating your brother's wife behind his back, please excuse my choice words, though. Ahem, now, two, your nephew will throw you out from the high pedestal that he sits you on. Three, your teaching degree at Yale will get ripped to shreds and you may not have another chance to get back to this profession again. Four, if you do seek an alternate career at your nephew's company, you'd already lose your respect and command from your co-workers, investors, and so on due to your dirty background in adultery. Five, your weak body may not take so much stress altogether and you'll collapse resulting in risking your life in literal physical sense. Now, guess who's got the shorter end of the stick if you don't follow through this deal."

Dead silence ensued in the room after my long ass speech.

I breathed out and allowed my lips to stretch into a brilliant wide smile.

"That's what I thought."

❤ What did you think I won't ever treat you guys, that too on my birthday?

Well, here's a triple-chapter update just for this occasion.

That's right. It's THREE WHOLE CHAPTERS! Let's binge together! ❤