Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
I'm just being paranoid.
Right, Saint M?
But her guardian saint remained conspicuously silent, as he had been for the past three hours. Could it be because St. Matthew didn't want to lie to her, and she actually had every reason to be afraid?
I wouldn't be surprised if that was so, Diana thought glumly, considering how her friends had acted earlier at lunch. She had told them what happened that morning, and Diana had immediately become the recipient of perturbed-looking frowns.
'How can you not know about T-PILF?' Amine had lamented.
'The one time you had to break your perfect attendance,' Magnolia had muttered, 'and it had to be his class.'
'I think I'm missing something here. What's T-PILF?' Could it be a dinosaur related to the T-Rex?
''It means THE Professor I'd Like to Fuck," Magnolia had spelled out with a roll of her eyes, 'and the reason Diana doesn't know about him is because she's always off in a la-la land when she's not with us.'
She had started to protest (out of principle), but Amine had cut Diana off with a worried shake of her head. 'The whys don't matter anymore. The only thing you should care about now is the fact that Professor de Graaf eats students for breakfast, and there's nothing he hates more than when a student misses his first class for no reason.'
The glass door suddenly swung open, the swooshing sound startling Diana back into reality, and she scrambled to her feet, back snapping straight and gaze flying towards the figure that had just strode in. Her lips parted, but the words of greeting she had rehearsed failed to come out.
Instead, she heard herself blurt out, "You!"
This earned her a look of chilling dislike, and Diana found herself thinking, It should be Mr. Still Furious now. But rather than feeling discouraged, she just felt...excited. He really was the most beautiful man alive in her eyes, and it was such a lovely surprise to see him again so soon.
She hadn't even dared let herself hope for such a thing actually, and yet here he was. Surely it meant he was heaven sent.
Right, St. M?
Her guardian saint neglected to answer, but Diana told herself it didn't matter. She glanced back at Mr. Still Furious expectantly, waiting for him to acknowledge her—-
"Welcome back, Professor de Graaf." Mrs. Montez' words had Diana reluctantly looking away from her beautiful crush (for this was what crushes were, wasn't it?).
Oh, why did the professor have to arrive now of all times?
She glanced back at the door all the same, prepared to greet the professor similarly—-
"Did your lunch meeting go well?" The professor's secretary went on to ask.
But there was no one else.
"As well as one could hope." A pause. "I've something to work on, so please make sure I'm not disturbed for the rest of the day."
There was no one else.
"Oh, but there's a student here to see you," Mrs. Montez protested, "and Ms. Leventis has been here for over three hours..."
There was no one else!
"Is that so?" The words were drawled out in a chilling tone, and Diana could feel herself paling as the truth hit her in the head like nails being pounded into her brain.
Professor Matthijs de Graaf was Mr. Furious.
Who also happened to be T-PILF.
And even more furious than usual.
And forbidden.
Him
THE PROFESSOR WAS SILENTLY cursing in seven languages.
Of course the girl would turn out to be no other than Diana Leventis.
His own fuckable fucking student.
He should have expected things to turn out like this, should've remembered the saints above so did love to have a laugh at his expense.
God damn it.
He forced himself to meet her eyes, and in them he found all the things he desired and dreaded.
"G-Good afternoon, Professor."
Even her voice was a siren call, and it required Herculean effort on the professor's part not to respond. Conscious of having his secretary's curious glance on him as well, Matthijs strove to keep his face expressionless as he spoke to the girl. "Whatever you have to say can be discussed in my next class."
"I was just hoping to explain—-"
"But I'm not paid to listen to explanations, am I?" He knew he was being more cruel than usual, deliberately acting every inch the scoundrel he was reputed to be, but it was better this way. She might never know why, but that didn't matter. He knew, and that was enough.
Stalking to his secretary's desk, he reached for the pad of monogrammed stationery Mrs. Montez always had in stock and pulled out his fountain pen. The professor swiftly scribbled a note, saying curtly, "This is my written consent for you to request a different adviser—-"
"But I d-don't want one."
The reply, stammered out as it may be, sounded like a love confession to his ears, and the illogical thought had the professor spewing another mental round of curses.