03,

Alexander snapped his eyes open.

"What on earth was that... ungodly sound?"

Toby shrugged, pointing a thumb at her monitor.

"That’s my audience. I’m livestreaming. You’re kinda cramping my style here, old man. The viewers are waiting."

"Livestreaming?"

Alexander knitted his brows, as if a foreign word had just invaded his meticulously curated dictionary.

He stepped closer to the rig, peering at the screen where a chaotic torrent of nonsensical text and flickering emojis cascaded down the sidebar.

"Hey, hey! Watch the personal space. Don't touch the hardware."

Toby held out a hand, forming a barrier between him and her gear.

Alexander halted. He turned his gaze directly onto Toby, his quiet eyes seemingly boring a hole right through her skull.

"Young man," Alexander began, his voice carrying the ominous resonance of a professor about to fail a student.

"I ain’t a 'man.' I’m eighteen. Old enough to vote and be tried as an adult, thank you very much," Toby interjected instantly.

"Very well, young citizen,"

Alexander corrected, his tone remaining ice-cold.

"Listen closely. My name is Alexander Smith. I have resided here for two years, and I adhere to a strict set of protocols. Protocol number one; and the most paramount: Silence. I am a mathematics professor. I require absolute tranquility after my professional hours. I do not permit any auditory disturbance exceeding 40 decibels in this communal space."

"40 decibels?" Toby’s eyes went wide. "Are you kidding me? If you breathe too hard, you’ll hit 40 decibels! This ain't a library!"

"That is my standard," Alexander continued, utterly disregarding her protest.

"Protocol number two: Order. This living room possesses a distinct symmetry. The coffee table must remain at the center of the rug. The sofa must be precisely 45 centimeters from said table. And most certainly, no vulgar electrical conduits are permitted to crawl across my floor like bioluminescent earthworms."

He pointed a finger at the mess under the table.

"You have exactly fifteen minutes to unplug this monstrosity, relocate it to your vacant room, and restore this space to its original state of equilibrium."

Toby’s jaw dropped. She stared at Alexander like he was some specimen from another galaxy. Her stubbornness, fueled by his arrogance, flared up like gasoline on a bonfire.

"No."

Toby’s response was clipped and final.

"Excuse me?" Alexander narrowed his eyes.

"I said NO. You deaf or what!"

Toby crossed her arms over her chest.

"What, you got OCD or something? Obsessed with symmetry and 45 centimeters? Let me remind you, this is a C-O-M-M-U-N-A-L space. 'Communal' means it’s yours AND mine. I got a right to have my stuff here. I paid six months' rent upfront. Mrs. Martha gave me the green light. If you got a problem, go cry to her. As for me, I ain’t moving this rig anywhere until I buy a desk for my room. Which won’t be today, or tomorrow, 'cause I'm broke as hell."

Alexander stared down at the scrawny, pint-sized creature talking back to him with such raw audacity.

He had dealt with the most disruptive students, the most irrational parents, but he had never encountered a being so defiant, so pig-headed, and... frankly, so unapologetically uncouth. She showed zero deference, zero fear in the face of his overwhelming presence.

"Are you aware,"

Alexander lowered his voice, taking a half-step forward. The atmospheric pressure in the room seemed to drop abruptly.

"How long the previous tenants managed to stay here?"

"Two weeks, right?" Toby said, unfazed.

"Mrs. Martha told me. You scared 'em off with this 'Lord of Darkness' act? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't spook easy. You might look tough, but compared to my old neighbor who chased me with a meat cleaver last year 'cause I accidentally stepped on her dog’s tail... you’re pretty much a rookie."

Alexander froze for a heartbeat. His eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.

"Listen, boy..."

"I told you, I ain't a boy!"

Toby snapped, her irritation peaking. She was losing her mind; she was mid-carry and this guy was ruining it.

"And since I don’t want you getting it wrong again: I. AM. A. GIRL. A woman. A female. Get it? XX chromosomes! Stop calling me 'young man' or 'boy.' Are your glasses for decoration, or are you just blind?"

It was Alexander’s turn to be speechless. For the first time, his unwavering, tranquil gaze... wavered.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***