Chapter 5: Reporting In

Words : 1349 Updated : Sep 18th, 2025

Her legs had gone wobbly beneath her, all jelly as she walked. She'd just worn herself out; even Winona Zuniga could tell Briana Lyson was spent. As Briana drifted by, Winona's face turned icy cold. "You shameless thing-you really went for it!" "Heh. You wanted proof-we gave it to you," Briana shot back, then sashayed away. Just then, Nixon Walker stepped out as well, wearing a smug, self-satisfied grin. "Not bad, kid. You've got guts," Winona said, her eyes flashing with mockery. "Finn Warth says you're here on teaching support. But do you even know who that woman was?" Nixon's heart gave a jolt, but he kept his smile in place, waiting for her to continue. "You even dared to mess with Pablo's wife. Quite a move for someone here on teaching support." Winona patted his shoulder, turned, and walked off. She didn't care anymore. Even if Finn had tangled with Briana before, so what? After sleeping with Nixon-and knowing Briana's temperament-how could she ever pine for Finn again, that ordinary, forgettable man? When Nixon heard Briana was Pablo's wife, shock flashed across his face. The look he shot Finn turned dark. Damn it. Was Finn trying to set him up? Pablo was his immediate superior. He'd just slept with Pablo's wife. If Pablo found out, how was he supposed to keep his job-or even keep breathing easy? Winona walked away. Finn sat there scowling, lost in his own thoughts, ignoring Nixon's hostile glare. After a long moment, he sighed. "Nixon, here's your certification letter-it's already stamped." He handed over the document. Nixon shot him a frosty look. "Briana Lyson is Pablo's wife. Why didn't you tell me?" Finn shrugged. "I thought you knew. Oh, and her husband trained in kickboxing." He dropped the act. If he couldn't be with Briana anymore, he was happy to dump all the trouble on Nixon. Rage surged through Nixon, so strong he couldn't even speak. Finn really had no shame, saying something like that with a straight face. Nixon snorted, snatched the letter, and strode out. Behind him, Finn watched him leave, his eyes filled with envy, shading into jealousy. If only he had Nixon's kind of, well, equipment-then he would've had Winona wrapped around his finger. And Mckenzie Looske, and Briana Lyson too, one after another. Best of all, he pictured a huge bed, all in the same bed under one big blanket. That, he told himself, was a real man's dream. But it was only a dream. Finn's prowess was nothing to brag about, and Winona had nearly caught him today. He figured he'd better keep his head down for a while. Otherwise, Winona's brother, the town's deputy mayor, was no joke. One word from him and Finn's stint as village head would be over. As for Nixon, he stormed out of the Village Committee Office, huffing as he dragged his suitcase. The school was easy to find. Just look for the national flag flying high-that's Cloude Primary School. Nixon trudged along with his suitcase, his thoughts a tangled mess. No wonder Briana had said they'd be meeting again soon. So she was Pablo's wife. Pablo would be his future boss. He'd slept with the man's wife. If Pablo found out, how was he supposed to carry on? The more he thought about it, the more it gnawed at him. Before he knew it, he was at the school gate. Classes had let out a while ago. Only the security guard was sitting at the gate. Seeing Nixon lugging a suitcase, the old man called out, "Young man, you're from out of town, right? What brings you here?" Nixon took a breath, smoothed his expression, and managed a smile. "Hello, sir. I'm here on teaching support. My name's Nixon Walker. You can just call me Nixon." "So you're the new teaching support teacher!" Ian's eyes lit up with delight. "That's great-the first graders finally have a teacher." Hearing that, Nixon felt a pang in his chest. In big-city schools, every class had several teachers and every subject was covered. Here in this little mountain village, they couldn't even staff a single teacher. These kids really had it rough. Only then did he fully grasp the weight on his shoulders. He had to teach these children well. "Since you just got here, you should check in at Pablo's office. I'll take you-Pablo's in right now," Ian said. Nixon nodded. "Thank you, sir." They walked side by side toward Pablo's office. Ian chatted about the school along the way, but Nixon barely heard a word. He'd just slept with Pablo's wife, and now he was about to meet the man. No wonder his stomach was in knots and his heart was racing.

Chapter 5: Reporting In

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