Episode 2

Episode 2 

Mr. Satan and me.

I couldn’t shake off the strange encounter with Aryan as I hurried through the dimly lit parking lot, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. My breath was still uneven from the altercation, but just as my nerves started to settle, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows, his presence unsettling yet somehow grounding. 

“Are you all right, Miss Das?” Professor Adam Valerian’s voice was low, almost indifferent, but his eyes held a predatory intensity that made my stomach flip. 

I straightened up, forcing myself to appear calm. “I...yes. Thank you, Professor Valerian.” His gaze didn’t waver, and I couldn’t help feeling like he could see through every layer I’d built around myself. 

"Who is he?" His voice sends a thrilling vibration to my body. 

"He is... a mistake!" I said with a little guilt. I know he won't be involved in anyone's business yet, but his question makes the whole situation weird. 

"Well, your mistake ran away after hitting the bottom pit!" 

My god... Is he teasing me? I clearly don't understand his idea, about my situation. 

A moment of silence stretched between us, and I cleared my throat, remembering why I needed to keep my composure. Adam Valerian was not just some professor; he was my only chance for that crucial recommendation letter to Harvard. 

As I tried to gather my thoughts, my phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see Stacey’s name flash across the screen. I hesitated, unsure whether to answer with Professor Valerian standing so close. 

“Your friend?” Adam asked his tone flat but with an edge of curiosity. 

“Y  e s, she here,” I replied, forcing a polite smile. Stacey’s crush on Adam was well-known among our friends, and tonight, she insisted on coming along to catch a glimpse of the woman he was with. If only she knew the chaos that had just unfolded here… 

The buzzing of my phone stopped, only to resume seconds later. I sighed, picking up, and before I could say anything, Stacey’s excited voice burst through the line. 

“Tarini! I’m outside. You’ve got to help me—I can’t see him from here! Who’s he with? Is she pretty?” 

I bit my lip, torn between frustration and amusement. “Stacey, calm down. Just…hang on. I’ll be there in a second.” 

As I hung up, Adam’s intense gaze didn’t falter. “So your friend wanted to spy on me?” 

“She’s, um…quite interested in many things,” I offered diplomatically, trying to keep my tone respectful. Stacey’s crush on him wasn’t a secret, but I doubted Adam cared much. After all, his charm was effortless, almost automatic. The way he moved and spoke made it clear he knew exactly the effect he had on people, especially women. 

Without another word, he turned and gestured toward the exit. “Let’s get you back to your friend, Miss Das.” 

I nodded, falling into step beside him. Walking next to Adam was like being near a force of nature—dark, mysterious, and impossibly captivating. As we made our way out of the parking lot, my mind was racing, wondering how someone like him—so impossibly composed and intimidating—ended up as a professor, surrounded by adoring students. 

And then I saw her—Stacey, standing near the entrance with wide, eager eyes, clearly scanning for any sign of Adam. When she spotted us, her face lit up, and she hurried over, her gaze darting suspiciously between me and Adam. 

“Tarini!” she said, with a dramatic sigh of relief, as though I’d survived some great ordeal. Her eyes flicked to Adam, and she couldn’t hide her excitement. “And Professor Valerian…what a surprise.” 

Adam inclined his head in greeting, his expression unreadable. “Miss Stacey, I presume?” 

Stacey blushed, a shade of red I’d rarely seen on her. “Y-Yes. It’s, um, lovely to meet you here, Professor Valerian.” 

I nudged her subtly, giving her a look that I hoped communicated, please, don’t embarrass us. She barely noticed, too busy drinking in the sight of Adam, who looked as unruffled as ever, hands casually in his pockets, exuding the kind of old-money grace that seemed entirely natural to him. 

Stacey’s gaze shifted slightly to the side, narrowing on that beautiful woman with delicate features and an effortless elegance that seemed out of place in this place. Her eyes flicked back to me, and she raised an eyebrow. And of course, I shake my head like an idiot. “Is that…is she with you, Professor?” 

Adam’s expression didn’t change, but I sensed a subtle shift as if a wall had gone up. “A colleague,” he replied coolly, though he didn’t elaborate. 

Stacey’s excitement flickered, replaced by curiosity. “A colleague, huh? Must be nice to have such…elegant company.” 

I held back a sigh, glancing over at Adam, who seemed entirely unaffected by Stacey’s prying questions. His attention turned back to me, as though he could sense my growing discomfort. 

“Miss Das,” he said, his voice soft yet commanding, “take care of yourself. Not everyone in this world means well.” 

I swallowed, caught off-guard by the weight of his words. They felt strangely personal, almost protective, but I wasn’t sure what he meant. I managed a nod, hoping my nervousness didn’t show. 

Stacey, oblivious as ever, watched him walk away with a dreamy look in her eyes, muttering under her breath, “If he looked at me that way, I’d never need coffee again…” 

I nudged her, pulling her back to reality and told what happened. She was so surprised and also went mad. 

“Stacey, we need to go.” 

“Are you kidding?” she whispered, clutching my arm. “I need a moment to process what just happened. He was even hotter than I imagined, and that woman with him? Who is she, Tarini? And why do you get all the luck? First, you’re on a date with Mr Dr Good-on-Paper Aryan, and then Professor Valerian himself swoops in to save you?” 

Well her madness is the result of the woman with Valerian. “It’s not luck,” I muttered, trying to brush off her questions. “And he’s just…our professor. I need that recommendation, Stacey. This isn’t a romantic comedy.” 

She sighed dramatically. “But it could be. You’ve got the mysterious, rich professor with a dark past, the impossible odds, and the heart-stopping rescues. Come on, Tarini, admit it—you felt something, didn’t you?” 

My gaze flicked to Adam. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt something, but I wasn’t about to give Stacey the satisfaction. 

“Let’s just get home,” I said, gently tugging her along. But as we walked away, I couldn’t shake Adam’s last words. 

The way he looked at me as if he knew something I didn’t.