She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother Chapter 352: A New Morning

"Quit that laughing, you arrogant jerk!" Tisha barked, slamming her palm onto Alex’s shoulder with a sharp slap.

The impact did absolutely nothing to restrain Alex’s humor; if anything, his frame shook with greater intensity.

"I simply can't help it," Alex managed, his tone heavy with a low, vibrating chuckle. "You were the very one who insisted I refrain from holding back, Professor. If I recall, your exact words were, 'Show me what you are capable of'."

Tisha shot him a glare intended to wither him to the bone, though it was instantly undermined by the deep, persistent flush spreading across her throat. "I was being flirtatious, not handing out a death warrant! There is a vast difference between passion and... whatever animalistic endurance trial you subjected me to through the night."

She shifted within the leather seat, wincing as a sharp spike of agony shot through her thighs. Her brow pulled taut, and she let out a muffled groan that blended irritation with genuine physical strife.

"I am being entirely serious, Alex," she stated, her voice descending to a desperate, shaky whisper. "I have a lecture in under twenty minutes. Twenty minutes! Right now, I am struggling to walk like a newborn deer. How do you expect me to project any form of authority when my legs are visibly trembling? I can hardly stand up, much less command an entire classroom."

Alex finally turned toward her, his expression softening as he took in her appearance. She looked disheveled in the most exquisite fashion—her eyes luminous, her skin radiant, and her typical composure utterly decimated.

"View it as a lesson in overestimating yourself," he murmured, leaning in until the faint scent of her perfume mingled with the trapped warmth inside the car. "You shouldn’t have taunted me. I am not a fan of losing, especially when the consequences are so... pleasurable."

Tisha released a jagged breath, her eyes locked with his for an agonizing moment before she averted her gaze, a small, defeated puff of air escaping her lips.

"I am realizing that much," she muttered, her voice thick with the residual fatigue left over from their night together.

She slumped her head against the headrest, closing her eyelids as she fought to gather the resolve to re-enter the professional world. "I will have to remain anchored behind my desk for the entire hour. If a single student requests that I rise to use the whiteboard, I am failing them immediately."

"Just tell them you were engaged in a very 'intense' workout," Alex suggested, his grin sharpening as he reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Technically, that wouldn't be a fabrication."

"Be quiet," she breathed, a tiny, helpless smile finally breaking through her annoyed pout.

The luxury car glided across the university parking lot, the motor humming softly as it neared the entrance to the main quad.

Tisha’s gaze drifted toward the windshield, and for a heartbeat, her breathing hitched. Positioned near the shaded structural pillar of the building were Danny, Sarah, and Mike.

"Oh, you have got to be joking," Tisha hissed, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the door handle. Her professional facade, already deeply fractured, shattered into pieces. "Alex, tell me you didn’t. Tell me you didn't contact them."

Alex seemed entirely unbothered. If anything, his smug expression intensified as he caught Danny’s eyes from across the distance. "I might have mentioned I was heading in today. They were concerned about my attendance status as well."

"Concerned about your..." Tisha spun to face him, her face a tempest of panicked crimson. "You... you invited them to witness me stumbling out of your vehicle?"

"Relax, Tisha," Alex commanded, his voice dropping into that calm, grounding register that usually acted as her anchor. He pulled into a parking spot just a few yards from where the trio waited. "It is not as if they are oblivious to our relationship."

"I am well aware they know," Tisha whispered, her voice tightening as the reality of her exposure set in. "But that does not make it any less mortifying, Alex."

She checked her reflection in the sun visor mirror one last time, laboring to smooth out the telltale signs of their frantic night before her professional mask completely slid away.

"They are my allies," Alex murmured, killing the ignition. The abrupt silence in the car felt heavy, thick with the remaining heat of her anxiety. He turned to her, his gaze firm and reassuring. "Trust me. These people know how to keep a secret. Besides, you are merely overthinking the situation. Nobody will notice a thing unless you provide them with a reason."

Tisha drew a sharp, uneven breath, her heart hammering against her ribs as she adjusted her blazer. "I despise how you are always so tranquil. If I trip, Alex, I am never speaking to you ever again."

"You will not tumble," he teased, reaching over to provide her hand with a final, firm squeeze. "Just follow my lead. And please... try to keep the groaning to an absolute minimum."

"Alex!"

But he had already exited the vehicle, the door shutting with a thud that broadcast his arrival across the entire quad. He moved with a predatory grace that had been absent just a week ago, drawing the focus of his friends like a magnet.

Behind the darkened glass, Tisha spent several more seconds summoning every drop of 'Professor Wells' that remained within her. When she finally pushed the door open and climbed out, her feet hit the asphalt with a slight wobble.

She stood tall, chin tilted at her standard authoritative angle, but as she attempted to follow Alex toward the group, she had to dedicate all her willpower to preventing her knees from buckling in front of the audience waiting only a short distance away.

***

"Alex! Man, you actually showed up!" Danny shouted, his voice ringing through the tranquil morning air of the quad. "We honestly thought you were going to ignore us again today."

As Alex moved closer, the eyes of the group naturally shifted toward the passenger door. Tisha emerged, walking with a careful, measured deliberation, as if she were stepping across a bed of sharp needles.

Danny’s grin widened, and he released a short, knowing laugh. "Ah... I understand. It seems Professor Wells was the one who had to forcefully drag you here this morning."

Tisha forced a stiff, professional smile, though the effort of remaining upright caused her muscles to twitch. She approached the group, posture rigid while she tried to ignore the sensation of her thighs turning to jelly.

"Good morning, everyone," Tisha greeted, her voice sounding surprisingly steady despite the internal chaos. She threw Alex a playful yet pointed look. "And you are correct, Danny. It took a significant amount of effort. I practically had to throw some punches and issue a formal ultimatum just to get this one into the vehicle. If he skips another lecture, I am making it my personal mission to ensure he fails this course."

"See?" Sarah chimed in, leaning against a pillar with a distinct smirk. "Even the faculty is becoming exhausted with your disappearing acts, Alex."

"I promised I would be here," Alex stated, his tone casual, though his gaze lingered on Tisha for a split second too long—a silent, private acknowledgment of the 'effort' she had just described.

Tisha adjusted her bag, her knuckles turning pale as she gripped the strap. The proximity to the group felt perilous; she could feel Sarah’s observant eyes and Mike’s silent, heavy presence analyzing every detail of her 'stiff' arrival.

"Well, now that he has been successfully delivered," Tisha declared, her words clipped as she began to retreat toward the main hall, "I really must attend to my lecture. I have a great deal of material to cover and I am already behind schedule."

"Have a good day, Professor," Danny called out, waving a hand.

"Try not to be too harsh on him!" Sarah added, chuckling.

Tisha offered one last, tense nod before spinning around. She began to walk toward the building, her gait slow and rhythmic, with every stride a tactical battle of willpower.

The instant she was safely inside the heavy oak doors and removed from their sight, Danny turned back to Alex, his eyebrows arching toward his hairline. "Forcefully brought you here, huh? Man, whatever she did to you, you look far too smug for a guy who was just 'dragged' to school against his will."

"How are you three feeling? Be honest," Alex said, his voice dropping into a deeper, more serious register.

The shift in his aura was instantaneous. The playful student had vanished, replaced by the man who had confronted a Sovereign and emerged victorious.

In a bizarre, eerie synchronization, all three of them flashed a smile. It wasn't the typical grin of a morning greeting; it was a look of deep, primal satisfaction, as if a physical burden they hadn't realized they were carrying had been lifted.

"I cannot even find the words to describe it, man," Danny admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes brighter than Alex had ever witnessed. "I feel... sharp. As if the world suddenly stopped being so blurry."

"I feel phenomenal," Sarah added, her voice humming with newfound clarity. She looked down at her hands as if she anticipated them to be glowing with faint light. "I woke up today feeling as though I could run a marathon. It is as if every cell in my body has finally come to life."

Yet, it was Mike who demanded the most attention. The hulking man was practically vibrating, his massive chest heaving with slow, deep breaths. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his knuckles popping like small gunshots in the stillness of the quad.

"It is almost too much," Mike rumbled, his voice sounding like grinding stone. He looked at Alex, eyes wide with a combination of awe and raw, uncontained power.

"I am vibrating with intensity, Alex. I feel such an immense surge of power flowing through my body right now that I cannot keep still. My skin feels stretched taut. My muscles feel as if they are composed of coiled, high-tension springs."