Page 94 of Unapologetic Obsession

The controlled stillness of his face was betrayed by the tautness in his jawline. He was unhappy with my reaction. “You don’t know what it is.”

He popped open the lid, revealing a set of heart-shaped sapphire earrings. The deep, vibrant blue shimmered, gleaming like frozen drops of the ocean. They were framed by a delicate halo of tiny, brilliant-cut diamonds, casting sparks of silver across the precious metal.

My eyelids flipped up to his glasses. His black frames had the same gems by the hinges. These earrings weren’t sapphire, but blue diamonds like the ones on his glasses.

“I can’t accept this,” I told him.

His lips pressed into a thin line before he blew out an irritated breath. “Of course you will. I bought them for you.”

My gaze dropped to the earrings and inadvertently found myself admiring them. Jewelry had never been a weakness of mine, I only wore them to complement my outfits. But the deep blue stones called to me like a siren’s song. I couldn’t explain the pull, only that they seemed to have been made for me. There was something peculiar about the gift, and the sentimental value behind the thought somehow exceeded the price tag. Perhaps he wasn’t trying to buy me off, and this was a symbolic gesture.

Did he think of me as a romantic prospect?

No. That was impossible.

No one could beg Professor Maxwell. He hated everyone, particularly students who tried to seduce him. This was misplaced attraction, stemming from his curiosity over my scars and sexual inexperience.

I was merely surprised that his curiosity warranted such an expensive gift. Blue diamonds were exceptionally rare and unique. When I was young, my mom had bought me a pair of blue diamond stud earrings. They were barely half a carat, and it was still the most expensive thing I had owned. One carat could easily exceed one hundred thousand dollars and these must at least be ten carats. In fact, ten carats might be a conservative estimate. They were huge and drop-dead gorgeous.

I hovered over the box, admiring the stunning craftsmanship, before remembering myself. I closed the lid and pushed the box back. “I-I think, there has been a misunderstanding. What happened between us was a mistake.”

My voice was hushed in the bustling street, yet Professor Maxwell heard me loud and clear. “Excuse me?”

“W-what we did, it can’t happen again.”

His eyes suddenly turned dull and lifeless, but there was something else there—fury. “Why not?” he asked harshly, voice tinged with the familiar mask of anger I was beginning to recognize all too well.

A cold chill swept over my skin at his tone. My stomach tightened, bracing for impact, before remembering there was a modicum of safety in the public eye.

I let out a few shallow breaths and focused on the task at hand, except his ire was throwing me for a loop. He had never expressed interest in me until our drunken night on the boat when he found out I was a virgin. Perhaps it set me apart from other women he had been with. But his warped fascination with the intact hymen and scars had to end sooner or later. Settingour family rivalry aside, he was my professor—someone who could lose his life’s work for pursuing a student. Surely, he knew this wouldn’t amount to much.

“Rose!” My name cracked like a whip out of his lips. My silence made him lean forward and snap, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Since I couldn’t tell him that I mistook him for his twin, I decided on a different avenue. “I-I was drunk on the boat and made a terrible judgment call. This should have never happened.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I looked down at my intertwined hands. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” He scoffed. “I jeopardized my career for you because you didn’t know how to hold your liquor,” he asked sardonically.

I shook my head. “I-I tried to clear things up. But you were so angry when I saw you next that I didn’t have the chance.”

“I don’t believe this.”

“Professor Maxwell?—”

“Caden,” he corrected with a bark.

Oh God.

Everyone was staring at us now. I looked around, unsure if anyone recognized the famous scientist. I considered asking him to discuss the matter in private, then remembered what happened the last time we were alone. It only steeled my resolve to end things.

I kept my voice low. “I can’t call you that, you’re my professor.”

“That didn’t stop you on the boat. You made the first move, Rose—youkissedme.”

“You’re right. It was all my fault. You have no idea how much I admire you as a teacher and what your guidance has meantto me. I shouldn’t have done anything inappropriate. Can we please pretend that I didn’t and go back to how things were?”