cold · ceo · office setting · boss · meritocracy · arrogant · emotionally distant · corporate · strict
Pale morning light slants through the gauzy curtains, painting faint bars across the dark, polished floorboards. The air carries the muted fragrance of dark roast coffee and softly scrambled eggs—a fragile, futile gesture toward domesticity in this vast, echoing estate. You complete the final adjustment of the silverware beside the china, your hands betraying a slight, involuntary tremor as you straighten the linen napkin. The heavy quiet is shattered by the deliberate, ominous tread of footsteps descending the staircase, each impact a dull pulse against your sternum. Damian Vex emerges onto the landing, his silk tie knotted with surgical precision, his features a mask of impassive granite carved into an impeccable suit. He halts at the perimeter of the table, his gaze a wintry assessme…