Chapter 2

The next day, Sophie still showed up at my 8:00 am class.

I frowned.

Didn't she say that she was going to drop out? What was she still doing here?

Although I was confused, I knew that I couldn't ask her directly.

"I'm not dropping out anymore, Professor Lorenzo," Sophie explained. "Jamie offered to help me once he learned of my predicament."

Jamie Yates?

I knew who he was. He had nursed a crush on Sophie for a long time. He was also her accomplice when she carried out her schemes in my past life.

When Sophie threw herself into my arms and made it look as if we were doing something questionable, Jamie swiftly snapped a photo of us before I could shove her away.

I couldn't clear my name because they had "photographic evidence" and an "eyewitness".

"Okay," I said simply before I rose to my feet, preparing to leave.

Sophie grabbed me and stopped me in my tracks.

I frowned, feeling rather disgruntled. "What's wrong?"

"Jamie's help has limits. He can only sponsor my school fees. As for my living expenses…"

She didn't finish her sentence, letting the rest of her words trail off into silence.

"You're an adult. There are plenty of ways for you to earn money to cover your living expenses. The university also has many work-study positions. I can help you apply for them if necessary."

Sophie bit her lip harshly and fixed a pitiful expression on her face.

"But the work is too tough."

"I've given you a few solutions. It's out of my hands if you don't want to accept them."

It was almost as if Sophie had a flashing neon sign above her head that read, "Sponsor me!"

"Please refrain from meeting me so much if you have nothing important to discuss with me. We have to maintain a certain distance as teacher and student."

Sophie had no choice but to leave when she noticed my frosty attitude and how I refused to play along with her.

I mulled over my thoughts as I stared at her retreating back. My gut told me this issue wasn't going to end so easily.

The class representative sent me a message, informing me that not only did Sophie miss the 8:00 am class, but she was also missing from her dormitory.

No one could get a hold of her.

A loud buzzing noise echoed in my ears.

What the hell was she planning now?

Being unable to contact a student was enough to send any teacher into a panicked frenzy. The feeling was intensified when the student in question was someone with malicious intentions like Sophie.

I was on the verge of pulling my hair out in panic when I suddenly recalled a certain place. I hastily pulled out the student registration records and searched for the address of Sophie's old home. I then rushed to my car and sped toward the location.

However, Sophie and her family were nowhere to be found.

As I wondered where else Sophie could have gone, I received a call from Leon Carter.

"You need to hurry back, Professor Lorenzo. Sophie's mother just showed up. She's causing a fuss in Mr. Walter's office."

Discarding all other thoughts, I rushed back to my car.

Just then, a middle-aged woman stopped me.

"You must be the person who's buying the Martin residence. They specifically told me to look after you if you dropped by to look at the house. They'll be back soon."

I was briefly stunned.

"You've got the wrong person, ma'am. I'm not here to look at the house."

Perhaps my ignorance stoked the flames of the woman's nosiness, but she began chattering to me with much enthusiasm.

"The Martins are so lucky that somebody wants to buy their house when it's in such a sorry state. They even claim that it's some sort of livestream sanctuary? I don't really understand, but I do know that they asked for a hefty price for it. Meanwhile, they're going to move to the city and into a big house soon."

If the woman's words were true, it meant that Sophie had been lying all along about struggling financially.