Evanna entered her room and locked the door behind her. She opened the balcony door and sat on the edge, gazing at the night sky. Although the moon was beautiful, she couldn't ignore the darkness surrounding it. Ever since she was a child, she had taken pleasure in looking up at the sky every night. On nights with no moon, it felt even closer to her. It was sad that she could relate her life more to the darkness than to the moon, which tried to bring light to it. She fell asleep on the balcony, staring up at the sky. Even though her bedroom was as spacious as a small garden and had a comfortable bed with warm sheets, she preferred to sleep on the ground without any covers.
I woke up with a refreshed mind and looked outside, unable to believe my eyes; it was sunny. I glanced at the clock and saw it was 8 AM. Today felt truly fantastic because I had no nightmares, no waking at 4 AM, and no darkness outside. The only thing I dreamt about was that voice. I wonder about the power that person possesses; she completely changed something in my life with just a sentence. She achieved what no therapist or doctor could. I am truly grateful to her.
I took a quick shower and came down without looking at the portraits on the walls because I didn't want to spoil my day by focusing on them. To my surprise, my grandfather was nowhere to be seen. I went straight to the dining table for breakfast, but as usual, there was no food on the table—only a note stating that the chef had been let go and that I would need to appoint another one in order to have meals again; for now, I could eat at the office canteen. This was strange; I had heard that she had been serving us and all the workers here since I was a child. Great, I always went to the office with nothing to look forward to, but now I finally have something to anticipate each day.
My secretary was already waiting outside. I wanted to ask him about the emergency leave he took yesterday, but his personal matters are not my concern. To be honest, I didn't even bother to learn the name of the driver who opens the doors for me every day and drives me to work. I heard he has been with our family for a long time. I always address him simply as "the driver," nothing more, nothing less.
I walked directly into the canteen and instructed my secretary to order a coffee and a regular sandwich. I handed him my card without even mentioning that he could order something for himself—why should I? My purpose is to ensure they work effectively and achieve their best, not to indulge them or worry about being kind.
Evanna entered the canteen and ordered a hot chocolate. As she looked for an empty table, she noticed that the morning crowd was quite large. However, one table caught her eye; only two people were sitting there with their backs to her. She decided to go straight to that table and began sipping her drink.
Around her, people murmured, glancing in her direction to figure out what was happening. Suddenly, she felt nauseous again and looked up, trying to swallow her drink. To her horror, she found herself staring into the lifeless eyes of a demon. She felt an overwhelming sense of unease and wanted to leave immediately. To her surprise, Mr. Emir himself stood up and walked out of her sight. When he disappeared, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Yaira, a coworker from her team known for her eccentric behavior, came and sat next to her. "What do you think? Are you still okay after seeing him like that? Don't you want to know who he truly is?" Yaira had a reputation for being the weirdest person in the office; she rarely spoke to anyone, but when she did, her words were always strange and twisted. Evanna had heard that Yaira mysteriously vanished for a month and then returned around the same time she started working at the company.
She spoke to Evanna and then walked away. Evanna was puzzled by her words, but what puzzled her even more was Mr. Emir's behavior today; he acted as if he didn't care, even after seeing her. Evanna thought that after three years, he might have changed, but something felt off. Deep down, a voice inside her was telling her that something was wrong.