The harsh light of the fluorescent bulbs buzzed overhead as I awoke to the familiar chaos of my mansion. My office, a blend of disheveled tech gear and remnants of last night's late shifts, felt suffocatingly small as reality crept back in. Images from sleepless nights blurred together, but before I could shake off the last threads of sleep, Jason burst through the door like a toddler on Christmas morning.
"Grayson!" he shouted, breathless, his eyes wide with a mix of excitement and confusion. "You won't believe what I just heard!"
I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin as I regarded him. "Oh, this should be good," I said dryly, my voice cutting through the buzzing air like a knife.
He rushed forward, barely taking the time to catch his breath. "The women— the actors— were talking about someone receiving blue roses at night while they slept. They thought it was some kind of ghost! You know the stories we've been spinning for the attraction?"
My lips curled into a smirk. Oh, how sweetly naïve they were. They would never suspect that the ghostly gesture was my signature. My mind ran back to Scarlett, a fresh face among the performers, her unease radiating off her in waves as she hugged the edges of her sanity in my haunted hotel's embrace. The roses, carefully placed in her hotel room, had been a test— a way to stir the pot, to see how deep my shadow could stretch.
"Grayson? What the hell is going on?" Jason asked, clearly confused by my lack of panic. I met his gaze, letting my simmering delight shine through, the shadows of my character wrapping around me like a cloak.
"I planted the roses in Scarlett's hotel room," I said, savoring each word. I could almost taste the tension in the air.
Jason's expression morphed from surprise to incredulity. "Wait, what? You? You, who never so much as looks at someone twice? Teasing a woman you barely know?" He shook his head, his voice rising in disbelief. "This isn't like you!"
"Exactly," I whispered, leaning forward with an intensity that must have sent a chill down his spine. "That's the point. There's something intoxicating about drawing her in, taunting her with a mystery that could just be a figment of her imagination. She'll think of me, feel my presence— it's all part of the game."
He ran a hand through his hair, baffled. "But why? What if she freaks out?"
I shrugged, unbothered. "Fear is a fascinating emotion, Jas. And it's one I thrive on. It untangles people's minds, makes them see things differently. Sometimes, you have to let the darkness in to discover the light."
He stared at me as if I were a stranger. "You really are cold-hearted, aren't you?"
A wry laugh slipped from my lips. "You could say that." I leaned back, letting the leather creak beneath me, the unsettling thrill tingling at my fingertips. "But there's a thrill in shadows, and in dreams that blur the lines of reality. Besides, catching glimpses of her reactions? That's the real fun."
Jason's expression softened, caught between admiration and concern. "Just… don't get too tangled in your own web, alright? You're walking a thin line."
"That's the best part of it, isn't it?" I replied, dismissing his worry. It was the danger that electrified my thoughts, the attraction that pulled me deeper into this game. I didn't want to be just a boss at a haunted attraction; I wanted to be the phantom that haunted their dreams.
As Jason turned to leave, my mind wandered back to Scarlett, the look in her eyes when she startled awake to find those roses— truly a moment to be relished. The way fear played at the edges of her expression, mingling with curiosity, ignited something I had long kept buried. Perhaps my heart was not as cold as I'd led everyone to believe.
But in this world of shadows and mystery, vulnerability was a risk I would not take. Not yet. As much as I found her intriguing, I would remain a specter lurking in the background—an enigma waiting to be unraveled, or perhaps just the darkness opposing her light.
The game was just beginning, and I intended to play it to win.