Chapter 2 THEN BE MINE

Ruby scanned the roster, her pen tapping against the clipboard. It was a new week, and yet she was already exhausted. This was more overwhelming than her other job as an editor at M. Publishing Company.

"Okay, let’s get started. First up…" She read a few names aloud, the students responding dutifully. Then her eyes landed on a name that made her stomach tighten.

Leslie Meyer.

She blinked, as if the world had shifted slightly. He’s in my class? And he dared to just walk past me? Her lips pressed into a thin line, disbelief and irritation warring on her face. She had never paid attention to the student names before.

"Leslie Meyer," she called, her voice sharp, cutting through the chatter like a blade.

The classroom went still. Students exchanged glances. After a long beat, Leslie raised a hand. His expression was almost defiant.

Ruby’s eyes narrowed, holding his gaze while she silently demanded an explanation or apology for the disrespect.

“Here,” he said, his voice was calm, but carried a hint of something that made Ruby’s patience snap slightly.

Ruby lowered the clipboard, pressing it against her chest. As she stepped forward. Her gaze caught her sister before falling on Leslie.

"Have you always been in my class?" She asked.

"Oh, Ms Ruby, Leslie is transferring from Mrs Ola’s class," the guy beside him said, Edsel Linwood.

Ruby scoffed.

“What? He doesn’t have a mouth?” Her gaze flicked back to Leslie, narrowing as she studied him. He sat there so composed that her words barely grazed him.

Leslie’s jaw tightened just slightly, but he didn’t answer. He only leaned back in his chair, eyes locked on hers with that same infuriating calmness.

Ruby’s pulse quickened with irritation. How could someone look at her like that, so unbothered, after the blatant disregard she felt the last time they crossed paths?

"Like he said. I just transferred." The word came out more like a warning than a reply.

She opened her mouth, ready to fire another question, but paused. Patience, Ruby. You’re the professor here.

"Alright," she said, forcing her voice into a controlled, clipped tone. "Since you’re officially here, I expect the same rules to apply to you as everyone else. That includes paying attention and participating." She let her eyes linger on him a moment longer than necessary, making sure he felt the weight behind her words.

Leslie smirked faintly, the corner of his mouth twitching in a teasing way that made Ruby’s chest tighten with frustration.

She huffed softly, shaking her head, and returned to the roster.

The rest of the class continued their attendance quietly, but now Ruby couldn't shake the feeling of Leslie’s presence in the room.

Ruby pressed her lips together, telling herself firmly. Don’t let him get to you. He’s just another annoying student.

The classroom emptied slowly. Ruby stood by her desk, clipboard clutched tightly, scanning the room.

"Leslie… stay back," she said, her voice coming out firmer than she intended.

From the doorway, Zahra whispered, her eyes laced with curiosity and warning. "What are you doing?"

Ruby glanced at her sister, eyes flicking with a mixture of exasperation and focus. "Go to your next class, Zahra."

Zahra hesitated for a beat, then walked out though she stole glances until she was gone.

Ruby exhaled, expecting and hoping that Leslie would say something apologetic. Maybe he didn't know she was his professor, which was why he came out rude. She could understand that if he apologised. But he didn’t. He simply leaned against a desk with his arms crossed, staring at her with that same unnerving calm.

"Don’t you have something to say?" she finally asked, trying to keep her voice even.

Leslie’s gaze swept over her from head to toe. "Like what, Ms Ruby?" His Irish lilt on her name made her pulse stutter, and she had to swallow hard to regain her composure.

Ruby’s jaw tightened. She exhaled, trying to push down the heat creeping into her cheeks. "Never mind," she muttered, turning to gather her papers.

Leslie stepped closer, that easy, teasing smile playing on his lips. "Is that all, Ms Ruby?" His voice was soft and almost daring.

Ruby felt a flicker of hesitation.

Blinking unsure whether she should confront him about what she had seen last night. "Do… you know my sister?"

Leslie’s smile didn’t falter. Instead, it deepened just slightly, and he tilted his head. Almost as if he could read her mind. "Zahra Allaire?"

Ruby swallowed again, searching his expression for something like remorse or guilt but all she found was that same infuriating calmness.

Her chest tightened. Something about this exchange made her feel off balance, yet curious in a way she hated admitting.

"You have a date with her tonight. Please… cancel." Ruby stated firmly. "My sister… She's too young to be sleeping around. I'm not going to let her. She's only 19."

Leslie leaned casually against a desk, his gaze fixed on her with a lazy look.

"That’s up to you and your sister, Ruby,” he replied with that same hint of amusement in his voice, igniting a flicker of irritation in her chest.

Ruby pressed her lips together. "I know, but… it would hurt less to her if you canceled it. If she knew I did not let her go. She would be mad. So, I’m asking as her guardian, not as her lecturer."

A small smile curved Leslie’s lips. He pushed off the desk and closed the distance between them.

He stopped, towering over her and then bent slightly, bringing his face to hers.

"What do I get in return, then?" His voice was low and teasing.

Ruby frowned, instinctively tilting her head back, searching for a reason to resist the magnetic pull of his gaze. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, frustration and something else, something electric warring inside her.

Leslie’s smirk deepened and that curl of his lips that made her stomach tighten.

"I’ve planned a lot for tonight," he murmured, leaning just enough closer that she could feel the faint warmth of his breath. "Would you be mine then?"

Ruby’s heart raced at his words. Her mouth almost dropped with disbelief, anger, and yet an unspoken attraction twisting inside her.

For a moment, all she could do was blink at him, caught off guard by the audacity and intensity in his eyes.