Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Gia was a student in Grace's class. She always took sick leave almost every other day. Her longest absence was just before summer break, when she missed the final exams. She was taking a leave of absence, which didn't surprise Grace at all. Still, Grace was cautious. "I need to call Gia to confirm."

She reached into her desk drawer for the class directory, but Benjamin had already pulled up a number on his phone. He slid it across the desk toward Grace. "Ms. Catherine, I have the number here. Use this one.”

Grace hesitated before taking the phone. Her gaze lingered on his hand—clean with long, slender fingers; the hands of a scholar. Her apprehension lessened a bit more. She took the phone from his palm and dialed the displayed number.

An obscure English song played from the phone. After a wait that felt just right, Gia answered. Her response mirrored Benjamin's, though the young girl sounded slightly nervous, her voice tight with tension.

Grace briefly inquired about Gia's condition before offering a few gentle words of comfort and hanging up. When she looked up, Benjamin was standing across from her, watching her with a faint smile. His face still stirred unease within her. She pressed her lips together slightly and returned the phone. "Mr. Norman, please come with me to the department office to pick up the application form."

She guided him to collect the leave-of-absence application and explained the required supporting documents. "The hospital must provide a medical diagnosis and recommendation for leave. Gia must sign the application form personally. Once you have gathered these materials, along with the form, bring them back to me. I'll then accompany you to meet the dean.”

Benjamin nodded slightly before asking, "Ms. Catherine, may I have your phone number?"

Grace hesitated slightly before replying, "You can call my office number."

Benjamin smiled and didn't press the matter.

Out of courtesy, she escorted him out of her office. Just as they were parting ways, he suddenly asked, "May I ask—do I look a lot like someone else?"

His question caught her off guard. He continued, "You're afraid of that person, aren't you? Did he hurt you?"

Grace had a gentle nature, but in that moment, she almost snapped back viciously.

However, her composure wouldn't allow it. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and asked, feigning not having heard him clearly, “Hm? What did you say?”

Benjamin curved his lips into a smile and extended his hand to shake hers. "I said goodbye, Ms. Catherine."

Grace still felt an instinctive fear toward this man. She placed her hand in his palm, but the moment their skin touched, she impatiently pulled it away. "Goodbye."

He smiled but said nothing, simply turning to leave.

She felt unsettled all afternoon. Adrian called several times to check on her. As closing time approached, he drove straight to the school to pick her up. The warmth of his presence pushed aside Grace’s fear. As she carried her leather bag downstairs, she teased her husband as she got into the car. “What about my car?”

“Leave it at school,” he replied.

She feigned ignorance. “Then how will I get to work tomorrow?”

Adrian mimicked her emphasis. "I'll drive you tomorrow."

They both burst into laughter. After the laughter subsided, she fell silent for a moment before suddenly blurting out, "Adrian, I want to pursue a Ph.D. I don't want to be a counselor forever.”

She only had a master's degree. To become a university lecturer, she would need a doctorate.

Adrian supported all her choices. "Great! Which school are you thinking of? Do you need help finding recommendation letters?"

Grace shook her head. "I think I'll go back to my alma mater and study under my professor again."

Having made up her mind, Grace called her professor the next day to ask for advice. He was delighted to hear that she was pursuing a Ph.D. and immediately asked her to take the entrance exam the following spring. That very night, she found herself overwhelmed with paperwork and had to beg Adrian for help.

Then the couple tackled the task together. While organizing documents that evening, he suddenly said, with the utmost seriousness, "Grace, let's step up our efforts and get pregnant soon. That way, when you take the entrance exam next year, you can bring our baby along—it'll be prenatal education!"

She paused, finding the idea surprisingly appealing. The couple immediately dropped their papers and climbed into bed with eagerness.

A week later, while she was running errands at her alma mater for her Ph.D. application, the call came. The unknown number made her fear trouble from her students, so she answered promptly.

"Hello, Ms. Catherine."

A deep, eerie-sounding male voice made her scalp tighten. Her own voice stiffened involuntarily. "Hello, Mr. Norman."

"You remember my voice, Ms. Catherine," Benjamin said.

Grace had no desire for small talk. "Mr. Norman, when can Gia's paperwork be submitted? School policy requires withdrawal requests within two weeks of the start of the semester.”

"I just left your office, Ms. Catherine. Your colleague didn't know when you'd return, so I had to call you,” he explained, pausing before adding, “I got the number from Gia.”

According to school policy, counselors were supposed to be stationed in their offices. However, counselors often ran errands for students, and the school didn't strictly enforce this rule. Grace frequently slipped out to handle personal matters without taking leave. She negotiated with him. “I'm sorry. I'm out right now. How about this? Could you leave the documents in my office for now?"

"Not really," he refused flatly.

Grace was taken aback for a short time.

He added, "I'm leaving on a business trip tomorrow and won't be in Seattle for a while. Ms. Catherine, could you please come back right now? I'll wait for you at the school."

His tone was slightly rude, but Grace didn't want to argue with a parent, especially since she wasn't entirely in the right. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Then please wait half an hour. I'll head back immediately."

She drove back and pulled into the parking lot behind the administration building precisely half an hour later. As soon as she stepped out, a burly man in a black suit emerged from a black sedan parked by the roadside. Leaning against the car door, he beckoned to her and said, "Mr. Norman is waiting for you here."

The car was clearly expensive, and with that burly man who looked like a bodyguard, the whole situation seemed unusual. She hesitated for a moment before approaching. The rear window slowly rolled down, revealing a handsome face. Benjamin gave her a slight nod. "Hello, Ms. Catherine. You're very punctual."

Grace eyed him warily. Upon closer inspection, he didn't entirely resemble the thug he had been before. His features were gentler, his skin was clearer, and his eyebrows were neatly trimmed. He carried an innate nobility, devoid of any trace of the previous man's viciousness.

"My apologies for recalling you. I'm leaving for overseas tomorrow and won't be back anytime soon, so I'd like to finalize Gia's paperwork today," Benjamin explained. He gestured for his assistant to hand Grace a folder of documents. "Please review it to see if anything is missing."

She scanned the materials inside. "You'll need to accompany me to obtain the dean's signature before submitting it to the Academic Affairs Office for approval."

Benjamin nodded as his assistant hurried to open the car door for him. Only then did Grace notice how formally Benjamin was dressed today—in a crisp suit that exuded an air of distinguished elegance reminiscent of finance moguls gracing magazine covers.

As if he had noticed her observation, he casually explained, "I just came from a meeting."

Walking beside her toward the department office, he struck up a casual conversation. "You look very young. Did you just graduate from university?”

She was actually twenty-seven, having started her studies early and completed her master's degree more than four years ago. However, she had no interest in chatting with him. She merely lifted the corners of her lips in a polite, barely perceptible smile and replied, "No."

She walked briskly, half a step faster than he did with his tall, long-legged frame. Ascending the stairs, she quickened her pace to a near trot. Only when she reached the turn in the staircase did she realize he hadn't followed. She turned back with a hint of surprise.

He remained at the bottom, looking up at her with a faint expression. "Ms. Catherine, I'm not in such a hurry."

Grace felt awkward, knowing she had overreacted. Yet, she was genuinely afraid of him, even knowing he wasn't involved with the criminal. The mere sound of his voice or sight of him triggered uncontrollable fear. Having a normal conversation with him without screaming or fleeing required immense effort.

She said nothing, simply waiting at the corner for him.

He strolled up unhurriedly. As he passed her, he suddenly asked, "I'm genuinely curious—why are you so afraid of me?"

"You've misunderstood," she replied, lowering her gaze to avoid his eyes. After a pause, she added, "I have urgent matters to attend to. I couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.”

"Oh, I see," he nodded lightly. "My apologies, Ms. Catherine, for making you drop everything and come back specifically for this."

She forced a smile. "It's my job."

Fortunately, things went smoothly. The dean was in her office, and Benjamin had prepared all the necessary documents. The dean signed the papers. Grace then led Benjamin out of the dean's office. "Just submit the application to the Academic Affairs Office at the university and wait for their approval."

By the time they reached the building's exterior, Benjamin's car was already waiting by the roadside. He turned to Grace and asked, "Is the Academic Affairs Office far? Wouldn't it be quicker to take the car?"

The Academic Affairs Office was indeed far from the department office, but Grace didn't want to walk with Benjamin all the way there, much less share a car with him. Pressing her lips together, she came up with a solution. "You go ahead and get in the car. Drive straight down this road. After two intersections, turn left. That's the Academic Affairs Office building. It's very noticeable. Wait for me at the entrance. I'll go get my own car. After submitting the form, I'll go straight there to run an errand. This way, we'll save time."

Benjamin didn't object. Grace went to retrieve her car from behind the building. By the time she returned to the Academic Affairs Office, Benjamin was already waiting at the bottom of the steps. His appearance drew the attention of several students. She hurried over and whispered, "Let's go, Mr. Norman."

With her guidance, the process went smoothly. The young female staff member at the office kept staring intently at Benjamin. While he was handling the paperwork, she pulled Grace aside and whispered, "Who is that man? He's so hot, I'm practically melting!"

Benjamin seemed to sense the commotion and glanced their way with a smile. That smile made the female teacher beside her practically swoon. She clutched Grace's arm even tighter, refusing to let go. "Do you have his contact info? Give me his phone number!"

Grace felt both amused and exasperated. Technically, she had his number because she had taken Benjamin's phone. However, giving it to strangers without his permission seemed inappropriate.

Her colleague shook her arm pleadingly. "Please! I'm begging you! You're married, so you should leave opportunities like this for us!"

"He's a student's cousin. I don't even know him. You'll have to ask him yourself." Then, a thought struck her, and she suggested, "Or you could ask for his contact information under the pretense of work later. Once the application is approved, you can call him to pick it up..."

According to protocol, approved applications were first returned to the college before counselors contacted students. Her colleague hesitated and asked, "Is that appropriate?"

Grace pursed her lips in a smile and nudged her colleague gently with her shoulder. "What's inappropriate about it? Just consider it a favor to me!”

Over there, Benjamin had finished the paperwork and turned to look at Grace. She asked her colleague, "Anything else?"

Her colleague cleared her throat. "Um, could you take down the client's contact information?"

Benjamin smiled, wrote his phone number on the paper, and handed it to her.