Hurt Me Like You Mean It [BL]-Chapter 52: The scandal(1)

Valentino laughed.

It was a low, ugly sound, the kind that crawled under the skin. He straightened his coat after being shoved, his eyes gleaming with sick amusement instead of fear.

"Relax..." he said lightly. "I was just appreciating art. You should be flattered...very few men get to see something that beautiful."

Ansel didn’t respond immediately.

He reached into his jacket, slow and deliberate, letting the silence stretch until Valentino’s grin finally faltered.

"You like watching?" Ansel said calmly. Too calmly. "Then listen carefully."

He stepped closer, voice dropping.

"I can make one phone call and have your name dragged through every academic board in this country. Sexual misconduct. Abuse of authority. Hidden surveillance in a faculty office." His eyes bored into Valentino’s. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"You won’t even get a chance to defend yourself."

Valentino swallowed but forced a smirk.

"You don’t have proof."

Ansel leaned in. "I don’t need proof. I have money, influence, and people who enjoy ruining lives."

He grabbed Valentino by the collar again, this time harder, slamming him into the wall so violently the framed certificates rattled.

"I can end your career.." Ansel continued, voice cold and precise.

"I can make sure you never teach again. Or—" his grip tightened "—I can make you disappear so quietly they’ll say you moved abroad."

Valentino’s breath hitched.

"And if you ever look at him again," Ansel added, eyes dark, "I’ll make sure the last thing you think about is how badly you should’ve kept your mouth shut."

The room was dead silent.

Finally—slowly—Valentino lifted a shaking hand and pointed to his bag.

"Laptop" he muttered. "I’ll show you."

Ansel released him with a shove.

Valentino opened the device, hands trembling now, no bravado left. He pulled up the footage. Ansel watched for exactly two seconds before reaching forward

"Delete it."

Valentino hesitated.

Ansel’s hand slammed down on the desk.

"Now."

The file vanished.

Ansel yanked out the external memory drive attached to the side and snapped it clean in half, tossing the pieces onto the desk like trash.

He also told Valentino to bring out all the cameras and he destroyed all of them before leaving.

Ansel straightened, his eyes burning.

"If I hear your name anywhere near Lance again.." he said quietly, "you won’t live long enough to regret it."

Ansel turned and walked out without another word.

But Ansel had enemies.

And Professor Valentino was not stupid enough to keep only one copy.

The next morning, every major news outlet carried the same headline.

"University Professor Found Dead in Office; Explicit Student Footage Discovered"

The report played on loop.

"Authorities confirmed that Valentino Vonstein, a professor in San Francisco State University was found deceased in his office early this morning. Preliminary findings suggest a fatal heart attack."

The screen cut to blurred images of campus police and forensic teams.

"Investigators revealed that the professor was allegedly masturbating to an explicit footage involving a fourth-year student, who was identified to be a Lance Dixion, who is the department’s top student and an unidentified man at the time of death. Sources confirm hidden recording equipment was discovered in the office."

Lance’s name echoed through the room.

"The university has declined to comment."

This completely shattered Lance’s reputation—and worst of all, he didn’t even know.

The café felt suffocating when he walked in, the usual hum of orders and espresso machines now punctuated by stares and whispered remarks.

"Is that... him?" a woman murmured, pointing discreetly toward the counter.

"He’s the one in the news! The one from that footage..." another whispered.

Lance’s hands trembled slightly as he reached for an apron.

Mariah stepped up, phone in hand, a mix of pity and disbelief on her face. "You need to see this," she said softly, sliding the device across the counter.

The video clip from the news flashed on the screen. His face, his body—everything broadcast for the world to see.

He barely registered the stares around him as he slipped outside, muttering under his breath.

Oh my God.

Just how did this happen?

How? When?

Lance suddenly felt dizzy all of a sudden as he gave Mariah the phone back.

"Thank you for showing me this. I think I’ll go home now.."

He took off the apron and practically ran out of the cafe.

Although he kept his head down, he felt as though every single eye on the street was on him.

"Just how on earth did this happen? My life is ruined. Fuck.."

His phone buzzed like crazy in his pants.

Calls came relentlessly: his mum, his dad, Lev, Henry... and the one person he wanted to hear from most, Ansel, was conspicuously silent.

He jumped into a taxi, ignoring the driver’s polite attempts at conversation.

All he wanted was to return to his apartment, away from the public’s judging eyes.

Lance felt his eyes water but he quickly dried his eyes.

It’s not like this was his first scandal.

By the time he reached his apartment, his hands were trembling. He paced back and forth, the world outside feeling increasingly hostile.

He had called Ansel, God knows how much he had called this man and how many messages he had sent.

But no reply, he didn’t pick up and he wasn’t replying his messages.

Lance bit his lips, so hard he could taste the warm, metallic tinge of blood in his mouth.

Did Ansel abandon him too?

Lance wiped his eyes, he didn’t know what to do anymore.

He didn’t even do anything, he had kept his distance from professor Valentino so why was his business all over the internet.

Lance clicked on the news channel in his phone and this time, the comment section sprawled below the video.

The words hit him harder than the broadcast itself.

[@CreepyWatcher: That professor... what the hell is wrong with him? Masturbating to a video of a student? Absolutely disgusting!]

[@ShamelessLad: Lance Dixion... you actually let yourself be filmed like that? Unreal.]

[@NoFilter123: So the guy in the video is 24? Trending for all the wrong reasons.]

[@AngryBird: This is sick. The professor dies and Lance is being dragged through the mud. Poor kid.]

[@HotTakeKing: I can’t believe people are defending him. He’s part of the video too, don’t forget.]

[@JusticeSeeker: Someone needs to investigate the school. How is this allowed to happen?]

[@WatcherInShadows: I almost feel sorry for him... but damn, this is wild.]