Chapter 7: Pictures

"I'm Richard, by the way," he says as he leads me into an office in the corner. "What's your name?" he asks, turning to me."Norali," I reply softly.

 

He opens the door, and I'm immediately drawn to the wall filled with photos."Beautiful," I hear him murmur.

 

The first few are typical group shots, people posing for the camera. As I walk past them, my eyes scanning for a particular person, I freeze.

 

My eyes snap to him in the next picture.

 

He's off to the side, holding a drink, surrounded by three women. He's not smiling, but they are.

 

I've never seen him smile.

 

"That was last month," Richard says. I move to the next photo. There he is again, more disheveled this time, his blazer gone, the top buttons of his shirt open. He looks much more drunk. A woman with black hair is laughing next to him, her hand resting on his knee. He’s not looking at the camera but off to the side, his grip tight on the back of a couch. What was he looking at?

 

"You know... you're literally one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen," Richard says, interrupting my thoughts."Uhh... thanks," I mumble, still focused on the picture.

 

"Richard," a sharp voice cuts in.

 

That catches my attention, and I turn to the side to find Mr. Grumpy there in all his glory. His eyes are locked on me.

 

"Norali, come here," he commands.

 

"We're just looking at the office party pictures, Jace. Leave us alone," Richard responds.

 

Mr. Adkins instead steps into the room and leans against the doorframe.

 

"Right," Mr. Adkins says coolly. His eyes narrow as he focuses on Richard. "Oh, by the way, how's your wife? I heard she's been quite sick."

 

The tension skyrockets.

 

"Mind your own business, Jace," Richard snaps, his voice thick with anger. I instinctively take a small step back, sensing the hostility between them. Richard notices and shoots a murderous glare at Mr. Adkins.

 

"Norali," Mr. Adkins says again, this time more firmly.

 

In that moment, my body makes the decision before my mind can catch up. My body knows I will regret not listening to my teacher right now.

 

I walk toward Mr. Adkins, away from Richard. He watches me closely, a glint in his eye as I approach. I try to walk past him, but he grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I look at him with questioning eyes and almost hold my breath.

His touch is firm, the fabric of his shirt brushing against my skin, making the contact feel more intense than it should.

 

"You know, if you want attention from men, you can just say so," he hisses in my face.

 

I'm visibly taken aback.

 

I nearly slap him but hold back, anger flaring inside me.

 

"Are you jealous?" I snap back.

 

His eyes widen slightly, like he wasn't expecting my answer, but he likes the challenge. His grip tightens.

 

"If I wanted you, I would've had you already," he says with maddening confidence.

 

My hand balls into a fist.

 

"Keep dreaming," I sneer.

 

We’re practically nose to nose, and his eyes flicker over my face before lingering on my lips. I suddenly become aware of where we are—out in the open. I glance to the side, noticing a few of his colleagues passing by, their curious eyes on us.

 

It breaks the moment between Mr. Adkins and me. He releases my arm but stays standing way too close to me.

 

"Go read, Norali. Maybe you'll learn something useful," he orders.

 

I look up at him again. "I’m going to burn that book."

 

There’s a brief flash of amusement in his eyes, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.

 

With a final look at him and Richard, I push my way out of the office. The door slams shut behind me the moment I step over the threshold. I glance back, but there's no sound. A few of his colleagues are still watching me, so I quickly walk away and find Hannah talking to someone from the marketing department.

 

"Where’ve you been?" she asks when I approach. "And why do you look so... flustered?" she adds in a whisper.

 

Shit. I am flustered—and angry, confused, and fuming.

 

"You wouldn’t believe me if I told you," I respond bitterly. She gives me a concerned look before turning back to the woman explaining her job role.

 

What a fucking dickhead. Attention from men? He'd be the last person I'd go to.

 

We continue walking around for about an hour. I try to listen to the explanations, but my mind is elsewhere. When we pass the office where I was with Richard earlier, it’s now open and empty. The woman who was with Mr. Adkins earlier steers us away from the photos, laughing as she says, “You don’t have the privilege yet to look at those.”

 

Her gaze flickers to me, scanning me from head to toe before looking away.

 

What’s going on? Is there some office gossip I’m unaware of?

 

When the tour finally ends, I pull Hannah aside and beg her to leave right away. Thankfully, Lina and Charlotte are ready too. As soon as we get into the elevator, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders. The moment we exit the building and the fresh air hits me, I can finally breathe again. I squeeze Hannah’s arm in relief.

 

"Let’s get a coffee on the way. My treat!" I say, relieved to be out of there.

 

"Definitely! I need caffeine after being surrounded by so many hot men," Hannah giggles.

 

It seems I can't escape my teacher.

 

Mr. Adkins is standing by his car with four other men, all smoking. Just as he spots me, my phone rings. The other men turn their attention toward us.

 

"Hey," I say, answering the call from my brother, Mason, while keeping my eyes on the group. One of the men smirks at me.

 

"Hey, baby sis. I’ve got some boring teachers' thing tonight, so I’ll be home late. You can grab the keys from me," Mason says.

 

"Again?" I frown, looking away from the five men at the flashy car. "Yep. Exams are coming up. Meet me in the teachers' lounge," he replies before rudely hanging up without saying goodbye. I huff at the screen.

 

"Coffee!" Lina exclaims as she jumps into Hannah’s car. I follow, sighing as I take my seat in Hannah’s Skoda. "I could use a shot of whiskey in mine," I joke. "Why don’t we have wine after school?" Charlotte suggests excitedly. "Yes! Perfect idea. Come over to my place afterward," I agree, feeling a sense of relief already.

 

Perfect.

 

As we drive out of the parking lot, I notice a Porsche Cayenne behind us. It accelerates aggressively, coming dangerously close to our car. At the last second, it swerves around us, speeding past with way too much recklessness. Hannah gasps and swerves, almost veering off the road.

 

"IDIOT!" she shouts.

 

"I think that’s Mr. Adkins," I say, trying to change their stellar opinion of him.

 

"Oh… never mind then," Hannah mutters, as if that excused everything.

 

"Wait, Mr. Adkins drives that car? FREAKING HOT!" Charlotte practically screams, making me flinch from the volume.