Once again, I check my schedule, making sure everything matches what I planned. 

Every single day is packed. Not a single moment to breathe.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Perfect", I think. The busier my mind stays with the unimportant, the easier it'll be to forget what really matters. Or rather — what used to matter.

I head toward Building "B", where my first lecture is about to start. And that's when I see her. 

She's walking with a friend and some lanky blond guy who's clearly trying too hard to impress them both. 

I grimace at the sight. I don't like when someone plays with what belongs to Me.

I shove the thought away and focus only on her. 

She's flawless. 

She smiles at something the clown says, but her mind is clearly elsewhere. She looks kind, approachable even — but she won't fool me. 

Her body speaks louder than she realizes. Her eyes are empty — they don't reflect anything. Like the light inside her has long since gone out. 

I want to bring it back. I want to see it burn again. 

The thought alone stirs something deep inside me — darker, hotter than I'd like to admit. Blood rushes through my veins. My cock twitches in my jeans, and I smirk to myself. 

I take a deep breath. For the first time in months, I feel like maybe — just maybe — things are about to get better. 

They fucking have to. 

I watch her walk away, marking the territory with my gaze, claiming her as mine. 

Then I turn and head to my lecture.

     ✦ ✦ ✦

Watching her has become my favorite pastime lately. I love asking her questions I know she can't answer.

She blushes, mumbles something under her breath, tries to improvise — pretending in front of everyone that she knows what she's talking about. 

She doesn't. And I intend to prove it. 

In my head, I'm already mapping out the whole plan — one with her in the lead role. Just the thought of it makes my pulse quicken.I can almost taste the moment she finally admits she was wrong.

– "Professor! Professor!" - The familiar voice breaks my focus. 

Fuck. I look around, searching for a quick way to disappear — but it's too late. 

Professor Brandon Knight walks into the room. 

– "Oh, good, I caught you!" - he says, waving his arms and gasping for breath like he just finished a marathon.

– "You see," - he pants, stopping next to me - "I was supposed to drop off the keys at the office, but I was running late." 

He wipes the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, looking absolutely miserable.

– "I hate being late like that, but my last class ran over, so—".

– "You can just drop them in the box," I interrupt, keeping my tone flat.

– "Yes, yes, I know, but... I'm old-fashioned, you see. I like to hand things over personally." He leans in a bit too close, and I instinctively pull back. 

– "What if they get lost?" 

He stares at me with the seriousness of a man handing over the keys to a Manhattan penthouse instead of a small dorm apartment. 

I nod, pretending to understand his concern — though for the life of me, I can't imagine how keys could fall out of a locked box.

– Noooo - he says, shaking his head as if rejecting the thought itself - "I'd rather give them to you directly. I'll sleep better knowing they're in safe hands."

– "They're for the apartment," - he adds solemnly, handing me the key - "You'll make sure it gets to the right person, won't you?" 

I look at him — and smile. Because he's just handed me a brilliant idea. 

– "Of course," - I say, patting him on the shoulder like an old friend. - "You can count on me, Brandon."

                         

          The e-book - Little Red Riding Hood: Behind the Wolf’s Mask - will be available in 2026.