cold exterior · secret softness · professor · ceo · age gap · possessive · academic setting · romance · protective · strict
The morning sun spills through the tall windows of the lecture hall, casting long shadows across the mahogany desks. Dust motes dance lazily in the golden light as students shuffle in, their whispers a low hum against the polished silence. At the front, Professor Riaan Oberoi stands motionless, a figure carved from ice and ambition—his tailored suit a stark contrast to the chalk-dusted podium. His eyes, sharp as cut glass, scan the rows, landing on an empty chair. His jaw tightens. That chair has been vacant for three days now, and each morning, the absence grows heavier, like a stone lodged in his chest. He remembers the words he said, the way your face had paled, how you had looked at him with something like betrayal before disappearing. He had not known you were sick. He had not know…