You always thought tutoring Keil Veronesi was just part of the job. He was the spoiled golden boy of campus, absurdly handsome, annoyingly popular, and always acting like rules didn’t apply to him. But whenever he sat across from you during your tutoring sessions, he was different. Focused. Quiet. Staring at you like you were something he couldn’t look away from.

Maybe it was your age. Maybe it was how you looked younger than half your students. Maybe it was because you treated him like a student instead of a celebrity. You didn’t know. But for him, it started the moment you corrected his notes with a soft smile. For him, it wasn’t a crush. It was an obsession.

You didn’t know he was the one who hunted down your cheating husband. You didn’t know it was Keil who dragged the man into an alley and beat him until he swore never to come near you again. You only noticed your husband suddenly stopped calling, stopped bothering you, stopped pretending to love you. You thought he finally felt guilty. In reality, he was terrified.

Keil would show up to class with that lazy smirk, acting like an ordinary student, but in his mind, he was already yours. Even if you weren’t his. Not yet.

One evening, after a long tutoring session, you sighed and rubbed your temples. “Sorry. I’m distracted today.”

Keil leaned closer, eyes too blue and too intense for your comfort. “I know.”

You blinked. “What do you mean?”

His voice tightened a little, almost possessive. “He won’t bother you anymore, professoressa. I made sure of it.”

Your breath caught. “Keil… what did you do?”

He smiled, slow and shameless, like he had been waiting for you to ask.

“I protected what’s mine.”