The city never slept, but Stratosphere Consulting certainly tried. Between spreadsheets and secrets, deadlines and desire, the office buzzed with more than just caffeine-fueled ambition. It was here, under cold LED lights and lukewarm coffee, that Anna discovered the truth about her boss, Mr. Adrian Vane.
He was dangerously handsome, always dressed in perfectly tailored black. He never ate lunch. Never blinked when he looked at you. His skin was cool to the touch during accidental brushes, and his breath—when he rarely exhaled—smelled like mint and something... ancient.
Whispers about him were common. Some said he was just rich. Others, that he was cursed with insomnia. Anna laughed it off—until the night she stayed late.
It was a Thursday.
The office had emptied except for her and Adrian. She was in the breakroom when she saw it—him leaning over the new intern, Kyle, eyes glowing faintly red, lips nearly on his neck.
She dropped her coffee.
Adrian moved in a blur. One second he was at the intern's side, the next, standing before Anna, fixing his cuffs with eerie calm.
"Miss Laurent," he said, his voice velvet and full of warning. "You weren't supposed to see that."
"I—I thought you were kissing him," she blurted.
"I wasn't," he said, stepping closer. "But I could be kissing you."
Her breath hitched. "What are you?"
He smiled, showing a glimpse of something sharp. "A businessman."
"And the blood?"
"An unfortunate... necessity."
That night, he didn't erase her memory. He invited her to stay. To learn. To understand.
They began a secret affair.
By day, she was his executive assistant—sorting meetings, shielding him from sunlight, canceling lunch orders. By night, she was his, utterly. In his private penthouse atop the office, beneath silk sheets and under the shadow of moonlight, Adrian showed her a hunger that was never just for blood.
But it wasn't just passion—it was danger.
Rumors spread.
The intern transferred. HR raised eyebrows. And one morning, Anna found a note on her desk written in blood-red ink: He drained the last one. You'll be next.
Adrian denied it. Said the vampire council wanted him under control. Said someone in the company was leaking secrets.
"Do you trust me?" he asked her one night, hands on her hips, mouth near her throat.
"I don't know," she whispered. "But I can't stop."
And that was the truth.
It all unraveled at the holiday party.
Adrian showed up—for the first time ever—with Anna on his arm. Her dress was wine-red velvet; his suit was midnight black. The staff whispered. Cameras flashed. Jealousy simmered.
Then Kyle returned.
Pale. Changed. A vampire.
"You turned him," Anna hissed at Adrian in the corner of the rooftop bar.
"He asked me to. He was dying."
"You said I was different."
"You are."
Kyle interrupted them with a cruel smirk. "Funny how many people Adrian says that to."
And then—chaos.
Someone pulled out a silver blade. Someone else screamed. In the confusion, Anna was grabbed, yanked away by Kyle, who tried to sink his teeth into her, rage burning in his undead eyes.
But Adrian was faster.
He snapped Kyle's neck—not enough to kill, but enough to send a message.
Blood on the rooftop. Fangs bared. Secrets exposed.
It was over.
Adrian left the company the next day. Disappeared. No resignation letter. Just an empty office and a broken coffee mug Anna had once given him.
She was promoted—"Interim Director"—but the title felt hollow. She never saw him again.
Until one night, a year later, walking home from a late meeting.
A shadow detached from the alley. He stood there, exactly the same. Ageless. Hungry.
"I missed you," he said softly.
"You vanished."
"I had to. For your safety. But I've been watching. Always."
Anna looked at him, heart racing.
"I don't want to be watched," she said. "I want to be with you."
He smiled—slow, dangerous, beautiful.
"Then come," he said, offering his hand. "But this time, it's forever."
And she took it.
Knowing the love was real.Knowing the scandal had changed her.Knowing the bite was next.