"Come on Tess, you're already late!" Thessaly mutters to herself, slipping on her shoes in her bedroom.

She dashes down the stairs, and her mother calls her to have breakfast.

"It's okay, Mom, I'll grab something on campus. I'm late!"

"Take care, Tess!"

Thessaly speeds to college, arriving just in time. She hurtles through the doors and collides with a man she's never seen on campus before.

"I'm so sorry," she gasps.

The man, seeming somewhat surprised, steadies her by the arm but quickly lets go and looks at her intently. "Where are you rushing off to?"

Thessaly answers without stopping, "To class. There's a session with a new lecturer today; I can't be tardy on his first day—what will he think of me!"

"Ah, aiming to make a good first impression!"

"And to avoid trouble. Rumor has it he's the devil incarnate."

"Good luck, young lady."

Thessaly quickens her pace and arrives at the classroom. Her friend Dani is already there, looking anxious, and Thessaly takes the seat beside her.

To everyone's surprise, Professor Lurdes enters and announces that for today only, the schedule has changed and the new professor will start tomorrow.

Thessaly breathes a sigh of relief and settles into another day of learning.

During the break, she spots the same man, but he pretends not to see her, so Thessaly just watches him, saying nothing.

...----------------...

In the afternoon, Thessaly and Dani work on an assignment together, and Thessaly recounts her encounter with the man, making Dani laugh.

"So, you almost knocked him over?"

"Oh, Dani, don't remind me. How embarrassing. I turned the corner at full tilt and ran right into him, nearly sending us both crashing to the ground. Lucky for me, he's strong enough to hold us both up."

Danielle bursts out laughing, then changes the subject, telling Thessaly that the coming weekend looks promising.

"I dunno, Dani. I'm growing tired of these little parties."

Danielle rolls her eyes. "It's time for you to start living again."

"I am living just fine, darling."

"You know what I mean. How is it that with such liberal parents who don't confine you, allowing you to come and go without explanation, and yet you don't take advantage of it?"

Thessaly laughs. "Maybe that's precisely why I don't care. They always say forbidden fruit tastes sweeter."

Danielle laughs again, agreeing that it makes sense.

...----------------...

"Hey man, so how was college? Any cute girls?" Ilker inquires.

Can laughs. "Dude, don’t start. You know my rules."

Ilker chuckles. "No dating your students, none under 25, and so on."

Can laughs. "And the teachers—most are old enough to be my mother."

Ilker nudges him. "Why not break the rule just once?"

Can shakes his head. "And throw away my career over inexperienced girls? No thanks. Just today I bumped into a girl, couldn't be more than 19 or 20, late, scatterbrained, and clumsy. Not worth it."

Ilker laughs. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"

Can grins, pouring a drink. "You know, I've been running around stressed for days. Tonight, I'm going to relax. I called Elza; she'll send me one of her girls. I'll use her, pay her, and she'll leave. No attachments. That’s another rule of mine."

Ilker - "Never sleep with the same woman more than once."

Can - "Exactly!"

Ilker stands up. "Well, in that case, I'm off, champ. Tomorrow, that office is going to be on fire."

Can and Ilker are partners, running a highly esteemed law firm. Additionally, Can has dedicated himself to teaching and has become qualified enough to attract attention from the very college he aspired to be a part of. His efforts were so impressive that the college approached him—a reversal from his initial expectation of having to pursue the opportunity himself.

When he received the offer from Mr. Hazal to teach at Haldun University, he felt a deep sense of accomplishment. His whole life, his father had scoffed at his ambitions, telling him he'd never amount to anything. His father had mocked the opening of his law office as well, predicting it wouldn't last six months.

However, the father was forced to reconsider when Can triumphed over him in a high-profile court case, catapulting Can's name into the most prestigious newspapers.

Upon learning that his son was going to teach at the university he had always dreamed of, the father laughed dismissively, claiming it was an impossibility.

…----------------…

The next day, Thessaly arrived in the classroom early, engrossed in a criminal law book. As the class time approached, the room quickly filled up like an anthill. Daniele took a seat beside her, and soon they watched the new professor enter.

"Good morning everyone. I am Can Güner, your new Criminal Law professor."

Thessaly tensed, hoping the man wouldn't remember her comments from the day before, but his eyes promptly found hers. He looked at her with disdain and then started to outline his expectations for the class.

"And that's it, folks. No one here is a child. If you need to leave, feel free, but don't ask me to recap later."

The fashionistas in the class began primping and flipping their hair while Thessaly longed to disappear.

Can asked, "Would anyone like to discuss what you've studied so far in Criminal Law?"

Lissa, a conspicuously enhanced blonde, eagerly raised her hand and spoke nonsensically. Can regarded her with mockery and thanked her politely.

"Anyone else?" he continued.

The room silenced, then he locked eyes with Thessaly. "You, miss, can you tell us what you've learned so far?"

Pretending he hadn't meant her, Thessaly remained silent until Daniele nudged her, whispering that he was addressing her.

"No, not me," Thessaly replied.

Can smiled sardonically. "Yes, you."

Her palms sweaty with the anticipation of mockery, Thessaly took a deep breath and began detailing their studies. Can crossed his arms, listening intently.

"Damn," he thought. "She's much smarter than I had assumed."

"And that's all," Thessaly concluded.

"Okay, who's next?" Can asked the rest of the class.

Daniele was dumbfounded as another classmate began to ramble incessantly.

Daniele whispered to Thessaly, "I can't believe he didn't even say 'well done' after all you said."

"Not now, Dan," Thessaly replied.

Can turned their way. "Just a moment," he interrupted the verbose redhead, "it seems these two friends have more to share with the class."

Frozen, Thessaly watched as Daniele offered an awkward smile under the collective gaze of the class.

"It's nothing, Professor," Daniele assured him.

Can faced Thessaly. "Tell me, young lady, is it considered a crime to bear false witness against someone?"

Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, sir."

He cautioned the class, "This is why we must be careful with our words and not repeat everything we hear. Such behavior can be incredibly harmful to society."

The rest of the class seemed to stretch on for an eternity until the break finally came.

Can glanced at his luxury watch, bid the class farewell without looking back, and the students filed out, buzzing with enthusiasm about their impressive new professor.

Once Daniele and Thessaly were alone, Daniele grumbled, "What an insufferable man, and he picked on you."

Thessaly exhaled deeply. "He's the one I bumped into yesterday."

Daniele gasped. "Tess, you really find yourself in the strangest situations, and to think you called him the devil, well, that explains a lot," she said with a laugh.

In the following days, Thessaly and Can crossed paths only occasionally in the college hallways, yet he pretended not to notice her.

It's Saturday afternoon, and Can is sitting in the living room, popping open a drink, still surrounded by boxes waiting to be unpacked.

He has just moved into a new place, and specifically told the cleaning lady that he would organize his books himself because he dislikes anyone else touching them.

He remembers the challenge each book presented to obtain, the sweat and dreams involved, so he feels a particular attachment to each one.

Thessaly, meanwhile, is in her room fiddling with her phone when she recalls the new professor. Prompted by curiosity, she attempts to find him on social media but discovers that his profiles are private. She then searches for his name and realizes how renowned he is in his field.

"How embarrassing, Thessaly, it appears you don't keep up with the news," she thinks to herself.

The most prominent news story involving the man is when he triumphed over his own father in court. Her eyes widen as she delves deeper into the case, concluding that he is indeed a titan in the legal world.

"Can Güner, 29, single, born in Bosrun," she reads aloud.

She ponders for a moment - they should mention how sarcastic and mocking he can be.

Her musings are interrupted by Eva, the housekeeper, who opens the door suddenly - "Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Tess, I thought you'd gone out already; that’s why I didn't knock. Just here to put away some clothes."

Thessaly laughs off the intrusion. "It's okay, Eva. I'm not sure if I'll be going out. I'm undecided."

"Why doubt, girl? You're young, studied hard all week, why not go out and have fun? Your folks are out as well."

"Yeah, they won't be back until after dinner, right? And what about you, why are you still working?"

Eva chuckles. "I’m on my way out, dear. Going to pick up my grandson; I promised to take him to the water park this weekend."

"Have a great time," Thessaly says with a smile.

Eva plants a kiss on the girl's forehead before leaving.

Daniele eventually persuades Thessaly to go out after much insistence.

As usual, they visit an upscale, pricey, and tranquil bar.

At the counter, Dani grabs a drink and, turning swiftly, bumps into a man, spilling half of her drink on his shirt.

Dani feels her neck heat up in embarrassment. "Please forgive me," she implores.

Ilker responds with a smile, "Only if you tell me your name."

The lady returns the smile. "Daniele."

Upon asking who she’s with, Dani mentions she came with a friend. They approach Thessaly, who laughs as Dani introduces her and shares their collision story.

Daniele - "She laughs, but she's also prone to bumping into others."

Thessaly - "Unfortunately, it doesn't always end up this well."

Ilker laughs. "For me, it was a pleasure."

After they exchange a few more words, Dani and Ilker head off to dance.

Later, Ilker mentions that a friend was supposed to join but had to cancel over personal matters.

Thessaly senses the connection between the two and decides it's time for her to leave. She winks at her friend and makes her exit.

She drives home, contemplative, greets the security guards, and enters her home.

After a quick shower, she reminisces about Ozgur, her ex-boyfriend.

Then, she receives a text from Daniele, indicating she won’t be returning to Thessaly's place tonight.

Thessaly chuckles, but as she tosses her phone on the couch, she recalls seeing some notes about Can earlier in the day.

"It can't be. Ilker?"

She reopens her searches and confirms that the two men are business partners.