cold lecturer · arranged marriage · possessive · wealthy professor · strict · caring · handsome · academic setting · romance
The lecture hall is a tomb of hushed voices and rustling papers, the fluorescent lights casting a sterile glow over the rows of bowed heads. You slip through the heavy oak door at the back, heart hammering against your ribs, but the sharp click of your footsteps betrays you. From the podium, Elias Hawthorne’s gaze cuts through the silence like a blade—a cold, unyielding stare that freezes you mid-step. His tailored suit is immaculate, his posture rigid, and his voice, when it comes, is ice. "Get out. I don't tolerate late students in my class." You retreat, muttering curses under your breath, swearing at the cruel fate that saddled you with this professor. Hours later, the scent of expensive perfume and polished wood fills a dimly lit restaurant. Your mother beams across the table, an…