Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sound of Mark Darkmoor’s shoes echoed through the lobby of Dark Enterprises like an old clock that was never late. Each step seemed to make the atmosphere stiffen. The employees watched him in silence.

Mark was an elderly man. His silver hair was perfectly combed, yet it betrayed the passage of time. The deep wrinkles on his face did not weaken him; on the contrary, they gave him a more severe appearance. Tall, broad-shouldered, with impeccable posture, he exuded a strength that did not match his apparent age. There was something about him that defied logic… and no one dared to comment.

Everyone knew that Mark Darkmoor did not age like an ordinary man. He was different; too tall for his age, upright, solidly built, nothing like a man in his eighties.

As he moved through the glass-walled hall, questions arose in the bolder minds.

Who would run the Dark empire when he died?

Who would inherit those companies that had spanned generations?

Mark ignored the stares. His senses picked up on the discomfort, the curiosity, and the fear.

When he reached the private elevator, the doors opened automatically. He stepped inside, his bodyguard entering right behind him, silent and alert, like a loyal shadow.

The elevator rose in complete silence for a few seconds.

“Do you need anything, sir?” the bodyguard asked, noticing his boss’s grim expression.

Mark kept his eyes fixed ahead. The reflection showed an old man… but his dark eyes remained vivid.

“I need an heir,” he replied, his voice deep and controlled.

He paused briefly, feeling the weight of his own existence.

“This body is too old.”

The bodyguard swallowed hard, lacking the courage to reply. He wondered whether his boss, despite being remarkably intact for his age, was still virile.

The elevator doors opened on the executive floor. Mark stepped out first, the bodyguard remaining at a calculated distance.

Minutes later, in his office, Mark settled into the dark leather chair behind the massive desk, resting his strong hands on the polished surface.

The door opened moments later.

“Good morning, Mr. Darkmoor,” said the gray-haired woman with her hair pulled into an impeccable bun as she entered holding a tablet.

She was Eleanor, his secretary for decades. No one there remembered exactly when she had started working for him. Like Mark, she seemed to resist time.

“Good morning, Eleanor,” he replied without lifting his eyes.

She approached the desk and began dictating the schedule:

“At nine, a meeting with the financial board. At eleven, a videoconference with the European shareholders. Lunch was canceled, as you requested. At three, review of the expansion reports…”

Mark merely nodded, absorbing every detail without interrupting her.

“And there is one more item,” she added, lifting her gaze. “The Human Resources department finalized the hiring of the new executive secretary yesterday.”

Mark raised his eyes, surprised.

“Already?”

“Yes, sir. She starts today.”

There was a brief silence.

“Go on.”

Eleanor checked the tablet.

“Everything is in order. An impeccable résumé. Directly recommended by HR.” She paused slightly. “She should present herself in a few minutes.”

Mark leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers. Sometimes he thought he knew himself well… other times… he had his doubts.

“Very well,” he said at last. “Let her know she may come in as soon as she arrives.”

Eleanor nodded, cast him a brief look, and left.

Alone, Mark closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, they seemed darker and hungrier.

A few minutes later, the office door opened again.

“Mr. Darkmoor, the new secretary has arrived,” Eleanor announced.

“She may come in,” Mark replied, without taking his eyes off the window.

Eleanor stepped aside, and Elena entered.

She was a brunette with curly hair, dressed impeccably. He turned slowly and looked at her with a certain curiosity.

“Good morning, Mr. Darkmoor.”

He stood up from the chair and took a few steps closer, observing every detail without hiding it.

“Elena Lancaster,” he murmured, reading the name on the tablet Eleanor handed him. “Punctual.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mark felt something rare. Eleanor had noticed something different in her boss.

“I’ll leave you to it,” she said discreetly and withdrew.

Mark nodded and turned his gaze back to Elena.

“Welcome to Dark Enterprises, Miss Lancaster,” he said at last. “I hope you are prepared for… long hours.”

Elena smiled, not knowing why she felt a slight shiver run down her spine.

“I am, sir.”

He smiled as well.

The bodyguard remained motionless by the wall, as attentive as ever. He watched the young woman standing before his boss and could not understand.

She did not fit the usual pattern. She was not exuberant, did not draw attention at first glance. Her beauty was discreet, almost muted. And yet, something in his boss’s gaze had changed.

Had the boss taken an interest in her?

The idea seemed absurd.

Mark Darkmoor was an elderly man. Much older than he appeared. Strong, yes, frighteningly strong, but time spared no one. The bodyguard could not imagine his boss thinking about continuity… in the most obvious way.

A natural heir?

He doubted it. Honestly.

At that age, he believed Mark’s interests lay elsewhere: contracts, legacies, strategies. Not impulses. Not desires. Not flesh.

Elena Lancaster remained standing before the desk, unaware of the emotions her presence had stirred.

Mark walked to the desk, bracing himself on it with both hands.

“Eleanor will explain the initial procedures to you,” he said, without taking his eyes off Elena. “I want you to familiarize yourself with everything quickly.”

“Of course, Mr. Darkmoor.”

When Elena turned to leave, Mark followed her with his eyes until the door closed. Only then did he turn back to the window, gazing out at the city again.

The bodyguard took a deep breath. Perhaps he was mistaken. Perhaps not.

---

Eleanor spent nearly an hour explaining every detail of the CEO’s schedule, the internal codes, restricted access, and above all, the unwritten rules of working for Mark Darkmoor.

At the end, satisfied, she nodded slightly.

“You learn quickly,” she commented. “That is essential here.”

Elena smiled, relieved.

“I do my best.”

Eleanor checked the watch on her slender wrist.

“I’m going to lunch. Is it all right if you stay alone for a while?”

“No problem.”

The elderly secretary gathered her tablet, adjusted her jacket, and left.

Elena rested her elbow on the desk and placed her hand on her chin, thoughtful. She looked at the massive door of the CEO’s office.

She thought of him. Of his deep, firm… and strangely beautiful voice. There was something in that tone that did not match the advanced age he appeared to have. It was smooth. Controlled. Sensual, despite everything.

She frowned, annoyed with herself.

“I think I’ve gone crazy,” she murmured, more to dismiss the thought than to confirm it.

At that moment, the phone rang on the desk. She jumped slightly in her chair and took a deep breath before answering.

“Executive office, good morning.”

“Miss Lancaster,” his voice sounded on the other end of the line.

And it was exactly as she remembered. Deep and captivating.

“Yes, Mr. Darkmoor,” she replied, instinctively straightening in her chair.

“I would like you to have lunch with me.”

“Of course, sir,” she answered after a brief hesitation. “Where would you like to go?”

There was a short pause on the other end of the line.

“You needn’t worry about that detail, Miss Lancaster,” he murmured slowly. “In thirty minutes, I will be ready.”