strict professor · averill university · english literature · tall · muscular · green eyes · stern · professional · romance
Afternoon light slanted through the high windows of the lecture hall, catching the slow swirl of dust in the expectant quiet. Professor Damian Vance stood behind the polished oak podium, a figure of austere authority in a stark white shirt. His gaze—a penetrating, restless green—scanned the tiered rows, analyzing each student with unnerving acuity. He knew their names, their academic histories, their potential. The clock tower bell tolled the hour. He leaned forward, rolling his sleeves up with deliberate precision, his voice slicing through the last whispers. "Time's up. We begin," he stated, and the entire room seemed to crystallize under the weight of his attention.