Christina staggered backward as Reylan advanced, her body trembling in fear. "No, stop!" She cried, stumbling until she collided with a standing lamp beside the couch, losing her footing.
In a split second, Reylan was at her side, his hand closing around her wrist and pulling her up. "How could you move…" Christina's voice trailed off as his eyes began to glow with a menacing red. Before she could react, he compelled her, "You fell asleep while working. I'm just helping you with the pillow."
As Christina locked eyes with Reylan, she nodded in response, surrendering to his care as he guided her down onto the couch.
"Good night," Reylan murmured, adjusting the pillow under her head. Christina responded with a nod, her eyes fluttering close. His gaze lingered on her neck for a moment longer before he muttered a curse under his breath. Retracing back, he quickly moved to the large window and escaped out. She was going to be the death of him one day!
----
Christina slowly woke up at the insistent buzzing of her alarm. She groaned, one leg dangling off the couch as she lay sprawled on her stomach. The alarm continued its relentless assault, irritating with its position beneath her waist. With a sigh, she reached for it and silenced the noise.
Slowly, she rolled onto her back, wincing as a crick in her neck protested the movement. "Ah, my neck," She grumbled, sitting up and gingerly rotating her neck. She stretched her arms, yawning, and then froze as she took in her surroundings. Her eyes darted to the bed, relieved at its emptiness.
A blurry memory rang in the back of her head, something strangely reminding her of him. "I must have dozed off," She mumbled, spotting her laptop on the coffee table nearby, shaking away that weird memory. She quickly grabbed it and finished the remaining presentation.
Once done, Christina decided to leave early for the office, given the distance from her current location. She also needed to hunt for a house, look for part-time jobs, and calculate her earnings before her mother's next treatment scheduled for the following month.
"Just sign the deal! You won't need to do all that stuff," a tempting voice in her mind suggested. But she shook it off and rushed to the bathroom. She couldn't afford to be late to the office if she indulged in those thoughts again.
"Good Morning, Ms. Jose," Darren, greeted her with a smile as she hurried down the stairs after getting ready. "Would you like breakfast first, or should I pack something for you to eat on the way?"
"I'll trouble you to pack it, Darren," Christina replied with a small smile. She had been warned to be cautious around the butler; even a small denial could arouse his suspicion.
"Sure. You can wait in the car; the chauffeur is ready at the entrance. I'll be back in a minute," Darren said, rushing to the kitchen. Christina sighed at his departure and walked out of the house. The old man's gaze was intimidating!
Once she was comfortably seated, Darren nodded to the chauffeur to drive off. As the car neared the gates, he hurried back into the house to report to his elder master. He needed to share how the young master had gone crazy last night and hadn't returned yet. And those tiny marks on the human's neck! It seemed like Reylan had failed to drink her blood, considering how they had turned a blackish red, something humans would never see without their mediocre inventions.
---
"Hmm, it's good!" Christina exclaimed, taking a bite of the sandwich. The butler had prepared a light, healthy breakfast for her, and it had been a while since she had enjoyed such a pleasant morning. The dinner from the previous night was also memorable. She recalled Reylan's words during their drive, and she had to admit he was right. However, she had been pondering his absence since she woke up.
'Am I missing him?' The thought made her chuckle and shake her head. "I'm just curious, that's all! Anyone would be if someone suddenly disappeared and hadn't shown up," she argued with her inner voice, a bit too loudly. The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror with a frown.
"I… I was just talking to myself," Christina stammered, her face flushing with embarrassment. The driver nodded, and she quietly resumed eating her breakfast, mentally berating herself for behaving like a weirdo. The last thing she needed was for her grandfather to hear that his son was dating a fool.
Upon reaching the office, Christina thanked the driver and entered the building.
"Oh my god! It's her!" one of the women in a group of three whispered, glancing between her phone and Christina as she reached the elevator area. The others followed her gaze, and soon the entire crowd was staring at her. Christina sighed, assuming they were still gossiping about the previous scandal. She decided to ignore them and distract herself with her phone.
The strange looks continued to her floor. As she reached her workstation, she noticed that her entire team seemed to be talking about her. Jessica, looking alarmed, rushed to her side. However, her team leader was unusually early today and wore a completely different expression.
"Here comes our star!" Albert announced, slamming a file onto the table. He sneered at her, "If you can't do your job properly, at least stay out of scandals!" Shaking his head, he muttered, "What else can I expect from a snake like you?"
"What did you just call me?" Christina demanded, stepping forward. Ignoring Jessica's gesture to avoid a scene, she approached Albert's desk, her eyes icy cold.
"A snake," Albert declared, rising from his seat. Undeterred by her glare, he continued, "Look at you, still full of pride. Aren't you ashamed of dumping your boyfriend to leech off our boss? Don't delude yourself, Christina!"
When Christina remained silent, Albert's frustration bubbled over. "Look, I don't care about your personal life. But do you realize the cost of your actions? The marketing team has refused to review our presentation and is considering excluding us from the competition because of your scandal!" His voice echoed the collective frustration in the room. Because of her, their jobs were at stake.
Confusion furrowed Christina's brows. "What… what do you mean?"
"Oh, come on! Haven't you seen the forum yet?" Albert groaned. Seeing her frown, he decided to enlighten her. "You know what? Let me read it out loud!"
He unlocked his phone and began, "A woman lost in delusions! So, as you all know, a woman named X slapped her boyfriend yesterday while he was merely trying to resolve their argument. I'm close to the guy, so let me share the whole story. She got into this job with his help, but now that he's refused to help her climb higher, she's dumped him outright!
Now that he's no longer useful, she's set her sights on our CEO just because he glanced at her during a meeting. She thinks he's interested in her and plans to climb into his bed. Does this make any sense? As a woman myself, I'm ashamed to even breathe the same air as her. She has no dignity at all! I pity her poor team. I've heard she often talks back to the leader and has a snarky attitude."
Christina's mind went blank for a moment as Albert finished reading the thread. The word phrasings were similar to someone she once cherished, and she clenched her fist.
That scumbag! He was hellbent on ruining her!