Chapter 3: The Goddess Teacher's Secret!

"Screeech-" Christian Yale yanked the wheel and slammed the brakes, skidding to a stop at the curb. Then he leaned over, caught Yasmin Yonwin by the shoulders, and pressed her back into the passenger seat. Her gaze had gone unfocused. Heat flushed her cheeks. Every breath she drew came out scalding, the drug's effects already taking hold… Christian didn't waste a second. He brought two fingers together like a blade and jabbed them against the point at the center of her chest, then pushed his energy through. The next instant, a gentle yet resilient current flowed into her. "Mmh…" Yasmin shivered. A soft, involuntary moan slipped from her throat, and her whole body seemed to melt. Christian kept going. His fingers shifted from point to point, his breathing steady, his energy unbroken. He sent another pulse. Then another. Wherever something felt blocked, he struck that spot again and again, forcing the flow through… It only took a moment. Yasmin's ragged breathing gradually evened out. The watery haze in her eyes faded, replaced by the dazed panic of someone snapping back to herself. "Ch… Christian Yale?" Recognition hit her. She recoiled as if startled, jerking away from him and shrinking deep into the seat, arms wrapped tight around herself. "I'm sorry." Her hair fell forward, hiding half her bloodless face. "And… thank you for saving me. But what happened tonight… could you not tell anyone?" Being seen in that humiliating state by a former student… Her thoughts tangled into a knot. Christian hesitated, words rising to his tongue and dying there. He didn't dare press her, afraid he'd set her off again, so he only nodded. Yasmin said nothing else. She quietly straightened her dress and reached for the door. "Yasmin, I'll take you home," Christian said quickly. Yasmin shook her head without looking at him. "No." "But you're like this-" "I said no." She got out, unsteady on her feet. She flagged down a taxi, then disappeared into the night. Christian stepped on the gas and followed without hesitation. Something about tonight was wrong. Especially… When he had pushed his energy into Yasmin, he had discovered a secret that made his scalp prickle. A married woman… was still a virgin. And he had just used the Inheritance's power. The yin-yang balance inside his body had already been disrupted. What that might do to Yasmin was still unknown. At the very least, he needed to see with his own eyes that his beautiful teacher was safe… Half an hour later, Christian tailed the taxi into a high-end Residential Area. He followed Yasmin at a distance. He watched the elevator stop on the fifteenth floor. Christian turned and sprinted up the stairs. The moment he pushed open the fire door, a man's impatient voice came from an apartment across the hall, its door left slightly ajar. "Did he agree to keep his mouth shut?" Christian's heart tightened. His instincts screamed at him. There was something here. He moved to the crack without hesitation and pulled out his phone… Inside the apartment, a man in pajamas with gold-rimmed glasses had a grip on Yasmin's wrist. Christian recognized him. Xander Zorn, the high school principal's son, Yasmin's husband. Yasmin yanked her arm free, her voice trembling with fury. "Xander Zorn! You told me it was just one drink!" "But I didn't expect… you animal. You wanted to hide that you're gay. You were scared your dad would cut you off if he found out, so you actually…" "Sent your own wife to someone else's bed? Are you even human?!" Smack! A brutal slap cracked across Yasmin's face. She stumbled and slammed into the shoe cabinet. Xander's features twisted, and he jabbed a finger at her as he spat his words. "Animal?" "When your dad was on his last legs, if I hadn't thrown in fifty grand to keep him breathing in that hospital, he'd have been dead already!" "And everything you eat, wear, and use, which one of those wasn't paid for by the Zorn family?" "You think you can divorce me and be done after just one drink?"" "Unless you spit back every cent I spent on you, I can do whatever I want with you!" "Talk! Did you serve Young Master Chen properly? Was he satisfied or not?" Yasmin covered her cheek and stared at the respectable-looking man in front of her. The last bit of light in her eyes went out. Just then, Xander's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, and his expression changed. He snatched it up. "Hello, Young Master Chen? Don't worry, Yasmin is back already… What? She ran? You didn't have someone send her back?" A furious roar erupted from the other end, cursing his ancestors for eighteen generations. Xander bent at the waist again and again. "Young Master Chen, please don't be angry. I'll bring her over right away to apologize!" The call ended. Xander's face went ashen with rage. He seized Yasmin by the hair and dragged her toward the door. "Bitch! You dared run back on your own? You ruined my whole plan. I'll kill you! Come with me and kneel to Young Master Chen and beg forgiveness!" "Let go! I'd rather die than go!" Yasmin fought like mad. Xander hauled harder. "You don't get to choose! Move!" Christian couldn't take it anymore. He kicked the door open. "Bang!" The door slammed into the wall. Xander whipped around in shock, and before he could even see who it was, a heavy kick crashed into his stomach. "Argh!" He cried out and released her, staggering backward into the coffee table. "Christian Yale?" Yasmin stared at him, stunned. Christian stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body. His eyes locked on Xander, cold as ice. "Touch her again. Go on. Try it." Xander clutched his abdomen and struggled to his feet, face contorted. "Who the hell are you? You dare meddle in my family business?" "I'm Yasmin's former student." Christian lifted his phone. The recording played on speaker. "Tsk, tsk… Never would've guessed. The 'brother-in-law' who used to blush just looking at female students wasn't only gay, he also liked handing his wife over to other men?" "Damn it!" Xander's face drained. "Yasmin, you bitch. You teamed up with an outsider to set me up?" Yasmin opened her mouth to explain. Xander didn't let her. In a blind rage, he grabbed a fruit knife from the coffee table and lunged at Christian. "Watch out!" Yasmin screamed. Christian stayed calm. To him, Xander's movements looked slow as a snail. He wrapped an arm around Yasmin and shifted aside. His right hand formed a claw, snapping onto Xander's wrist. He twisted lightly- Crack! A crisp sound of bone splitting rang out. The knife clattered to the floor. "My hand!" Xander dropped to his knees, clutching his wrist and howling. Christian was surprised too. He had only reacted on instinct, using a joint-locking technique from the Inheritance. He hadn't expected it to be this terrifying. He had actually… snapped his teacher's husband's wrist. "If you dare lay a hand on Yasmin again, I promise tomorrow's top story at Valia High School will be this beautiful recording of yours." "And when that happens…" "It won't just be you. Your dad will go down with you." After tossing out those words, Christian grabbed Yasmin's hand and left. Back in the car, he handed her a tissue and softened his voice. "Yasmin, are you okay?" Yasmin took it, but her eyes slowly drifted, unfocused again. Then she whispered, "From this day on… who I'm with is my decision." Christian froze. "What?" Without warning, Yasmin climbed into his lap and reached for his belt. "Yasmin, calm down-" Christian hurried to pin her hand, but her burning lips sealed his words away. His mind jolted. Damn it! Yin and yang were out of balance. The Inheritance was cursing him… … At the same time, a figure sprinted out of the Residential Area like a madman.