Page 40 of My Forbidden Professor

I make my way to the campus cafeteria, my mind lost. The chatter of students and staff fills the air, but their voices are distant and muffled. I grab a sandwich and a bottle of water, not really caring what I’m eating. It’s just fuel for my body, nothing more.

As I find an empty table in the corner, I overhear a conversation that snaps me out of my daze. It’s Carol, one of my colleagues from the business department, talking animatedly with another professor.

“...such a lavish affair! I can’t imagine how much that whole wedding cost.”

“Right? And did you see the bride’s dress? I heard it was designed exclusively for her by...”

The familiar voices register and I realize my colleagues, Carol and Amy, are engrossed in gossiping about some celebrity wedding. Inwardly I roll my eyes, wondering why people are so obsessed with the personal lives of the rich and famous.

As I snap the top off my water bottle and lift it, Carol spots me and waves me over enthusiastically. Suppressing a sigh, I grab my tray and head to their table, putting on a polite smile.

“Jacob! You have to see these pictures from David Chandler’s wedding last weekend,” Carol gushes, swiping through photos on her cell. “That’s the hotel mogul from New York, you know? I figured you might know of him.”

My head snaps up at the mention of David Chandler’s name. I’d heard he was engaged to a woman half his age. That fact alone has kept rumors circulating around social media. Not that I could fault the man. His fiancée is stunning. And none of my business, except for the money I’m embezzling from him.

“It’s all over Instagram. No wonder he’s marrying his fiancée. She’s gorgeous,” Amy says.

“And young,” Carol comments.

There’s nothing I want to say, so I nod and scan the tables for a seat far away from the gossip.

“Hey, isn’t that one of your students?” she asks, and points to one of the photos.

As Carol holds up the screen, my breath catches in my throat.

It’s Steph.

My Steph. She stands next to David Chandler looking radiant in a flowing gown, smiling that dazzling smile that has stolen my breath so many times before. Suddenly I can’t breathe, can’t think.

“How? Why is she?”

“She’s the secret daughter. Everyone knows he has one but not what she looks like. Until now,” Amy says.

“Guess the secret’s out,” Carol says. She expands the photo so Steph’s face fills the screen. She’s smiling. Happy. Beautiful. She wears glamorous well. I see the family resemblance to her father.

“Yeah, every man and woman will want to get to know her now,” Amy says.

“Well, she’s the heir to millions. Billions. There’s not a lot to dislike about that,” Carol says.

“Jacob? You okay there?” Amy frowns at me with a bewildered expression.

I swallow hard, trying to compose myself as the two women exchange a confused glance. “I...yeah, sorry, I just...wasn’t expecting that.”

Steph is not Stephanie Chandler. She…she’s Steph Smith. My student. My lover. Mine.

Steph doesn’t come from money. She wears worn jeans and sweatshirts and doesn’t have enough money for lunch and…

I thought there might be a connection and disregarded it. I just…didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to make the connection.

I thought I knew her.

Only now….now I realize I don’t know her at all.

I excuse myself, mumbling something about needing to get back to work and leave the tray on the table. Carol and the other professor barely notice my departure, too engrossed in their gossip about the wedding. I walk back to my office in a daze, my appetite gone. I close the door behind me, slump into my chair and stare at the wall.

Now I see everything she’s told me about herself in another light. The dots line up and bing, bing, bing. She said her father worked in construction. Told me her parents sent her to an expensive private school. Her hair is the same brunette from the picture Marcus showed me.

She never lied to me.

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