Billionaire’s Wicked Obsession

That day, the university buzzed with endless whispers. Phones lit up with the same image—a photo that had captured everyone's attention.

Elsie stared at her phone screen, holding her breath. In the picture, she and Pierce were walking side by side in front of their apartment building. Their faces were slightly obscured by the dim lighting of the night, but for those who knew them, it wasn't difficult to recognize who the man beside Elsie was.

"This can't be a coincidence," she murmured.

It didn't take long for the whispers to grow into a storm of rumors.

"Professor Pierce and student Elsie?"

"Are they living together?"

"Isn't he also a CEO? Could there be a scandal behind this?"

Elsie clenched her fingers. Since she started at this university, she had known that something like this would happen sooner or later. But she never expected it to unravel so quickly.

The faculty room door swung open, and Pierce stepped out. His gaze was sharp, like a storm ready to destroy anyone who dared to touch what was his.

"Come with me," he said, his voice calm, but Elsie knew it was the calm before the storm.

She followed him, leaving behind the corridor filled with curious stares. Once they were inside his office, Pierce shut the door and leaned against it for a moment. He ran a hand over his face, as if holding back something far greater than just a simple rumor.

"I'll take care of this," he said.

Elsie looked at him with hesitation. "How?"

Pierce was silent, his eyes fixed on her. There was something different about his gaze today—something deeper, more serious.

"I'm going back."

Elsie frowned. "Back?"

Pierce took a deep breath, then turned to the window, staring out at the world beyond. "To my company. I can't let them corner us like this. If I'm only a professor, they'll keep trying to tear us down. But as a CEO, I have more power. I can silence anyone who dares to come after you."

Elsie bit her lip. "So... you're leaving the university?"

Pierce turned to her, stepping closer until the space between them nearly vanished.

"I'm not leaving you."

Elsie held her breath.

But before she could respond, Pierce's phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen, and his eyes narrowed.

"The board of directors has called for an emergency meeting," he muttered, his expression turning even colder.

Elsie felt a bad feeling creeping into her chest. "Do they know about the photo?"

Pierce looked at her, and for the first time that day, he seemed uncertain.

"Maybe it's more than that."

The next second, he turned and walked out with an unreadable expression, leaving Elsie behind with unanswered questions.

Who leaked the photo? And why did it feel like something much bigger was about to unfold?

Elsie stood frozen in place, watching Pierce's back disappear behind the door. A growing sense of unease wrapped around her chest, tightening with each passing second.

The university was still buzzing with whispers. Every step she took felt like she was being stripped bare under scrutinizing gazes.

"They must be dating."

"Is he taking advantage of her as a student?"

"A CEO in a relationship with a student? This will turn into a huge scandal."

Elsie bit her lip. She wanted to shut them all out, but she knew the world was never fair to women in situations like this.

— In Pierce's Company Boardroom —

Pierce stepped into the meeting room, where the directors sat waiting. Their gazes were sharp—some filled with criticism, others with calculation.

An older man, one of the senior directors, leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Pierce, I assume you've seen the news today."

Pierce nodded, his expression unreadable. "I have."

The man scoffed. "That photo has people talking. Not just about your relationship with a student, but about your position in this company. Investors are starting to worry."

A woman at the far end of the table narrowed her eyes. "And there's more. Someone sent an anonymous email to the media, claiming you've been abusing your power as a professor."

Pierce raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning sharp. "And do you believe that?"

Silence fell over the room, thick with tension. Finally, one of the directors spoke up. "We don't know. But if this keeps spreading, we could lose public trust and investors."

Pierce took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair with calculated calm. "Who sent the email?"

One of the directors opened a laptop, typing something before looking up at Pierce with a grim expression. "It was sent from an anonymous server. Can't be easily traced."

Under the table, Pierce clenched his fists.

Someone was trying to bring him down. And they weren't just targeting him—they were targeting Elsie too.

"I'll handle this myself," he said finally.

A director scoffed. "You can try, but time is running out, Pierce. If you don't clear your name soon, you might have to step down as CEO."

Pierce's eyes turned cold as he scanned the faces around the room.

Step down? That would never happen.

And whoever was behind this… he would find them. And they would regret every move they had made.

In the grand, silent meeting room, Pierce stared at the directors seated across from him. Their expressions varied—some calculating, some cynical, and a few visibly uneasy.

A middle-aged man in an expensive suit leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp. "So, what's your next move, Pierce?"

Pierce remained calm, though his mind was already racing through strategies. "I will find out who's behind the leaked photo and the anonymous emails."

One of the female directors crossed her arms over her chest. "And even if you do, that won't instantly clear your name in the public eye. People have already started talking. They don't care about the truth, only about what they see."

Pierce met her gaze, his eyes dark. "I'm not playing to simply clear my name. I will make sure the person who set me up pays the price."

Silence hung in the room. Some of the directors exchanged glances, clearly recognizing the steel in his voice.

Then, one of them opened a laptop, typing quickly before speaking, his voice low but piercing. "We might have another problem."

All eyes turned to him.

"The university just received a report that Elsie got high grades in your class. They're starting to suspect a conflict of interest."

Blood boiled in Pierce's veins.

Someone was trying to destroy everything.

"I want to know who's behind this," he said, his voice low, cold as ice. "Use all our resources. I want a name, a face, and their motive."

The directors exchanged looks again, but this time, none of them dared to argue.

Pierce glanced at his watch. It was almost evening. Elsie must have heard about all this by now.

Without wasting a second, he pushed back his chair and stood up.

"I'll handle this."

He turned and strode out, leaving behind a room thick with tension.

In his mind, only one goal remained: to find the person who dared to disrupt his life and Elsie's.

And when he did, there would be no mercy.