༻ Livia ༺

Sarem scowled. There it was again - another knock at his front door.

Visitors at his residence were a special rarity. Even his closest friends knew better than to disturb the writer in his sacred sanctuary. The only signs of life that could be heard from outside his apartment were the occasional footsteps of the milkman or the muffled grunts of the mailman wrestling with his overflowing mailbox outside. But never a knock.

Especially not at 7:30 in the damn morning.

With a groggy groan, Sarem sat up, too indifferent to change out of his sweaty vest and underwear. He scratched his backside, muttering under his breath as he dragged his feet toward his front door. A tired eyes hovered inches away from the peephole, peering outside.

Livia.

The moment his gaze settled on her, she immediately perked up and turned her attention toward the small hole in the centre of the door, flashing a knowing smile as though she could sense he was watching. She waved at him.

Sarem stumbled back, nearly tripping over a pair of shoes he had messily left by the entrance. He caught himself before landing, body stiffening and beads of sweat slid all the way down to his clenched jaw. How the hell had she found his address?

Then again, this was Livia. The crazy one. Of course, she'd track him down.

His mind raced, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to generate a quick escape plan inside his head. Maybe he could crawl back to bed and pretend he wasn't home. But knowing Livia, she'd probably camp outside until he let her in - or worse, make a scene and try to break down the door. And Sarem couldn't afford that. Not with her of all people. Even if no concrete proof of their past entanglements existed, he was still at her mercy. He didn't want to risk Livia flapping her lips about their hookups and spreading rumours. His reputation wouldn't stand a chance.

With a defeated sigh, he unlatched the lock - but cautiously kept the chain on.

"Livia," he hissed, voice barely above a whisper. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you too, Sarem." Her tone amused, but a flicker of irritation crossed her face. After their last sensual encounter, she had expected a slightly warmer welcome. His hostility was... certainly disappointing.

"I'll tell you why I'm here," she continued, "but you might want to let me in first."

"Jesus- Liv, what do you want? Didn't we agree we'd never see each other again after that night? We can't keep doing this. You know that."

Livia tilted her head, smirking. "Let me in, and I'll explain. Or... don't. If you'd rather I announce it here, I'll be sure to put on a superb performance for your lovely, rich neighbours. I'm sure they'd enjoy listening in on our morning scandal."

Sarem's square jaw tightened. She wasn't bluffing.

With a reluctant sigh, he undid the chain and stepped aside. Livia didn't hesitate for one second. She strolled in like she owned the place, taking in her surroundings with a reverent fascination. She inhaled deeply, absorbing the scent of him - the faint musk of sweat, ink and old books. Her delicate fingers traced over his belongings: bookshelves haphazardly stacked, framed photographs of family and long-gone pets. Her hand paused at a picture of a smiling couple cradling a newborn.

"You don't need to be so on edge, Sarem," she murmured, running a fingertip over the baby's face in the photo. She didn't even need to turn around to detect her former professor's discomfort. Sarem narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't let you in here to admire my interior decorating. What do you want?"

Livia faced him, her pink lips curling into a mysterious smile. "It's good news, actually."

"It can't be good news if you're here."

She laughed at this. "Always the charmer."

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a small white object and tossed it toward him. Instinctively, Sarem flinched, juggling the item between his hands for a second. He had half-expected a weapon.

"Relax," she teased. "It's nothing scary. I just peed on it~"

He stared at the object in his palm.

A pregnancy test.

Positive.

For a long moment, he was silent. And then, to Livia's surprise-

He laughed.

"Ahahaha. Oh, Liv. This is... well... you tried, at least. What a sorry joke. You're going to have to try harder than that. I mean seriously? Did a friend give you this or did you get knocked up by some other guy? Actually, you don't need to tell me. It's all pointless information. You and I both know that I used a condom each and everything time we did it."

Livia did not react to his laughter nor his cocky response. Her rose-coloured irises, eerily soulless and indifferent, continued to pierce into his own. Watching as he threw the pregnancy test into a nearby trash bin full of crumpled up a paper. Even after the fact, Sarem continued to chuckle to himself at this pathetic attempt at getting back at him.

But then, Livia began smiling. She joined in with his laughter which caused him to stop.

"Yes, Sarem. You used a condom." She tilted her head playfully. "And so did I."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ahaha, you mean-" He froze, taking a step back. His eyes returned to the bin. "Wait. D-Don't tell me you-"

"It's yours, Sarem. Or should I say ours? I think that sounds nicer. It means we're in this together."

Sarem's stomach dropped. His smirk, once confident and mocking, faltered.

"You're lying," he said, though his voice lacked conviction.

Livia only smiled wider, a slow, knowing grin that made his skin crawl.

"Is that a chance you would like to take, Sarem? I would be more than happy to get a DNA test once the child is born. It'll just provide me with even more evidence. I mean come on. You're a smart man, professor. As your most 'gifted student,' surely you'd have known I'd find a way."

A silence stretched between them. Ever since the incident where Livia threatened his other student, he knew she was no better than a crazed dog off its leash. A wild card. But he had never anticipated this level of obsessiveness. His past victims were so easy to pay off. Why was Livia so different? What did he have that made her so infatuated with him of all people? He exhaled, forcing himself to sound calm.

"Fine. How much do you want?"

Livia blinked in disbelief, then laughed as though he had said something truly outrageous. "Excuse me?"

"Money," Sarem said, rubbing his temples. "I'll pay you. However much you want. Enough to get rid of it and to make sure you never contact me again."

Livia's expression darkened. She slowly walked over to the nearby mantelpiece and plucked one of the photos of Sarem when he was in his early 20s, examining it with delicate fingers. She turned her eyes back to him - no longer amused. Unreadable.

"You really think you can pay me off? You think that's what it's all about? That I'm just some money-hungry whore here to feed off your wealth?"

Sarem swallowed hard, his voice beginning to sound shaky as he spoke. "I'll make it worth your while."

Livia chuckled under her breath. "You still don't get it, do you?" She pulled out a mini cassette recorder from her handbag and teasingly clicked the red side button. A second later, his own voice filled the room.

"You're absolutely intoxicating, Liv. I don't think I've ever wanted a student this much before."

His blood ran cold.

The recording continued, his past self murmuring flirtatious words - reckless damning confessions spoken in hushed tones in between soft moans and grunts. The sort of things that, if exposed, would not only ruin his career but his life as a whole. The recording stopped and Livia raised an eyebrow.

"I have more, you know. Plenty of little moments like this. Our romantic evenings together, they were just so special. I just had to keep a recording of each and every one of those precious things you said to me."

Sarem's hands balled into fists. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

"And that's not even the best part," she continued, voice syrupy sweet. "See, I'm not the only one. I've spoken to some of your other students - ones you were a little too friendly with." She traced a finger along the rim of a used coffee cup sitting on his desk. "A few of them are quite eager to talk. All they need is a little push. I'm sure with a bit of encouragement and reassurance, they would be happy to support me when I go sobbing to the police station."

Sarem's breathing became shallow. His mind reeled for an escape, some way to regain control of the situation - like he always had - but every road led to disaster. If this got out, there was no point in even living anymore.

"I...I can fix this," he muttered, more to himself than her, as he hunched over and desperately tried to control his nerves.

Livia leaned in, visibly enjoying the scene of her once-dominating, sexy professor reduced to a ball of anxiety.

"You can," she whispered. "By marrying me."

Sarem jerked back, his expression almost offended by the suggestion.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind!?"

"Not at all," she said smoothly. "It's simple, really. You become my husband, we raise out child together, and your secrets stay buried."

Sarem stared at her, horrified. "I'd rather die."

Livia only smiled. "Then starting writing your resignation letter, professor."

A muscle twitched in his jaw. Marriage. To Livia. His life, his career, his freedom - all held in her dainty yet iron grip. He wanted to fight back, to claw his way out of his this nightmare, but he knew it was all pointless. She had already won. With no other choice, he exhaled shakily and forced out the words that sealed his very fate.

"...fine."

Livia brushed past him, her perfume scent clinging to his nostrils as she approached the door. She giggled quietly to herself. "Good boy. I'll be waiting."

[Author's Note: This chapter is crazy rushed. I'm so so sorry. Honestly, I've been struggling to write it so I just wanted to get it out of the way. I'll (hopefully) come back and rewrite it some time in the future to make it better. I just wanted to let you know that I'm aware of the drop in quality. Please don't annihilate me, mother.]