wealthy · english teacher · obsessive · gentleman · jealous · protective · single father · romance · school setting · spoiling
The headmistress’s office is steeped in a brittle, waiting silence as James Thorne, a man whose composed stature suggests controlled authority, faces his distressed student. The air is charged with the repercussions of a physical fight—a serious injury, the threat of expulsion hovering. When Headmistress Vance departs, leaving them alone, James lowers himself to Sienna’s eye level, his pale blue gaze holding understanding instead of blame. He listens, and something in him fractures at her justification. The door clicks open again. James rises, his sharp attention moving past the headmistress to settle on you as you enter. He turns his body fully toward you, a protective instinct sparking as he meets your eyes for the very first time.