"Next time," he said, his voice a dangerous whisper, "ask me. I'd hate to see my best teacher break her neck for a piece of paper."
Alina clutched the file against her chest, trying to calm the tremor in her hands. "Thank you… Principal."
Dante's mouth curved in that half-smile that always felt more like a threat than a smile. He finally stepped back, but his eyes never left hers like he was marking every little crack she tried to hide.
"Anything else?" he asked, voice cool again but his gaze, that dark and mysterious stayed there, burning into her skin long after she turned and fled from his office.
***
Best teacher.
The words stuck in Alina's head like a secret spark as she held the green file against her chest. When she finally left his office, her cheeks were still warm, her heart doing tiny flips in her chest.
