Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 1009 : The Worst Class

*Bianca*

Professor Kramer, had a personal vendetta against me. That much was obvious.

The moment I joined his class, his eyes locked on me, and the usual mocking glint sparkled in them.

Maybe it was because I’m pregnant, maybe because I was a woman, or maybe he just didn’t like the way I held myself, but whatever it is, it’s like he has a reason to make my life miserable.

I’ve always been a dedicated student.

Professor Kramer lectured and I tapped away on my laptop, taking notes.

I don’t even need to look at him to feel his eyes boring into me.

What’s his problem, anyway? My GPA should speak for itself. But not with this guy.

“Bianca,” he calls my name.

I froze and looked into my webcam to meet his eyes. “Yes?”

“I’ve written a problem on the board. I’d like you to explain the correct business solution from the course material to solve this problem.” He wrapped his knuckles on the white board behind him.

I glanced over the problem and frowned. My stomach sank.

I’d studied the material diligently, but his problem wasn’t something we’d covered.

More than that, it was an ethical dilemma, not a problem that needed a business solution.

No one could answer that based on his requirements.

The rest of my classmates were muted on the call but the silence felt heavier than usual. My professor’s eyes were the worst. So judgmental with a smug smirk on his lips.

“Uh...” I stammered, trying to gather my thoughts.

“Well, Bianca? You should know the answer to this. This is basic stuff. You’re pregnant, so I suppose you’ve been distracted?” he said with a sneer. “No wonder you’re not keeping up.”

“I...”

“Do you have ‘Mom Brain’ all of a sudden? Has the answer escaped you? Or are you just unprepared?”

I felt a rush of heat to my face.

He’s doing this on purpose, mocking me for my pregnancy.

I could feel my body tense up, but I refused to let him see how much it was getting to me. I fought back the lump in my throat.

“Actually, Professor Kramer, the solution to this doesn’t seem to be working based on the information provided. The variables don’t add up to a business solution from the material we’ve covered in this course,” I said, trying to remain as calm and composed as possible.

My hands shook under the table and I clenched them into fists.

“Too complex for you, maybe,” he said with a smirk. “It’s not that complicated, and you should be focusing on your studies. Maybe if you spent less time on your belly and more time on your brain, you wouldn’t be so behind.”

My heart raced in my chest. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tucked my hands under my thighs to keep them from shaking.

Everyone was staring at me through their webcams. Or, it felt like it. They must know the problem was ridiculous and meant to humiliate me.

But what could any of them do? I didn’t want their help. This was my battle.

“Professor Kramer, I don’t appreciate you making assumptions about my abilities because I’m pregnant,” I said, my voice colder than I intended. “I’m fully capable of handling my coursework and I’ve always kept up with the other students.”

He laughed and flicked his wrist at me. “You’ll see. Women like you have your place, and it’s not at the top. Maybe this is too much for you. Maybe you should just stick to serving your husband and forget about this nonsense.”

I bit my tongue to keep from shouting.

How dare he say something like that!?

This was the twenty-first century. Women ran companies and had families. They went to school with babies. Why was he such an ass about this?

Words rose up in my throat, but I held them back. As much as I wanted to scream at him, I couldn’t.

I needed this class but I also wanted to prove him wrong about me.

I took a deep breath and steadied a hard, cold glare at him. “I’m here to learn. I’ll handle it just fine, thank you.”

He grinned at my response, clearly enjoying the tension he caused. “Fine, then. Answer the question, or log out and come back when you are more prepared.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. My pregnancy hormones kicked on and tears stung my eyes.

Dammit, why did this have to happen now!?

I blinked them back quickly and tried to recover. There had to be an answer that would satisfy him, or serve him some of what he was dishing out.

He laughed again. “And here come the water works. Women are too emotional to be in business, especially in leadership roles.”

I opened my mouth to respond but suddenly, the laptop was yanked across the table until the camera focused on Leo.

“Leo?” I whispered.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said in a warm tone as he smiled into the camera.

Why was he here? I didn’t even hear him come in.

His gaze landed on me for a moment and I could tell he’d been listening to the way I was being berated. His expression darkened immediately.

I took my laptop back, trying to ignore him, but I couldn’t help but feel a pang of embarrassment. Leo’s presence just added to everything.

“Bianca, I believe you should know the answer to this,” Callahan said, turning his attention to me again. “But since you can’t manage it, I guess you’ll have to go back to—”

I didn’t hear the rest of the sentence.

Before I could stop him, Leo grabbed my laptop and faced it toward him again. He took control of the keyboard.

“Professor Kramer, you’ve made a mistake,” Leo said, his voice low and unyielding.

“It’s ‘Professor,’ and who are you? You’re not in this class!” Callahan tried to reach for the laptop but Leo snatched it away.

“I’m Leo Valentino,” Leo introduced. “I’m the CEO of a multi-million-dollar real estate business, and I’m perfectly qualified to speak on this topic. I dropped by to audit your class and see what you’re teaching the next generation of business leaders.” He smirked at the other students.

My heart stopped and I knew I was red all over. If I could sink down in my seat, I would, but my large belly made that impossible.

“Well, Mr. Valentino, your input is always welcome.”

“Is that so? Then listen up, because I don’t appreciate how you’ve been speaking to my fiance.” He glared at the professor.

Callahan was at a loss for words and it felt like everyone else on the call was hanging onto every word.

If the earth could just swallow me up, that would be great.

“Your idea that women and business don’t mix is antiquated and if that’s what you’re teaching, perhaps the school’s ethics board would be interested in your discriminatory tactics.”

“Now see here, Mr. Valentino-”

“Some of the most formidable and worthy colleagues and rivals I’ve had in business are both women and mothers,” Leo continued. “And Bianca is more capable than any of them.”

Why was this happening to me? My face burned and I tried to disappear into the wall behind me.

No such luck.

“As for your little problem,” he threw his hand toward the white board, “Unless this is an ethics in business class, which it doesn’t seem to be, you’re not qualified to pose ethical questions in a business setting. The way you attacked my fiance makes that perfectly clear.”

“That’s none of your business!” Callahan huffed and puffed out his chest.

“I thought my input was always welcome,” Leo challenged with a smirk. “But if I hear that you’re disrespecting any of your students again, especially the women, I’ll have that chat with the college ethics board.”

Leo turned the laptop back to me and left.

My heart pounded as I stared into the camera.

Callahan’s jaws went slack and he didn’t seem to know what to say. He quickly mumbled something about resuming next class and shut off his feed.

I ended the call with the class and sat in my chair, numb.

I didn’t know what to feel anymore. On one hand, I was relieved Leo stood up for me, but on the other, I felt so exposed, so small.

I didn’t need him to do that. I wanted to handle this on my own.

I stood, gripping the desk, trying to steady myself. I couldn’t look at Leo when he walked back into the room.

“Bianca...” His voice was softer now.

“Don’t,” I snapped. “Don’t do that again! I didn’t ask for you to fight my battles for me. I don’t need you to rescue me.”

“That guy was being an ass,” he said, frowning.

I turn away from him, blinking back the sting of tears. “I’m not some damsel in distress. I can take care of myself.”

Leo didn’t say anything for a long moment. I could feel the weight of his gaze on my back, his presence in the room heavy.

“I know you can,” he finally said. He came up behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders. “But I couldn’t stand the way he was treating you. You deserve respect, Bianca.”

I turned to face him, my anger slowly deflating.

He looked guilty, like he really regretted stepping in.

“I just... I just wanted to do this on my own,” I whispered, feeling the emotions well up again. “I wanted to show I could handle things, that I could do this without needing you to fight my battles.”

Leo pulled me closer until I could lean against his chest. “I get it. But if it ever gets to be too much, if you feel like you need help, I’ll always be here. I won’t interfere unless you ask me to.”

I nodded, taking a shaky breath. He was right. I knew he’s trying to protect me, but I also needed to grow stronger, to do this on my own.

“I... I’m sorry I snapped at you,” I said quietly.

Leo smiled softly, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “You don’t need to apologize. I just want you to know I’m here, no matter what.”

I leaned into him, suddenly exhausted. “Can you help me study? You have the same degree I’m going for.”

Leo chuckled, a genuine smile spreading across his face. “Of course. I’ll be your study buddy.”

He sat on the couch, and I curled up in his lap, the textbooks spread out in front of us. It’s strange, but with him beside me, it felt easier. Less lonely.

As we went over the material, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to do everything on my own. Not if I didn’t want to.