The yellow cab jerked forward in the heavy Manhattan traffic.
Brenda stared blankly at the blur of Central Park through the dirty window. Her stomach churned. The smell of the cab's cheap pine air freshener mixed with the lingering scent of Bryon's cedar cologne on her skin made her want to vomit.
She forced herself to sit up straight. She dug into her handbag and pulled out a small notepad and a pen.
Her hands were still shaking. She pressed the pen hard against the paper to steady them. She began drafting an email to the university administration. She was resigning from her position as Aiden Reeves' private tutor.
It was the only way. If she cut all ties with the Reeves family, Bryon would have no reason to ever see her again.
The cab pulled up to the red-brick building of the Humanities Department at Northbridge University. Brenda shoved a crumpled bill at the driver and got out.
She pulled her coat tighter, hiding the torn collar of her blouse, and walked quickly toward her office.
As she stepped out of the stairwell onto the third floor, her steps faltered.
Emery Lindsey was leaning against the wall next to her office door. He was staring at his phone, his face dark with anger.
Hearing her footsteps, Emery snapped his head up. He shoved his phone into his pocket and marched toward her.
"Where the hell were you last night?" he demanded, his voice echoing in the quiet hallway. "You didn't come back to the apartment. Your phone is off."
Brenda stopped. As Emery got closer, the smell hit her. It wasn't his usual aftershave. It was a heavy, sweet floral perfume. The exact perfume the dean's daughter had been wearing at the gala.
A wave of pure disgust washed over her. She felt physically sick.
She stepped back, putting distance between them. "Don't touch me."
Emery's face flushed red. He reached out and grabbed her upper arm. His fingers dug into her coat. "Don't give me that attitude. Do you know how embarrassing it was for me when people asked where my girlfriend went?"
Brenda looked down at his hand. Then she looked up into his eyes. Her voice was dead and cold.
"Let go of me, Emery. We're done."
Emery froze. He blinked, clearly not expecting this. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm breaking up with you," Brenda said, yanking her arm out of his grip. "I am sick of your weakness. I am sick of your lies. We are over."
Emery's shock quickly turned into ugly, defensive rage. He stepped into her personal space. "You think you can just dump me? My mother is the principal of this university. If you leave me, I will make sure you never get tenure. You will be nothing here."
Brenda didn't flinch. She pulled her office keys from her pocket. She unlocked the door, stepped inside, and slammed the heavy wooden door right in Emery's face.
The loud bang echoed in the room.
She walked over to her desk and plugged her dead phone into the charger. She dropped into her desk chair, rubbing her temples.
The screen lit up. A flood of notifications poured in. Fourteen missed calls. Twelve of them were from Principal Evonne Benjamin's assistant.
Brenda's stomach tightened. She picked up the phone and dialed the assistant's number.
"Miss Vincent, Principal Benjamin requires your presence in her office immediately," the assistant said, her tone clipped.
Brenda hung up. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a spare professional blazer and a clean white shirt she kept for emergencies. She quickly changed, making sure the torn silk blouse was hidden at the bottom of her bag.
She grabbed the printed draft of her resignation letter and walked to the administration building.
She pushed open the heavy oak double doors of the principal's office.
Evonne Benjamin sat behind a massive mahogany desk. She wore a sharp designer suit. Her eyes, identical to Emery's, locked onto Brenda with cold disdain.
Evonne didn't offer her a seat. She picked up a thick folder and tossed it onto the center of the desk. It landed with a heavy thud.
"Your teaching evaluation for this semester, Miss Vincent," Evonne said, her voice dripping with arrogance. "It is highly unsatisfactory."
Brenda's hands curled into fists at her sides. "That's impossible. My academic paper was just published in a top-tier journal last week. My student feedback is flawless."
Evonne let out a sharp, mocking laugh. She leaned back in her leather chair. "Let's stop pretending. Emery deserves a woman from a proper family. Not an orphan with no background who clings to him for status. You will leave my son alone."
Brenda felt a cold fury settle in her chest. She stepped forward and placed her resignation letter on the desk, right next to the fake evaluation.
"I have already broken up with Emery," Brenda said, her voice perfectly steady. "And to avoid any further conflict of interest, I am resigning from my position as the private tutor for the Reeves family."
Evonne glanced down at the letter. When she saw the name 'Reeves', the color drained from her face. She slammed her hands on the desk and stood up.
"You will do no such thing!" Evonne's voice cracked like a whip.
Brenda frowned, confused by the sudden panic.
Evonne walked around the desk, her heels clicking sharply against the hardwood floor. She stopped inches from Brenda.
"Mr. Bryon Reeves personally called the board chairman this morning, expressing how 'highly satisfied' he is with Aiden's current educational arrangement," Evonne hissed, her eyes wide with desperation and anger. "He heavily implied that a massive, multi-million dollar investment for the new science building is on the table, provided things remain stable. The chairman explicitly ordered me to ensure Mr. Reeves experiences absolutely no displeasure. If you quit, the university loses the money."
Brenda stopped breathing. Her chest felt tight, as if invisible bands were crushing her ribs.
Bryon.
He had already made his move.
"If you dare offend the Reeves family and cost me this donation," Evonne threatened, pointing a manicured finger at Brenda's chest, "I will personally see to it that your teaching license is revoked. You will never work in academia again."
Brenda's fingernails dug so deeply into her palms that the skin broke. The pain grounded her.
She was trapped. If she quit the tutoring job, Evonne would destroy her career. The career she had bled for to escape the poverty of her childhood. If she stayed, she belonged to Bryon Reeves.
Brenda closed her eyes. The humiliation burned the back of her throat.
She reached out and slowly picked up the resignation letter. She folded it and put it back in her pocket.
She opened her eyes. They were hard and cold. "I will continue tutoring Aiden. But I want a written guarantee, signed by you, that my tenure evaluation will not be tampered with."
Evonne looked disgusted by the demand, but she nodded sharply. "Fine. My assistant will draft it."
Ten minutes later, Brenda walked out of the administration building with the signed document in her hand. The crisp autumn wind hit her face, but she felt completely numb.
She pulled out her phone. She blocked Emery's number and deleted his contact.
Just as she put the phone down, it buzzed. A text message from an unknown number.
Reeves Manor. 8:00 PM tonight. Do not be late.
There was no signature. There didn't need to be.
Brenda stared at the screen. Her fingers gripped the edges of the phone until her knuckles turned white.
