Novel Full Chapter 355: Classroom 204
Chapter 355: Classroom 204
The atmosphere in Classroom 204 was hollow, the air heavy with the scent of old paper and the lingering chill of the morning.
Alex pushed open the doors, his boots clicking rhythmically against the floor.
The room looked like a graveyard of failed ambitions. The tiered rows, usually packed with the loud-mouthed elite and their sycophants, were mostly empty.
A handful of students sat scattered across the benches, not looking at each other. William and Brad’s usual seats were bare. Alex clocked the absence without breaking stride.
He knew where they were.
They were still serving their punishment, likely still feeling the physical and psychological weight of the lessons he had carved into them.
Then, his gaze shifted to the middle row.
Madison and Emma were sitting together at the same bench. The moment Alex stepped into the room, their heads snapped up in unison. Their eyes ignited with a sudden, shine… a mixture of raw hunger and absolute worship.
Madison’s fingers twitched against her desk, and Emma’s breath hitched, her pupils dilating as she took in his new, magnetic aura.
Despite the fire in their eyes, they didn’t move. They remained perfectly still, disciplined.
They knew the stakes; they wouldn’t risk exposing their secret devotion in a room full of prying eyes. They played the part of ordinary students, but their gazes never left him.
As he moved down the aisle, a few students offered hesitant, respectful nods.
Among them was Jenny Alvarez, sitting in the front row. Unlike the others, Jenny didn’t rely on a family name; she had been consistently one of the top performers in the department, her intellect as sharp as her discipline.
Alex had always held a very good impression of her… she was one of the few who belonged in this room by merit alone.
Alex paused near her desk, his presence looming.
“It’s quiet today,” he noted, his voice low and cool. “Where is everyone?”
Jenny looked up, her eyes flickering with a mix of awe and curiosity at his new, sharpened aura.
“Majority of them aren’t like us, Alex,” Jenny replied, her voice carrying the cold, clinical edge of a top-tier strategist. She gestured to the vacant rows with a dismissive flick of her pen.
“They have families strong enough to carry them regardless of their merit. To them, these seats are just placeholders until they inherit their father’s boardrooms.”
She leaned in slightly, her eyes locking onto his with a rare flash of respect. “As for the rest? They’re hiding in the library, desperately trying to salvage their GPA.”
Alex gave a short, knowing nod and continued toward his seat. Mike slid in beside him.
Behind them, Danny and Sarah took their seats, their movements synchronized and calm.
The door opened again, and a female professor stepped in. She was practically vibrating with professional excitement, clutching a stack of brochures. She looked around the sparsely populated room, her smile faltering only slightly at the low turnout.
”I see there are still very few of you here today,” she began, her voice echoing in the quiet, cavernous hall.
“But that’s understandable.” She paused, her eyes sweeping over the scattered rows with a mixture of realism and encouragement.
”Most of the students at this university have their futures already decided for them. But you… the people in this room… are the ones who actually have to earn your place. You aren’t from the families with paved paths. You are the ones who have to build your own.”
She leaned over the lectern, her eyes bright.
“But fear not; the moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Recruitment season is officially open. This is your best opportunity to be noticed by the giants of the industry… to catapult your careers and secure a future that no one can take away from you.”
She continued her passionate speech about corporate ladders and securing a legacy, but for a specific group in the room, her words were nothing more than white noise.
Alex stared at the chalkboard, his expression unreadable. He didn’t need the helping hand of these companies. He wasn’t looking for a job; he was looking to own the buildings those jobs were in.
Beside him, Mike didn’t even bother opening his notebook. Danny and Sarah exchanged a quiet, knowing look. They had already turned their backs on the traditional path.
Alex had promised them something better… something real… and they trusted him more than any corporate recruiter.
Across the aisle, Madison and Emma were completely tuned out. The professor might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
Their entire world had shrunk down to the man sitting a few feet away.
To them, Alex looked different today… sharper, more handsome, radiating a level of power that made their previous boyfriends look like insects.
They remembered the “idiots” they used to date, the men who had been foolish enough to challenge Alex, and felt a wave of disgust.
They had discarded William and Brad in their hearts long ago.
Now, they just sat in silence, their bodies humming with a restless energy, waiting for the bell to ring… waiting for the lecture to end so they could find a way back into his shadow.
***
Boredom settled over him like a heavy shroud. Alex leaned back, his gaze drifting aimlessly as the Professor’s voice became a distant drone.
To him, these lectures had become a formality; learning had grown remarkably easy, almost instinctive, and he just wanted to clear the exams and be done with the academic pretenses of the university.
However, his mind wasn’t entirely idle. He had begun to identify the few individuals in the room who possessed genuine talent… the ones he wanted working for him.
The first person on his list was Jenny.
His eyes shifted, finding her exactly where he expected. She was sitting perfectly upright, her posture a stark contrast to the slumped shoulders of the other students, her focus entirely locked onto the Professor’s words.
She was an asset he intended to secure, though he knew a girl of her caliber and intellect wouldn’t agree to join him simply because he asked.
He watched the back of her head for a moment, his expression unreadable. He didn’t need her to say yes today; he had already meticulously planned exactly how he would make her agree.
He let his gaze wander, his dark eyes eventually drifting toward Madison and Emma’s bench.
The moment his eyes landed on them, Madison’s composure flickered. A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips… a look that was far too intimate for a classroom.
Emma, beside her, bit her lip, her eyes shining with a feverish intensity as she watched him.
Buzz.
The silent vibration of his phone against his thigh broke the trance. Alex pulled the device from his pocket, shielding the screen from the professor’s view.
One message. Madison’s name.
> it seems like you’ve almost forgotten we exist. Or was our “thank you” in the archives not enough to leave an impression?
He glanced up without moving his head. Madison had her phone angled low against her thigh, Emma leaning in just slightly beside her… not enough to draw attention, but enough to read the screen. Emma’s chin dipped in a small nod, approving.
Alex typed back.
> why would I remember you?
He watched the delivery tick appear. Watched Madison’s shoulders shift. She tilted the screen toward Emma, who pressed her lips together… suppressing something.
Madison typed. Took her time with it.
> That’s a cruel thing to say, Alex. After everything… we can’t stop thinking about you. not for a single hour. you’ve completely ruined us for anyone else.
Alex’s lips curled into a slow, predatory smirk as he watched the two of them through his peripheral vision.
They were practically vibrating in their seats, the tension between them so thick it was a wonder the rest of the class didn’t notice.
He typed back with a casual, devastating flick of his thumb.
>That sounds like a personal problem, Madison. I don’t remember signing a contract to entertain your cravings whenever you feel bored in class.
He lifted his head and locked his gaze directly onto hers. Across the aisle, Madison didn’t flinch or look away; she met his eyes with a raw, feverish intensity that made the air between them feel electrified.
Emma leaned in beside her, her face flushed, both of them staring at him with the desperate hope of prisoners awaiting a verdict.
A second later, his phone buzzed again.
>Don’t be like that. We can be very good at… certain things. Especially together. And surely you haven’t forgotten William and Brad? That kind of thing doesn’t just evaporate, Alex. We can still see it in your eyes.
He raised an eyebrow.
Then:
> We could help you vent that. Just say the word and we’ll be very, very well-behaved.
He set the phone face-down on his knee.
Across the aisle, Madison had gone very still… the particular stillness of someone waiting for a notification that wasn’t coming. Emma leaned in half an inch, murmured something near her ear. Madison’s jaw tightened slightly. She picked the phone back up.
One more message.
> We’ll be waiting at our usual place, sir.
Alex looked back at the chalkboard. Let the smirk come and go before anyone could catch it.
He didn’t reply. Instead, he simply locked the phone and looked back at Mrs. Gable, a faint, predatory smirk finally touching his lips.