The Teacher's Affair

Chapter 2 Daddy

Ruby had grown so accustomed to seeing the man in front of her naked that this was the first time she saw him in a formal suit and tie. It was a stark contrast to how he looked the night he rescued her from drowning.

That night, Jack had been wearing a black vest, military pants, and combat boots. The vest, once snug, had been soaked and clung to his body, highlighting his smooth muscles. Even now, she can still feel the firm grip of this man on her, every moment they spent together that night, and it seems those memories have no intention of leaving her mind, even though weeks have passed. For Ruby, it feels as if it all happened just yesterday.

That initial impression of him led Ruby to make a decision. She had assumed he was in the army because of his outfit. He had been rough and intense in bed. Every encounter left her feeling tortured, yet she couldn’t help but crave more. Ruby found herself wanting more of him, especially now in this formal attire. She almost felt like kneeling before him, as if he were a deity in her eyes. This man was breathtakingly hot and handsome.

Jack’s rough fingertips against Ruby’s soft palm jolted her back to reality. She quickly composed herself and withdrew her hand from his grasp.

She had suspected that he might be wealthy since he always took her to five-star hotels. But the calluses on his palms suggested that he wasn’t a pampered young master or a prince. It turned out he was the heir to the Beaufort clan, recently returned to the country.

She couldn’t believe she had ended up with someone like him as a casual partner—the father of one of her students. Gods.

Ruby tried to push those thoughts out of her mind.

“Mr. Beaufort, I apologize. There was a physical altercation between Zeke and his classmate just now. It’s my fault. I wasn’t able to supervise your son properly…” she explained to Jack. She loved working with children, which is why she was in this profession. She couldn’t afford to lose her job.

“Dad, it wasn’t Teacher Red’s fault. It was Ethan, that freak,” Zeke immediately contradicted his teacher.

Jack’s gaze on Ruby grew more intense. She looked so formal and respectable, her hands in front of her lower abdomen, standing upright with a high ponytail accentuating her innocence and beauty. He couldn’t reconcile this appearance with the wild, passionate image of her from their nights together.

Ruby felt the burning gaze and tension weighing on her, causing her to swallow hard. It felt as if Jack was stripping her bare in his mind.

“Mr. Beaufort, I will take good care of Zeke from now on, and that’s a promise. I hope you can overlook what happened today…”

“Dad!” Zeke tugged anxiously at his father’s clothes, as if trying to defend her.

Jack’s gaze on Ruby deepened.

“Son, your Teacher Red is indeed at fault,” he said in his gravelly voice.

Ruby’s mouth parted slightly in surprise. She lowered her head again to avoid the tension of his stare and to hide her embarrassment. Jack’s eyes fell on her exposed snow-white neck, where the dark red mark from him was clearly visible. The memory of their encounter last night came rushing back to Jack, and he didn’t hesitate to approach her.

“You should stop interfering in the kids’ fights,” he whispered.

Ruby’s skin prickled as Jack’s warm breath touched her neck, as if deliberately so. Despite the other teachers being busy with the event and the school still bustling with activity, she wondered what Jack was doing to her.

Ruby took a small step back, feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of Jack’s gaze. Her ears and cheeks were flushed red. She slowly raised her head to meet his fierce eyes, which clearly reflected the embarrassment she felt.

Jack’s smirk widened, and he gave Zeke’s shoulder a playful pat. “Next time, Daddy will beat him to death.”

Ruby frowned at Jack’s comment. She wanted to reprimand him for how he spoke about the situation, but she was in no position to do so. She feared that confronting him might jeopardize her job.

Noticing her disapproval, Jack’s smirk grew. “You don’t have to worry about anything, Teacher Red. It’s normal for children to fight, and it has nothing to do with you.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Beaufort. I'll take Zeke to change clothes now. Excuse me,” she said, quickly gathering Zeke and leaving without a second glance.

After changing Zeke, Ruby watched him for a moment. Of all her young students, Zeke was her favorite, and it was ironic that she also had a complicated relationship with his father. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine. It had to end.

She sighed heavily, took out her phone, and typed a brief text:

We need to stop

Ruby donned a simple white dress with light makeup and walked towards the auditorium. Jack glanced at the message on his phone from Ruby, sensing that her decision was already made.

A spotlight suddenly illuminated Ruby on stage, highlighting her in her white dress. She held a violin in her hands, and the light added an angelic quality to her appearance. She was neither the seductress he knew nor the pure teacher she appeared to be now.

Jack’s gaze was riveted on Ruby. Her ethereal beauty was undeniable. Her fox-like eyes and captivating smile, tinged with a hint of coldness, were mesmerizing. Jack straightened in his seat as Ruby began to play.

She gently leaned on the violin, drawing the bow across the strings. In an instant, the auditorium was enveloped in the beautiful sound of her performance. Jack had known that Ruby was professional, but he hadn’t anticipated the depth of her talent.

"You wouldn’t know from watching that Teacher Red’s violin skills are so good,” commented one of the parents standing next to Jack.

He cleared his throat as his jaw tightened. “In general, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. She shouldn’t just stay in her comfort zone. She needs to push herself harder, especially since she’s teaching at a prestigious school,” he remarked. He couldn’t quite understand why he was feeling irritated.

His gaze was fixed on Ruby even more intensely. The image of her hugging his neck like a little girl while they were in bed kept replaying in his mind as he watched her. Teacher Red was truly skilled, and Jack felt that he alone should be the one to see that side of her.

It was the first time he had seen her dressed like this. She looked like a white fairy, so pure. The dress clung to her slender body so tightly that anyone who saw her would be captivated.

Jack cleared his dry throat. He knew he couldn’t restrain himself at this point, especially when it came to Ruby.

Ruby immediately felt Jack’s intense gaze from deep within. As the performance ended, she slowly opened her eyes. There, she saw the man in the front row under the stage, his fiercely intense eyes locked on her face. She didn’t look away.

The audience erupted in applause, including the wealthy and influential people. Their praise for Teacher Red and her skill was audible throughout the auditorium. She wasn’t just a professional violinist; her skills were on par with those of accomplished musicians.

Ruby took her curtain call with her young students and handed out handmade gifts prepared by the children to each parent. It was one of the things she wanted the children to learn as they grew up.

Once the mini event was over, the parents and their children left one by one, smiling as they went.

Ruby sighed deeply. She had successfully pulled off the event, which she had been preparing and worrying about for days, fearing that it might not go well. She took off her decorative earrings and walked toward the dressing room while humming the song she had played.

Just as she was about to open the dressing room door, someone suddenly pulled her back. She gasped in surprise and fear, immediately crashing into the firm chest of whoever had grabbed her. She could feel the hard arm sliding around her waist.

A flicker of annoyance crossed her face when she looked up and saw Jack.

“What’s this? Let go of me,” she whispered sharply to the man.

The hands around her waist tightened.