POV: Isadora
A month before
I looked at the campus and sighed, my first day at Harvard Law School. I know I should be a little more excited, but my real emotion was closer to relief. I had done everything right, exactly as my parents wanted, they were happy and because of that, I was happy, or, at least, relieved.
"Izzy!", Ryan called out to me. "I was looking for you, are you excited?", he asked, placing both hands on my face. I just nodded and smiled, and he gave me a quick kiss.
Ryan Fletcher had been my boyfriend for 4 years, but our families had known each other for much longer. It was practically my mother who pushed me towards him, which wasn't all bad. Our relationship was stable, he was affectionate, attentive, always showering me with gifts, taking me out... I feel like he really likes me. Everyone expects us to get married, and that's probably what will happen as soon as we graduate from law school.
We entered the classic building hand in hand, looking for our classroom. Ryan was extremely excited, it didn't even seem like it was his first day, he acted as if he already belonged there. I, on the other hand, still felt a little out of place, but that feeling was already common for me.
"We're here!" Ryan said, and we entered the room together, which was already practically full. We sat side by side, and the professor entered right after.
I wish I could say the morning flew by, but it didn't. It was only two classes, but they seemed eternal. The professors talked and talked, and I understood nothing. They assigned books to read that I had never heard of. I was starting to get terrified, especially because I seemed to be the only one there having some difficulty. All the other students just nodded in agreement while writing down every comma that came out of the professors' mouths.
I mean, all except Ryan. Unlike me, he was calm, but he spent most of the class scrolling through his Instagram feed. That didn't surprise me; just as his spot at Harvard was already guaranteed, it was probably also guaranteed at some big law firm. However, my case was different. Not that my family didn't have connections, but there was a certain expectation for me; in fact, there had always been expectations for me. I am the youngest daughter of the prestigious Bennett family, the perfect family, where everyone always had great careers, great marriages, great lives.
A Bennett could never be mediocre; they always stood out, always were the best. My older brother, Thomas, had gone into finance, my sister Isabella, into healthcare, and for me, law was left. That's why I was there, at Harvard, and that's why I had to be the best.
At lunchtime, we decided to eat somewhere near campus. Other students from our class also came, and we were all sitting around the restaurant table, waiting for our orders.
"So, what did you guys think of the professors?", asked Brenda, one of our classmates.
"So far, so good.", Ryan replied.
"I was a little confused in the first class; the professor talks too fast.", Raven replied.
"Yeah! And what were those books the second professor assigned?", Kyle asked indignantly, and I smiled. It was good to know I wasn't the only one having trouble.
"If you're complaining about these professors, then just wait until you meet the famous Professor Anderson,", Brenda said.
"Oh, I've heard of him! They say he's very strict, even though he's the youngest professor at the academy.", Raven replied.
"How much younger?", Ryan asked.
"I think he's about 32.", Raven replied.
"32? The guy is my age and he's already a professor?", Kyle asked, impressed.
"He's a prodigy. He entered college at 16, completed his bachelor's degree in three years, and got his doctorate at 22.", Brenda said.
"My God.", I replied.
"Yeah, the guy's a genius.", Brenda said.
"If I'm not mistaken, he's also a prosecutor, isn't he?", Raven asked, and Brenda nodded.
Wow, that's exactly what my family expects of me.
After lunch, we quickly returned to campus. Ryan received a message from a friend and had to leave, but he said he'd be back before 2 PM, when the next class would start. I walked around campus with Brenda and Raven until class time. When it was 10 minutes before 2 PM, we went to the classroom.
"Are you ready?", Brenda asked with a half-smile on her face.
"Ready for what?", I asked.
"His next class is Professor Anderson's.", Raven replied, and I felt a chill in my stomach.
"Is he teaching criminal law?", I asked, and they both nodded. And the next second, I heard a deep, masculine voice addressing the entire class.
"Good afternoon."
"You can call me Professor Anderson.", he said, quickly writing his name on the board.
"I will be your criminal law professor.", he stared at the class, his gaze serious and quite intimidating.
He had blue eyes, cold as ice. His light brown hair was perfectly combed to the side with that typical lawyer's cut, neat and impeccable. He was tall and wore a dark suit that fit him perfectly. His arms were broad; despite the fabric, it was visible. He definitely worked out. It was hard not to think about the toned abs hidden behind that suit. My God, of all they said about him, they only forgot to mention how attractive he was.
He kept talking and talking, explaining how his classes would be, how he would evaluate the class. Always serious, direct, not even a tiny smile came from those lips, and yet he remained stunning. I shouldn't even be thinking about him that way; he was my professor, and I had a boyfriend, but it was hard for me to ignore his beauty and how much it attracted me.
"Excuse me.", Ryan said, entering the room. The professor stared at him in silence, watching him walk to my side and sit down.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm part of this class, I just got here a little late."
"A little? You're 27 minutes late.", he replied after checking his wristwatch.
"The maximum tolerance is 5 minutes. Please leave the room.", Ryan smiled. "Do you think I'm joking with you?"
"Dude, it was only a few minutes."
"What did you call me?", he raised his tone.
"Professor.", he corrected himself. "It was only a few minutes, I had to resolve a..."
"I'm not interested in knowing the reason for your delay.", he interrupted him. "I just want you to leave the room, and I won't ask again.", he stared at him with his icy gaze.
The whole room remained silent, everyone looking at Ryan, who remained seated. I couldn't look at either of them, so I kept my eyes on my notebook. That wasn't even about me, and I was nervous. Those eyes, that gaze, it was very intense.
Then Ryan abruptly stood up and hurried out of the room.