Chapter 51: Professor Grant.

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Professor Grant.

The same sharp, angular jaw, dusted with a day’s worth of stubble. The same dark, perfectly styled hair. And when he looked out over the room, his eyes, those impossible, startling, glacial blue eyes, scanned the rows of students , in a practiced, confident assessment that took in every face, every expression. Iris felt herself shrink, trying to make herself invisible behind the open textbook, but it was futile.

His eyes found hers with an almost unnerving speed, cutting through the sea of eager, curious faces as if they weren’t even there. A jolt went through her, it was electric and terrifying.

The entire world seemed to disappear. Iris’s stomach tightened. Her blood thrummed with a frantic energy, a mixture of recognition, disbelief, and a profound, unsettling dread.

She felt like a deer caught in headlights, unable to move, unable to breathe, her carefully constructed wall of indifference crumbling into dust around her.

The mark on her neck suddenly burned, like a searing brand that felt as if it was drawing all the blood to the surface, signaling his presence with an almost painful accuracy. She instinctively lifted her fingers toward it, but stopped herself before anyone could notice.

She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry, the taste of Jason’s unwanted kiss completely obliterated by the metallic tang of fear and something else... something undeniably primal that tugged deep within her.

Alexander’s expression barely changed. If anything, he looked almost unnervingly calm. Then suddenly, a slow, knowing smile, barely perceptible, touched the corners of his lips. It wasn’t a friendly smile, nor was it outwardly menacing.

It was predatory, a smirk that spoke volumes of ownership and recognition, a silent declaration that he had found what he was looking for.

The intensity of that gaze pinned her to her seat, rendering her utterly motionless. She felt the blood drain from her face, then surge back with a feverish flush. It was impossible. This couldn’t be happening. Not here, not now, not him.

Iris’s pulse raced. He remembered me. Of course he remembered. How could he not? She had woken beside him, touched his face, kissed him, felt him bury his face between her thighs, felt him thrust inside her, felt his mouth on her nipples, felt him fondle her breasts. She had— Iris abruptly forced the thoughts away.

This was impossible. He was supposed to be a stranger she’d never see again. Yet here he stood, at the front of her classroom, wearing a suit, holding a marker. Introducing himself as though he hadn’t spent a night with her.

"I believe introductions are appropriate," he said. His gaze remained on her for one heartbeat longer before finally sweeping across the rest of the room. "My name is Alexander Grant."

Iris’s eyes widened. The name struck her with the force of a physical blow, her mind felt like jungle right now, processing a lot of thoughts.

Around her, several students immediately began whispering.

"Grant?"

"Wait..."

"Alexander Grant?"

One young man near the front slowly raised his hand, and Alexander’s gaze settled on him.

"Yes?"

The student looked almost nervous under the professor’s scrutiny. "Sir, I’m sorry, but are you the Alexander Grant?"

A faint murmur rolled through the classroom. Alexander’s expression remained composed.

"That depends entirely on which Alexander Grant you believe I am." ℴ

The student gave a nervous laugh. "The CEO of Grant Enterprises."

Silence. Alexander placed the marker down on the lectern.

"Yes." And his lips curled into a small, dangerous smile. "And for this semester, I am the man who decides whether you pass or fail."

The classroom exploded, phones appeared almost instantly. Someone whispered, "Holy shit."

Another student said, "No way."

A girl behind Iris grabbed her friend’s arm."He’s actually him."

Iris barely heard them. She was staring at the man at the front of the room as though she had never seen him before.

The billionaire CEO. The man whose company dominated entire sectors of the corporate world. The man whose name appeared constantly in financial magazines and business news. The man who had apparently decided to walk into a university classroom and become their professor. And he was the same man she had slept with. Her one-night stand was now the man who held her academic future in his hands.

Iris swallowed hard. Wait....did he say Grant Enterprise? Her eyes widened as realization crept in. Her dad works there, and wait....the sudden promotion. Iris almost felt herself sweating. Don’t tell me he’s the reason her dad was suddenly promoted as head of financial department. Iris felt her heart beating frantically in her chest. No....it couldn’t be. Maybe he probably had no idea who her dad was and she was overthinking it.

Alexander allowed the whispers to continue for several seconds before lifting one hand, and immediately the room gradually quieted.

"I realize that some of you may find this unexpected," he said, his voice carrying the same quiet authority that had silenced the entire room. "However, I am not here because Grant Enterprises requires publicity, and I am certainly not here because I have suddenly developed an interest in collecting academic titles."

A few students laughed.

"I accepted this position because I believe that business education should not be separated from the realities of the business world. You will spend the remainder of this semester studying strategies that you will eventually be expected to apply in circumstances where the consequences are real. Also," He paused.

"Grant Enterprises believes in investing in future leaders. Consider this my personal contribution to the portfolio."

His eyes moved across the room again, then, deliberately, they returned to Iris.

"That means I will expect more from you than memorized answers."

Iris’s throat went dry.

"Mr. Grant," another student called out, "does this mean you’re going to be teaching us for the entire semester?"

Alexander’s mouth curved slightly. "That is precisely what it means."

Another wave of whispers swept through the classroom, someone was already taking pictures. Another person was typing furiously on their phone.

Iris’s own phone began vibrating repeatedly against her desk. She didn’t need to check it to know what was happening. Within minutes, the entire university would know.

She finally looked down. The Campus Pulse app was exploding with notifications.

BREAKING: BILLIONAIRE CEO ALEXANDER GRANT IS THE NEW BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROFESSOR.

Another notification appeared.

EMERALD HEIGHTS HAS NEVER HAD A PROFESSOR THIS HOT.

Then another.

WHO IS THE MYSTERY WOMAN ALEXANDER GRANT KEPT LOOKING AT?

Iris’s blood ran cold, slowly, she lifted her eyes. Alexander was still standing at the front of the classroom. Still composed, still impossibly handsome. And still looking directly at her.

His expression gave nothing away, but his eyes did. They held the same dark certainty she’d seen in the penthouse.

The same look that had made her feel as though she had never truly been a stranger to him.

Iris’s fingers tightened around her phone. She had spent days convincing herself that one reckless night had ended the moment she walked out of his penthouse.

Now she was sitting in a classroom with the man who had been a stranger a week ago.

And judging by the way Alexander was looking at her, he had absolutely no intention of pretending that night had never happened.

The blood thrummed in Iris’s ears, a frantic, insistent rhythm that drowned out the excited whispers of her classmates. She felt trapped, pinned beneath the weight of Alexander Grant’s unwavering gaze. The air around her crackled with an almost tangible tension, a silent conversation only she and Alexander were privy to. She watched as a slow, deliberate smile stretched across his lips, a predator’s smile, full of knowing.

"Now," Alexander continued, his voice cutting through the sudden silence in the room like a precisely honed blade, "let’s discuss the syllabus."

He picked up a sleek, black remote from the lectern, pressed it and a comprehensive document materialized on the white board behind him.

He gestured towards it with a sweeping motion of his hand, but his eyes never truly left Iris.

"As you can see, this course will be heavily focused on practical application. There will be weekly case studies, group projects designed to simulate real-world corporate challenges, and a final presentation that will account for a significant portion of your grade." He paused, allowing his words to sink in.

"I have a particularly rigorous standard, and I expect nothing less than absolute dedication. Those unwilling to meet it, I suggest you consider withdrawing now."

A nervous cough rippled through the room. Nobody was willing to drop a class taught by the CEO of grant enterprise. The man is a legend of the business world. This class was the real deal for them, wherever they go for a job and they’d brag that Alexander Grant was once their professor, it’ll seal the job for them. Who in their right minds would want to drop that?

Alexander’s posture, impeccably poised moments before, seemed to shift almost imperceptibly.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze finally, almost reluctantly, sweeping away from Iris to address the rest of the class.

"I also believe in fostering an environment of active participation. Therefore, each of you will be assigned a specific industry sector to monitor throughout the semester. And some of you....the lucky one’s chosen, will be assigned to grant enterprise. You’ll be expected to provide regular updates on market trends, competitive analyses, and potential vulnerabilities. This is not merely an academic exercise; it is an opportunity to hone your instincts, to develop the foresight required to navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape."