Between Lessons

Hawthorne University was the most prestigious university in Sydney.

Every year, thousands of students from across Australia competed for a place within its historic halls, but only a small number were accepted. Its graduates included influential politicians, renowned researchers, successful entrepreneurs, and members of some of the country’s wealthiest families.

For Claire Hayes, however, receiving her acceptance letter had meant something entirely different.

It meant that all the years she had spent studying alone after everyone else had gone to sleep had finally been worth it.

Claire’s parents had died in a car accident when she was still a child. With no relatives willing or able to take responsibility for her, she had been sent to an orphanage.

No one there had expected her to enter a university like Hawthorne.

Some considered such dreams unrealistic for a girl without money, family connections, or anyone capable of opening doors for her. Claire possessed nothing except her determination, and she had refused to let anyone convince her that it was not enough.

She studied relentlessly, earned exceptional grades, and eventually received a full academic scholarship.

Now, standing before Hawthorne University’s imposing iron gates, Claire could hardly believe she had made it.

Beyond them stood magnificent sandstone buildings surrounded by perfectly maintained gardens. Ivy climbed the walls of the oldest structures, while broad pathways connected the lecture halls, libraries, and residential buildings.

Students filled the campus, their excited voices blending with the music playing somewhere near the central courtyard.

Claire tightened her fingers around the strap of her bag.

This was supposed to be the beginning of her new life.

She took a slow breath and stepped through the gates.

The university was far more crowded than she had anticipated. Senior students wearing Hawthorne badges had gathered near the entrance to welcome the freshmen. Some distributed maps and schedules, while others called out directions or enthusiastically invited new students to join campus organizations.

“First-year students, registration is on the left!”

“Anyone staying in the east dormitory, follow the blue signs!”

“Welcome to Hawthorne!”

Claire stopped for a moment, overwhelmed by the activity surrounding her.

She had never felt comfortable in large crowds. At the orphanage, she had learned to remain quiet and avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Even now, surrounded by people who knew nothing about her past, that habit remained.

A group of senior students suddenly approached several freshmen near her. Their loud greetings startled Claire, and she instinctively stepped backward.

Someone collided with her shoulder.

The impact knocked the folder from her hands and sent several papers scattering across the stone pathway. Claire lost her balance as she attempted to catch them, but her foot slipped from beneath her.

Before she could fall completely, a strong hand caught her arm.

“Careful.”

Claire looked up.

The man standing before her was tall, with broad shoulders and neatly styled black hair. He wore a dark suit despite the warm morning, and there was something naturally composed about him that distinguished him from everyone else on campus.

His grip remained firm until he was certain she had regained her balance.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

Claire shook her head quickly.

“No. I’m fine.”

He released her arm and bent down to gather the papers that had fallen around them. Claire immediately crouched to help, embarrassed by the attention she had attracted.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I should have been watching where I was going.”

“I don’t believe you were the one who caused it.”

He handed her the last sheet, and Claire noticed the faint amusement in his dark eyes.

“You must be new.”

“Is it that obvious?”

The man glanced at the campus map she was holding upside down.

“A little.”

Claire looked down and immediately turned it around. A blush warmed her cheeks.

He smiled.

“You should be careful around here today. Some people become far too enthusiastic when the new students arrive.”

“I noticed.”

Her quiet answer made his smile deepen.

For a brief moment, neither of them moved.

Claire could not explain why his presence made her nervous. Perhaps it was because he was so striking, or because the calm way he looked at her made the noise around them seem strangely distant.

“Professor Sinclair!”

A voice called from the steps of the nearest building.

The man turned his head.

Claire blinked.

Professor?

A faculty member stood near the entrance, holding several documents and gesturing impatiently toward him.

“We need you inside. The department meeting is about to begin.”

“I’m coming,” he replied.

He looked back at Claire.

“Try not to get knocked over again.”

“I’ll do my best.”

His eyes lingered on her for another second before he gave her a slight nod and walked away.

Claire remained where she was, watching him cross the courtyard.

Professor Sinclair.

She had assumed he was a graduate student or perhaps one of the senior students helping with orientation. He appeared far too young to be a professor.

Then again, there had been a confidence in the way he carried himself that she should have noticed.

Claire lowered her gaze to the papers in her hands.

She did not understand why her heart was beating faster.

It was only embarrassment, she decided.

Nothing more.

Following the signs toward the residential buildings, Claire eventually found the women’s dormitory. After completing the registration process, she climbed to the third floor and stopped outside room 300.

She checked the number on her key before opening the door.

The room was larger than she expected, with three beds, three desks, and a wide window overlooking one of the university gardens. Two girls were already unpacking.

One of them, a lively brunette kneeling beside an open suitcase, looked up immediately.

“You must be our third roommate.”

Claire stepped inside.

“Yes. I’m Claire.”

The brunette rose and crossed the room with an enthusiastic smile.

“I’m Amanda Collins. That’s Emily Parker.”

The other girl, who had been carefully arranging books on a shelf, turned toward Claire. Emily had shoulder-length auburn hair and a gentle expression.

“Hi. We were starting to think you had gotten lost.”

“I almost did,” Claire admitted.

Amanda laughed.

“That happens to everyone on the first day. Hawthorne is practically its own city.”

Claire placed her suitcase beside the empty bed.

Amanda glanced at the textbooks visible inside Claire’s bag.

“What are you studying?”

“Accounting.”

Amanda’s eyebrows rose.

“Really? I’m studying communications. Numbers and I ended our relationship years ago.”

Emily smiled.

“I’m in psychology. Do you already know which classes you have?”

Claire removed her schedule from her folder.

“Introduction to Financial Accounting, Business Economics, and Advanced Mathematics.”

“Advanced Mathematics?” Amanda repeated with visible horror. “Voluntarily?”

“It’s required for part of my program.”

“That would be enough to make me change programs.”

Claire laughed softly.

The sound surprised even her.

Within minutes, Amanda had begun telling her about the orientation events planned for the week, while Emily explained which dining hall supposedly served the best food. Their easy conversation gradually eased Claire’s nervousness.

For the first time since arriving, she felt that perhaps she could belong there.

Across campus, Adam Sinclair sat behind the desk in his private office.

Several reports from Sinclair Holdings were open on his laptop, competing for space with the lecture notes he had prepared for the new semester. Managing both responsibilities required a carefully organized schedule, but Adam had grown accustomed to moving between the corporate world and the university.

His phone vibrated beside his hand.

The name displayed on the screen made him lean back in his chair before answering.

“Daniel.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Sinclair.”

Adam looked toward the window.

“You only call me ‘Mr. Sinclair’ when you’re about to give me a problem.”

Daniel Brooks, his executive secretary, released a quiet sigh on the other end of the line.

“Your grandfather asked me to contact you.”

“That explains it.”

“He wants you to come home.”

“I was there three weeks ago.”

“Apparently, that was too long ago. He also instructed me to remind you that you are twenty-eight years old.”

Adam laughed.

“I’m aware of my age.”

“He believes you should marry before you become too old to produce an heir.”

“Those were his exact words, weren’t they?”

“I made them slightly more polite.”

Adam could easily imagine his grandfather sitting in the main drawing room of the Sinclair estate, complaining that his only grandson cared more about financial reports and university lectures than continuing the family line.

“Tell him I’ll visit soon.”

“I already did. He wants to know what ‘soon’ means.”

“When I know, I’ll tell you.”

Daniel was silent for a moment before changing the subject.

“How much longer do you intend to keep teaching?”

Adam glanced at the stack of assignments waiting on the corner of his desk.

“As long as I want.”

“You already manage the family companies. Most people would consider that sufficient employment.”

“I’m not most people.”

“The board has begun asking whether your university schedule will interfere with the expansion project.”

“It won’t.”

Daniel knew better than to challenge him once his tone changed.

“I’ll inform them.”

Adam loosened his tie slightly.

He had accepted his first teaching position several years earlier, initially believing it would be temporary. However, standing before a classroom gave him a sense of satisfaction that corporate negotiations never could.

At the university, his decisions were not measured solely by profits or influence. He could watch someone understand a concept for the first time and know that he had contributed to it.

“I enjoy teaching,” Adam said. “As long as I can manage both responsibilities, I have no intention of giving up either one.”

“Your grandfather may disagree.”

“My grandfather disagrees with anything that doesn’t involve me getting married.”

Daniel laughed quietly.

“I’ll tell him you’ll visit.”

“Tell him nothing else.”

“Especially not that several unmarried women will be attending dinner next weekend?”

Adam closed his eyes.

“Goodbye, Daniel.”

He ended the call before his secretary could answer.

For a moment, Adam remained seated in silence.

Then his gaze moved toward the university courtyard below.

New students continued crossing the grounds, carrying boxes, suitcases, and campus maps. Watching them reminded him of the blonde young woman he had helped earlier.

Her startled expression returned unexpectedly to his mind, followed by the shy smile she had given him.

He wondered which program she had entered.

The thought lasted only a moment before Adam turned back to his laptop.

By the end of the week, hundreds of new faces would pass through the university’s classrooms. There was no reason for him to think he would see hers again.