Taught by the Billionaire Professor

Chapter 3: Professor Samuel Bennett

“What? What did I do now?" Mal batted her long eyelashes at me innocently.

“You make me have to sign up for English 526!"

“O … kay?" Mal obviously had no idea the trouble she'd gotten me into.

English 526: Shakespearean Ethics and Morality. I had nothing against probably the most famous bard in all of human history, but this particular course was taught by the most feared professor in Edenbrook Academy.

Professor Samuel Bennett wasn't just a difficult teacher. He was intimidating, and there were only a couple of students who managed to get an A in his class throughout the years. There were rumors that he was a harsh critic. The red marks he left on essays had been known to make some students cry.

The general consensus was that if you wanted to graduate, it was best not to take any of his classes.

I had a couple of choices. I could either take the course or graduate a semester later than I was supposed to. The problem was, my scholarship would end at the completion of this school year.

I gritted my teeth as I signed up for the infamous course.

Mal leaned over, took a peek at my screen, and gasped, “Professor Bennett?!"

“Now you know how serious this is!" I glared at her.

Her face turned from confused to pitiful and then a hint of amusement.

“Of course I know!“ She smiled slyly and winked at me. Alright, there was no way my definition of “serious" was the same as hers. Then she commented, “All I can say is, charge your phone before you go to his class."

“Yes, I don't need you to remind me to take pictures of the notes on the whiteboard!"

“Girl," Mal wagged her finger at me with a mysterious smile on her face, “I'm sure by the end of the semester, you'll thank me for my advice!"

“You should thank God that you're still alive!"

Mal just burst out laughing.

***

I dragged my feet as Mal and I made our way to the heart of campus where each of our classes was taking place.

“Hey, don't worry so much," Mal said, throwing an arm around my shoulders as we walked. “You're probably the smartest student at this school. You're going to do just fine in that class. I know it!"

I grimaced but thanked my optimistic friend before we parted ways.

My imagination was swirling with terrifying possibilities of what this professor would be like. His face was probably covered with sharp features, his mouth in a permanent frown. His eyes were probably red, his hair slicked back and perfect.

The lesson was supposed to be held at Lecture Hall 102. That was strange.

I knew that room. It was one of the biggest classrooms on campus and could easily hold a couple hundred students. However, the literature courses were limited to about thirty students per class. Why would it be held in a Lecture Hall?

I found the classroom and slipped inside, immediately feeling the nervous tension permeating the space. The large size of the room only added to my nerves, making me feel small and insignificant, but that wasn't what caused my eyes to nearly bug out of my head.

The room was completely packed. And there were way more than thirty students in there. I had to take a seat in the back. A light chatter filled the room, but not nearly as much as there was in my other classes. I clearly wasn't the only one anxious about Professor Bennett's strict reputation.

I clenched my fists in my blue Edenbrook Academy uniform skirt. I couldn't believe I put myself in this situation! This was my last year and I was on the right track to graduate with straight As! Instead, now I had to worry about an elective because I went to the stupid club!

I wanted to strangle myself.

Sighing, I took out my notebook while listening to a couple of girls chatter in the row in front of me.

“So, are you actually enrolled in this class?"

An elated giggle. “Nope! I'm just here to watch Professor Bennett's dreamy face. It's kind of a stress reliever."

“I hear ya! That's exactly why I'm here too. This man should not be teaching. How is he not a freaking model?!"

I stared down at my desk in shock. So, the majority of these kids were just here to lust over the professor? I shook my head in disbelief.

Who was this man? And why was he so popular?

The door clicking as the knob was turned had all of us straightening in our seats. All I could hear was my own nervous breathing when a tall and graceful figure stepped through the door.

He was still wearing a pair of sunglasses so I couldn't see his facial features right away, but I wasn't nearly as terrifying as my brain wanted me to believe.

Professor Bennett was tall, easily over six feet. His long legs strode into the classroom with confidence and grace. He wore a dark gray suit, which hugged his biceps perfectly, but it didn't look tight at all thanks to his broad shoulders.

He was clean-shaven and his wavy dark brown hair was cropped neatly, the medium-length strands clearly styled with just the right amount of mousse, making it look well-groomed without being greasy.

However, from the way he carried himself, I couldn't help but think he should be teaching business or mathematics as opposed to literature.

The moment he entered the room, there was no doubt that he was the center of attention. Most professors were the center of attention in their own classes, however, not like this. He was the only one who made his students think he was authoritative as a king and charming as a prince at the same time.

Then he took off his sunglasses and turned to face the room, and I got a good look at his face.

I had to stifle my gasp.

Now I understood why the room was packed. Well, packed with girls.

His face wasn't as angry or angular as I thought it would be, but he did have a square jaw and clean, thick eyebrows that made him look stern. He also had the prettiest eyes I had ever seen, a vibrant green color almost like a jade stone.

Even from my seat toward the back of the room, they completely enraptured me, pinning me to my seat and causing my jaw to drop.

My heart stuttered in my chest. He was gorgeous, but that pair of eyes … I swore I'd seen them before!