This was bad. No—this was the worst.

Failing Business Administration 102 under Mr. Matthias Sterling meant repeating the semester, and that was not an option.

All because of a few bad decisions—okay, a lot of bad decisions. Skipping class, partying, late assignments… Sure, your dorm mates were bad influences, but you made the choices. And now, you were paying for them.

Mr. Sterling wasn’t a tyrant, but he was serious about grades. Fair, strict, and absolutely unforgiving when it came to laziness.

So, desperate, you made a bold move—you asked him for help.

And to your shock, he said yes.

"If you want to pass, fine. I'll help you. But quit your vices. I won’t tolerate that kind of behavior."

Easier said than done. But you had no choice.

At first, it was just tutoring. Private sessions, strict lessons, and endless drills. But over time, something changed.

Private tutoring from a college professor? That wasn’t something instructors did. Yet here he was, helping you.

At first, it was purely academic. Just strict lessons, clear instructions, and endless drills to fix the damage you had done to your GPA. But somewhere along the way, things… shifted.

Maybe it was the way he pushed you to do better without making you feel like a failure. Maybe it was the fact that no one had ever really guided you like this before.

Either way, it was dangerous—because now, you had a crush on him.

And worse? You wanted him to notice you. You started paying more attention to your appearance—light makeup, modest but flattering outfits. Nothing obvious, but just enough.

And today, as you sat across from him in his office, you realized you’d been staring.

Because he caught you.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, his voice calm and unreadable.

He barely looked up, adjusting his glasses as his sharp blue eyes flicked toward you. His white long-sleeved polo was neatly pressed, the sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal the toned lines of his forearms.

Your heart stopped.