Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Elena opened her eyes slowly, blinking several times until she adjusted to the brightness.

“Where am I?” she murmured, observing the simple room with an integrated bathroom.

She got up carefully and, when she sat on the bed, realized she was still wearing the same clothes from the day before. Her heart raced.

The phone beside the nightstand suddenly rang, making her scream as the shrill sound echoed through the silent space.

“Oh God…”

She answered with trembling hands and brought the phone to her ear. Fear began to creep into her mind. She might have been kidnapped. Maybe she was about to be sold as a sex slave. A thousand disasters crossed her thoughts until she heard a polite voice on the other end of the line.

“Miss Lancaster? This is Théo. You asked to be woken up at six in the morning.”

“I…?” she murmured, confused.

“Yes, miss.”

“Well… thank you.”

She hung up without understanding anything.

She got ready as best she could and left the room. At the reception desk, Théo greeted her with a professional smile.

“Have a good day, miss.”

She blinked a few times and, even embarrassed, asked:

“How… how did I get here?”

“Here at the hotel? A taxi brought you. You checked in and paid for a full month.”

“I…” She paused for a moment, trying to organize her thoughts. “I don’t remember anything.”

“Well…” He hesitated for a second. “Forgive me, but you had been drinking a little.”

“Oh… I see. I must have drunk a lot not to remember anything.”

Théo remained silent, respectful.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She stepped out onto the street and looked around, not finding her car. She must really have come by taxi.

“Where did I leave it?” she asked herself softly.

She raised her hand when she saw a taxi approaching and got in quickly.

“To downtown, please. To Dark Company.”

She needed to arrive before Mr. Darkmoor. Being late would already be hard to explain, but arriving after him… impossible. Thankfully, she had left a change of clothes at work in case she ever needed it. She had never imagined that day would come like this.

As the car moved through the streets, her mind spun in circles. How had she gotten the money to pay for an entire month at a hotel?

She frowned and took her phone from her bag. She opened the banking app and felt her heart almost stop.

Available balance: 8,000.

“What…?” she murmured, a chill running through her.

She didn’t have that money. She never had.

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remember something—anything—but the night before remained wrapped in an unsettling void.

The taxi stopped in front of the company building.

Elena paid, got out, slipped her phone back into her bag, and took a deep breath before going in.

The moment she passed through the company’s revolving door, a strange sensation hit her.

The scent of masculine cologne. Suddenly, images appeared in her mind like flashes:

A mouth very close to hers.

Warm breath against her neck.

Hands at her waist.

Elena stopped in the middle of the lobby, her face burning.

“My God…” she murmured, embarrassed with herself.

She didn’t remember faces. She didn’t remember names. But she remembered the sensation. The way her body had responded, too surrendered, too aware of its own desire.

The next memory was even more disturbing.

Her chest rising and falling too fast as she listened to a low, deep voice saying something in her ear. Just remembering it made her lower abdomen tighten.

Elena gripped the strap of her bag tightly as she walked across the lobby toward the elevators.

“I’m not like this…” she thought, feeling shame rise in her stomach.

She was professional. Discreet. Controlled.

And yet, with those broken memories, she was anything but that.

Another lapse came after she stepped into the elevator.

Her head tilting back.

A touch on her chin and the sensation of being watched as if she were… desired.

Heat spread through her body, and she had to close her eyes for a moment.

“Stop,” she whispered to herself.

She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together as the elevator ascended. But as the numbers climbed, shame didn’t come alone.

It came mixed with something even worse. Desire. She wanted to be with whoever that man was again. The urge to give herself.

“Control yourself… Who was that man? I need to remember…”

After leaving the elevator, she practically ran to her office and went straight to the locker room reserved for employees who worked and studied, those who didn’t have time to go home between commitments.

She locked herself into one of the stalls and took a quick shower, letting the warm water run over her tense shoulders.

She finished, dried off quickly, and put on a brown dress that discreetly accentuated her waist. She slipped into her heels, took a deep breath in front of the mirror, and tied her hair back, trying to recognize herself again in her reflection.

“You’re fine,” she murmured to herself, even without fully believing it.

She straightened her posture, erased any trace of insecurity from her face, and left the locker room. On the outside, Elena Lancaster looked exactly the same as always. Inside, however, something had changed.

She reached her desk and sat down, relieved to realize that her boss hadn’t arrived yet. She took advantage of the silence to go into his office, turn on the computers, adjust the air conditioning, and return to her desk. Soon, she lost herself among emails and correspondence, trying to immerse herself in routine.

But her concentration didn’t last.

While organizing a folder, the memory of the previous night came rushing back. She had gone home earlier… and found her fiancé in the arms of another woman.

She stopped working.

She lowered her gaze to her own hand and stared at the thin engagement ring. So simple. So full of promises that now felt empty. She was the one who had bought it, full of hope. She took off the ring, read the name engraved inside one last time, and threw it into the trash.

She took a deep breath, and it was at that moment that the door opened.

“Good morning,” Mr. Darkmoor said, entering with confident steps, the security guard right behind him.

Elena stood up immediately.

“Good morning, sir,” she replied professionally, even though her heart gave an unexpected leap at his commanding presence.

He stopped midway.

For a second, something changed in his expression. His nostrils flared slightly, almost imperceptibly, as he inhaled more deeply. The scent of a recent shower, of clean, warm skin, struck him unexpectedly.

Darkmoor let out a low breath, as if trying to regain control, swallowed, and then lifted his gaze to her.

His dark eyes traveled over her with intensity, lingering longer than acceptable.

Elena felt a shiver run up her spine without knowing why.

“Is everything ready?” he asked casually, his deep voice masking it.

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded slowly, still looking at her for a brief moment before heading into his office.

When the door was closed by the guard, Elena realized she had been holding her breath.

And on the other side of the wall, Vlad Darkmoor closed his eyes for a second longer than he should have, struggling against something that she had awakened in him.