Loving Professor Gill

Chapter 9.

Brenda had made a mistake before, and she wasn’t about to make that mistake again. When she met Ryan, she thought he was just a professor with nothing much going for him, so she had never taken their relationship seriously. When Ryan proposed, she rejected him, believing she was doing what was best for her life at that moment.

Brenda wanted a man who could secure her future, a wealthy man, not just financially comfortable but from a lineage of wealth, a family name that meant power. And at the time, Ryan’s modest university salary didn’t fit the picture of the man she thought she deserved. Throughout their time together, Ryan had always been secretive with his affairs, and she never truly knew who he was until months after she had turned down his proposal.

She had been hanging out with one of her mentees from the hospital when the girl showed her a photo of the family that owned the hospital. The family looked wealthy and well put together, starting from the eldest, who she later learned was Ryan’s father and the founder of the hospital.

The resemblance was undeniable. They almost looked like copies of each other, except his father’s hair had hints of grey. And there, standing tall at the back, with the same serious expression, was Ryan, looking far different from the man she had known as a professor.

For months, Brenda had suspected that Ryan was much more than he admitted. The way he carried himself, the respect he commanded even when he didn’t try, she always felt he was hiding something. But he never told her the truth, leaving her to believe she had imagined it all.

Sitting there staring at the photo, everything suddenly made sense. The way he hated taking pictures, the secrecy whenever she asked to meet his friends, it all aligned now. Ryan was apparently the heir to a massive fortune, but had chosen to pursue teaching to prove he could succeed without his father’s help.

She had made a huge mistake by rejecting his proposal, and she had been trying to correct that ever since. At first, she had planned to move away, but after discovering who Ryan truly was, she decided to stay and win him back. But it was proving far more difficult than she imagined, because Ryan seemed to be deeply in love with Anna.

What did he even see in that girl, anyway? It wasn't like she had anything special about her. She was plain, simple, nothing compared to Brenda, and she certainly didn’t have any wealthy family backing her name. So why was Ryan so determined to be with her?

For the past month, Brenda had been trying to force them apart, but nothing had worked. She had spent days trying to get close to Ryan, but he kept pushing her away. She even went as far as stalking him in places she knew he frequented, yet still, Ryan was stubbornly devoted to winning Anna back.

So Brenda switched strategies. Instead of trying to take Ryan, she would make Anna believe she already had him. And the foolish girl seemed to have swallowed the bait. Anna had thrown Ryan out of her life and wouldn't let him near her home, exactly as Brenda planned.

First, it was the texts. Brenda wrote them precisely at night, timing them perfectly so Anna would assume she and Ryan were together during those hours. She made sure the messages matched the exact moments she spotted Anna leaving or returning to her building. Brenda even hired someone to follow Anna and report where she went and who she met throughout the day. And so far, it seemed to be working. Ryan and Anna had barely spoken. Doubt had been planted deep in Anna’s mind, and that was exactly what Brenda needed.

Brenda stared at the phone in her hand, scrolling through the messages she had sent Anna the night before. Each word was crafted perfectly, gentle enough to look innocent, sharp enough to cut. She didn’t want to come off as desperate or childish; no, she wanted Anna to feel confused. Confused women are easier to push, easier to break. And once Anna broke completely, Ryan would come running back to her. He always did before.

She smiled to herself, leaning back against her couch, imagining Anna’s face reading her texts. Hurt, scared, unsure. Exactly where Brenda wanted her. Anna was too soft, too emotional, too naïve to survive Ryan’s world. Brenda was certain of it. Ryan needed someone who understood the game, understood status, understood sacrifice and ambition. Someone who knew how to sit beside a powerful man and build a life with him. Not a girl who cried over lost memories.

Brenda had made one mistake in her life, letting Ryan go before she realised what she had. But she wasn’t about to repeat it. She didn’t believe in destiny before, but now she did. Ryan was hers. He always had been. Anna was just… a chapter. A phase. A distraction. And Brenda would make sure Ryan remembered that. She stood up and walked to her mirror, fixing her hair, smoothing her blouse. She needed to look controlled, calm, like she wasn’t fighting for anything. That was the trick, look like you have already won. Anna needed to feel like an outsider. Weak people collapse when you make them doubt themselves enough.

Her phone buzzed. Ryan.

She took a deep breath and let it ring twice before answering. Let him wait. Let him feel like she was moving on, while he was stuck in chaos. That was how power worked: you never let them know you’re shaking inside.

“Hello?” she answered finally, voice soft, almost sweet.

“Brenda, don’t go to Anna’s place again. Please.” Ryan’s voice sounded tired, as if the world had been sitting on his shoulders all week.

Brenda’s heart pinched, but she forced a light laugh. “Ryan, I only went to check on her. ”

“You’re not helping,” he sighed. “She already misunderstands everything.”

Misunderstands. Brenda held in a scoff. It wasn’t a misunderstanding if it was by design.

“You know what I think, Ryan?” Her voice dropped slightly, still calm, still soft, but edged with something dangerous. “You’re confused. You don’t know what you want. You had everything with me: stability, loyalty, and a future. But you threw it all away for some emotional fantasy.”

“Brenda, stop.” He sounded frustrated, which pleased her more than it should have.

“No, you stop,” she whispered, letting a tear prick her voice even though none formed. “I let you go once, thinking you deserved better. I thought I wasn’t enough because you never showed me who you were, never trusted me with your real life. And now you’re doing it again… except this time, you’re doing it to the wrong woman.”

Silence. Just the soft sound of him breathing. Then he hung up.

She grabbed her purse and keys. It was time for another visit to that perfect little building Anna lived in. She wouldn’t go inside today, no, she needed to be seen. She wanted Anna to catch her “accidentally.” The mind always believes what it sees before what it hears.

Downstairs, she called her hired watcher.

“Is she home?”

“Yes,” the man replied. “She hasn’t gone anywhere today.”

Perfect. A girl locked inside her own head was easier to manipulate than one moving forward.

“And Ryan? Where is he?” she asked.

“Left campus ten minutes ago. Driving back to his apartment.”