Scarlet Enchantment

Chapter 3

Julia was a student in Emily's class. This girl was always sick, frequently taking sick leave, and the longest was before the summer vacation when she didn't even take the final exams. Emily wasn't surprised that Julia wanted to take a break from school, but she was cautious. "I need to call Julia to confirm," she said.

She rummaged through the drawer for the class contact list, but Damian Blackwood was quicker, pulling up a number from his phone and handing it to her across the table. "Ms. Carter, I have her number here. Use this."

Emily hesitated before reaching for the phone, noting his clean, long fingers, which looked like they belonged to a scholar. Her fear lessened a bit as she took the phone from his hand and dialed the number.

The phone rang a few times before Julia answered. Her response was consistent with what Damian had said. The girl sounded a bit nervous, her voice tight. Many students had this fear of teachers, a habit cultivated from a young age, hard to shake off even in college.

Emily, accustomed to this, asked briefly about her condition and gently comforted her before hanging up. When she looked up, Damian was standing opposite her, watching with a faint, amused smile. That face still made her instinctively afraid. She pursed her lips and handed the phone back to him. "Mr. Blackwood, please come with me to the department to get the application form."

She led him to get the leave of absence application form and told him what materials were needed: a medical diagnosis and a recommendation for the leave of absence from the hospital. The application form also needed Julia's signature. "Bring these documents and the form back to me, and I'll take you to the department head," she instructed.

Damian nodded slightly and asked her, "Ms. Carter, may I have your mobile number?"

Emily hesitated and said, "You can call my office number."

Damian smiled and didn't insist further.

Out of politeness, she escorted him out of the office. Before leaving, he suddenly asked, "If I may ask, do I look like someone you know?"

She was taken aback by his question. He continued, "Are you afraid of that person? Did he hurt you?"

Emily, normally gentle and strong-willed, couldn't help but feel an urge to snap at him. But her good manners prevented her from doing so. Instead, she raised her eyebrows slightly and pretended not to hear his question. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Damian smiled, extended his hand for a handshake, and said, "I said goodbye, Ms. Carter."

Emily, still instinctively afraid of the man in front of her, placed her hand in his palm but quickly withdrew it as soon as they touched. "Goodbye."

He smiled and said nothing more, just turned and left.

She was uneasy the entire afternoon. Ryan called her several times to check on her, and just before the end of the day, he drove to the school to pick her up. The feeling of safety from his presence quelled Emily's undefined fear. She walked down the stairs with her bag, and as she got into the car, she couldn't help but complain, "What about my car?"

"Leave it at the school," Ryan replied.

She asked knowingly, "How will I get to work tomorrow then?"

Ryan mimicked her tone, "I'll drive you to work tomorrow."

Both of them couldn't help but laugh. After the laughter died down, she was silent for a moment before saying out of the blue, "Ryan, I want to pursue a PhD. I don't want to be a counselor forever."

She only had a master's degree, and to become a university lecturer, she needed to complete a PhD.

Ryan was supportive of all her decisions and said, "Sure, which school do you want to go to? Do you need me to contact a supervisor for you?"

Emily shook her head. "I'd prefer to return to my alma mater and continue with my current supervisor."

Having made up her mind, she called her supervisor the next day to ask for advice. Her supervisor was delighted to hear that she wanted to pursue a PhD and suggested that she take the entrance exam for the spring intake next year. It was already mid-September, and the application period was in October. Suddenly, there were many materials to prepare, and she felt overwhelmed. She had to ask Ryan for help.

The couple rolled up their sleeves and worked together. While organizing documents one evening, Ryan suddenly said seriously, "Emily, let's try hard to get pregnant. That way, when you take the entrance exam next year, you can bring our child along. It could even count as prenatal education!"

Emily was taken aback for a moment but then thought it was a good idea. They immediately put aside the documents and eagerly got into bed to try for a baby.

She received the call a week later. She was at her alma mater dealing with the PhD application when an unfamiliar number showed up on her phone. Worried that it might be something urgent with one of her students, she quickly answered.

"Hello, Ms. Carter."

It was a man's deep voice, carrying a rare hint of coolness on a summer day. Emily's scalp tightened, and her voice unintentionally reflected her stiffness. "Hello, Mr. Blackwood."

"You remember my voice, Ms. Carter," Damian said.

Emily had no intention of making small talk. "Mr. Blackwood, when will you be able to submit Julia's materials? The school has a rule that leave of absence applications must be submitted within two weeks of the semester starting."

"I just left your office, Ms. Carter. Your colleague said they didn't know when you'd be back, so I had to call your mobile. I got your number from Julia," Damian explained.

According to school regulations, counselors are supposed to be on duty, but they often have to run around for student matters, and the school isn't very strict about it. Therefore, Emily often slips out to handle personal affairs without asking for leave. She told him, "I'm sorry, I'm out right now. How about you leave the materials in my office first, okay?"

"Not really." He refused bluntly.

Emily was taken aback.

He continued, "I have to go on a business trip tomorrow and won't be in Serenity City for a while. Ms. Carter, can you come back now? I'm waiting for you at the school."

His tone was somewhat impolite, but Emily didn't want to argue with a student's parent, especially since she wasn't in the right. She thought for a moment and agreed, "Please wait for half an hour, I'll head back right away."

She drove back and parked her car behind the administration building just as thirty minutes passed. As she got out, a man in a black suit emerged from a black sedan by the roadside, holding the car door and calling her, "Mr. Blackwood is waiting for you here."

The car looked expensive, and with the bodyguard-like man, this setup didn't seem like that of an ordinary person. She hesitated for a moment before walking forward. The rear window of the car rolled down slowly, revealing a strikingly handsome face. Damian Blackwood nodded slightly at her, "Ms. Carter, hello, you're very punctual."

Emily cautiously observed him. On closer look, he didn't look exactly like that criminal. His features were more refined, with clear and elegant lines, and his expression exuded a calm demeanor typical of someone well-born, without any hint of ruthlessness.

"I'm sorry to call you back, but I have to go abroad tomorrow and won't be back for a while, so I wanted to get Julia's paperwork done today," Damian Blackwood said, motioning for his assistant to hand Emily a file. "Please check if anything is missing."

She checked the materials in the file. "You'll need to come with me to get the dean's signature, then it can be sent to the Academic Affairs Office for approval."

Damian Blackwood nodded, and his assistant quickly stepped forward to open the car door for him. She noticed he was dressed very formally today, in a well-tailored suit, exuding a distinguished aura, much like those financial giants on magazine covers. Noticing her gaze, he casually explained, "I just came from a meeting."

He walked with her to the administration office, chatting casually as they went, "Ms. Carter, you look very young, did you just graduate from college?"

She was actually twenty-seven, having started school early and been a graduate for over four years. However, she had no interest in chatting with him, so she just gave a polite smile and replied, "No."

She walked quickly, even faster than his long strides, almost jogging up the stairs. When she reached the landing, she realized he wasn't following and couldn't help but look back in surprise.

He was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her calmly, "Ms. Carter, I'm not in that much of a hurry."

Emily felt a bit embarrassed and realized she might have overreacted. But she was really afraid of him, even though she knew this person had nothing to do with the criminal. Just hearing his voice and seeing him made her uncontrollably fearful. The fact that she could have a normal conversation with him without screaming or running away was already the result of her utmost effort.

She said nothing, just waited for him at the landing.

He walked up unhurriedly, and as he passed her, he suddenly said, "I'm really curious why you're so afraid of me."

"You misunderstood." She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, and after a pause, she explained, "I have other urgent matters to attend to, so I couldn't help feeling a bit anxious."

"Oh, I see." He nodded lightly, then said, "I apologize, Ms. Carter, for making you drop your own tasks to come back here."

She forced herself to smile, "It's my job."

Things went smoothly after that. The dean was at home, and Damian Blackwood had all the necessary documents. The dean signed his name with a flourish, and Emily led Damian Blackwood out of the dean's office. They just needed to submit the application to the Academic Affairs Office and wait for approval.

As they reached outside, Damian Blackwood's car was already waiting by the roadside. He turned to her and politely asked, "Is the Academic Affairs Office far? Would it be quicker to drive?"

The Academic Affairs Office was indeed some distance from the administration building, but she didn't want to walk with him all the way or sit in a car with him. She pursed her lips and came up with a good plan, "You should drive straight down this road, turn left at the second intersection, and you'll see the Academic Affairs Office building. It's very prominent. I'll go get my car and meet you there. This way, I can handle some errands after submitting the form, saving time."

Damian Blackwood didn't object. Emily went to get her car and arrived at the Academic Affairs Office to find Damian Blackwood already waiting on the steps, his tall and elegant figure attracting many students' attention. She hurried over and greeted him softly, "Let's go, Mr. Blackwood."

With her leading the way, things went smoothly. The young female teacher at the Academic Affairs Office couldn't take her eyes off Damian Blackwood. While he was handling the paperwork, she pulled Emily aside and whispered, "Who is that man? He's so handsome!"

Damian Blackwood seemed to notice and glanced over with a slight smile. That charming smile almost made the young teacher swoon, and she clung to Emily's arm, begging, "Quick, do you have his contact info? Give me his number!"

Emily found it amusing and frustrating. She had Damian Blackwood's phone number from their earlier interaction, but giving it to a stranger without his consent didn't seem appropriate.

The colleague shook her arm, pleading, "Emily, please! You're married, so leave this opportunity for us single folks!"

"He's a student's cousin. I don't know him well. You can ask him yourself," Emily said, then had an idea. "Why don't you keep his contact information for official use? When the application is approved, you can call him to pick it up. You know what to do next, right?"

By convention, the approved application would first go back to the department, and then the counselor would contact the student. The colleague hesitated, "Is that appropriate?"

Emily smiled and nudged her with her shoulder, "What's inappropriate about it? Consider it as helping me out!"

Damian Blackwood had finished the paperwork and was looking over at Emily. She asked her colleague seriously, "Is there anything else?"

The colleague cleared her throat, "Uh, we need the contact information of the representative."

Damian Blackwood smiled and wrote down his phone number on a piece of paper, handing it over.

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