Secrets.....

VR Enterprise

9 am

Edward's looking at some documents while sitting in his chamber. He can't concentrate on it. Cause Kevin's still late in finishing his given order. He's on the verge of losing his cool. The veins on his face are visible and the sound of gritting teeth can be heard in this silent chamber. He keeps tapping the handle of his chair and looking at the door.

Right that moment Kevin enters the room with a load of files, " I've...I've... gathered the files.... of the female workers who match your descriptions. Please....please, look at them.", he's huffing while talking to Edward, holding the files in his left hand and another hand is on his right knee.

He did a marathon in the whole office in the morning.

Kevin had to wake up early in the morning to find these files. He even skipped his breakfast and has been organizing the files, just to escape Edward's wrath. But only God knows when he will be satisfied with him.  Also, Edward still hasn't told him what happened between him and that mysterious woman!!!

Edward takes a peek on Kevin. The amount....let's just ignore it. They are.... a lot, let's stick to it.

Edward turns his face away from Kevin in anger and keeps tapping his forehead. But he calms down soon since he has to hurry.

"That's a lot of files. It's going to take time and we don't have that in our hands. Who hasn't come to office today among them?", Edward asks Kevin, avoiding his suggestion.

It's hard to understand someone's mood without locking eyes. Kevin's also facing the same problem, and he can't guess what's going on Edward's head! He has been avoiding Kevin's questions since last night. Without even giving an opportunity, he keeps ordering him to do this ....to do that. Does Edward take Kevin as his servant?

"Well…everyone has come to the office. Oh! Yes! Erin Belish isn't here today. She worked overnight yesterday. Maybe she has taken leave.", Kevin replies to Edward calmly, shutting his eyes and holding his breath. He is still huffing though.

"Give me her file." Kevin hands over Erin's file to Edward.

Edward smirks after looking at Erin's file. "Good job Kevin! She's the one!" Edward assures Kevin and he keeps thanking Erin in his own mind, " Thank you, Erin. Thank you so much for being a certain person."

But Kevin's thoughts get cut by Edward, " You've to do another job, Kevin! Find the informer who has been keeping an eye on me for some days. Get him and bring him to me. Go with others. Don't go alone, it can be dangerous. We don't have much time. So hurry!"

Here he goes again! Giving orders out of the blue without explaining the reason. Kevin's curious since last night. He couldn't sleep the whole time, trying to solve the mystery on his own by puzzling his head. What's going on?!

" Sir, I would like to ask why you wanted to find Ms Erin and now giving orders to get the informer? Did something happen that I don't know?" Kevin's angry. It can be guessed from his tone of speaking.

Edward looks at Kevin who is hardly maintaining his composure. "Let's say for now that her life may be in danger. There's some vampire who won't take her existence lightly. So, I would love it if you work fast!"

Kevin is dumbfounded hearing Edward's words! Erin's life is in danger?! But what she has to do with these vampires unless she has done something stupid like Kevin did once.

"Don't tell me!", Kevin gasps thinking Erin has become a target of this tyrant vamp! And that's why he is trying to capture her. So that he can drink her blood!!

Edward has used this trick on other girls several times for now, so it can be guessed easily. Behaving sweetly with them, then pushing them at the danger line, and then rescue them. After that those stupid girls easily fall in his trap and they become his happy food. The end! But he doesn't use this trick on his employees.

That day after meeting, Edward was behaving weirdly with Erin, whispering in her ears....holding her close to him...

Although Kevin doesn't want to believe Edward, he can tell that Edward is serious. Otherwise, he won't be giving the order to hunt down an informer. It's almost as if he is going against the count! That can be serious! Who knows what Erin has done that her life is now at stake.

" Okay. I got it. I'm informing others to get the informer as soon as possible."

Kevin doesn't take the conversation further and leaves the room. He dashes out through the door and keeps looking at his phone. Searching for some people in his contact list.

Edward looks outside through the glass wall. He's thirsty. Thirsty for blood. Not just someone, he wants Erin's blood. After drinking it, he can't get it out of his head. Maybe that's the reason why he's willing to save Erin's life and go against the count lord!

" Once I get you, I won't let you get away like yesterday. You're mine!" Edward chuckles looking at Erin's picture in her CV.

Now...it's doubtful. Does Edward really want to save Erin? Or...Does he wants to devour her?!

******************************************************

Erin and Venessa are at the police station to file a complaint against Edward. But the officer isn't believing her and he's getting confused by her statement. " So you're telling  that your boss, Edward Frost was drinking a woman's blood and then attacked and then attacked you and tried to kill you by sucking your blood?" The officer asks Erin.

"Yes", she replies in short noticing disbelief in his eyes.

" Ma'am I think you should consult a psychiatrist. What you're saying is completely baseless!" replies the officer in a concerning voice.

"But I'm telling the truth. He bit me on the neck and sucked my blood. Maybe he has even killed that woman by now and hid her body somewhere unknown. If you don't believe me then look at my neck. There are bite marks." Erin protests and shows her neck to the officer, moving her shirt's collar and putting her neck in the display.

The police officer blushes a little, but he gathers his thoughts in no time. He gets angry after looking at her neck. " There's no bite mark. Are you here to waste our time? We have a lot of valid cases to handle. Please refrain yourself from what you're doing. Otherwise, I have to take action against you."

Erin can't get what's going on. She touches her neck and can't feel any injuries. But what she saw yesterday couldn't be a dream!! It's still fresh in her mind. That woman, Edward and her….no, no, It can't be!! There's maybe something wrong. Maybe Edward did something and that's why the marks are gone.

"It can't be an illusion. I am telling you, I clearly remember what happened last night!" Erin shouts at the officer.

"Calm down. Do you have any valid proof?" the officer asks.

Proof! What else can be valid for proof? Oh yes! Erin says in excitement, "Yes, there's one. Last night I kicked on his chest to save myself and his bone had broken! If you inspect him, you can find that I'm telling the truth. Believe me!"

Kicked him and broke his chest bone? Then the man must be dead by now! If she's that strong then the complainer should be the man, not her.  The officer can't figure who tried to kill whom!!

"Look, ma'am. If you broke his chest bone then he must've died on the spot. And still, it's not valid. He can get injured in another way. We need valid ones!!" The officer gets irritated by Erin.

"Then check the CCTV footage of Edward Frost's office! You will get all the proof there! Please check it." says Erin who doesn't want to give up.

The officer gives up and says, "Okay. But if I don't get anything even from that then I will drop this case!"

Erin and Venessa leave the station. She's hoping that the CCTV footage hasn't been damaged! But unfortunate as it is, Edward already changed it after she ran away. Though he didn't kill that woman. She was just his dinner. And vampires don't destroy their blood banks!

Except for that whatever Erin told the officer was true.  Venessa didn't say a single word this whole time. She has been like this since last night. Who knows what's wrong with her! Erin's worried about her, "Mom? What's wrong? You're like this since last night. Don't worry. Everything will be okay. And if you're thinking about yesterday, then it's okay. He couldn't do anything to me!"

"Hmm" Venessa is still lost in her own world. Suddenly she stops in the middle of the road, "Erin, can you go home alone? I have some work."

Erin turns to her mother, "Let me go with you. You seem lost somewhere."

"No."Venessa strongly refuses Erin which makes her more uncomfortable. Realizing her mistake after seeing Erin's reaction, Venessa calmly says, "I mean you had to go through a lot. So I want you to go home and take some rest. Even after all of this you want to hang out with me? You should have some time for yourself. Now go. I will be back soon." Venessa tries to calm the mood and drive it differently.

Erin also thinks that she shouldn't interfere further if her mother doesn't want her to come along. " Okay. See you at home then and be safe." Erin kisses her mother on her cheek as a goodbye and then turns at the opposite side. She bids Venessa goodbye and goes towards their house.

Venessa looks at her daughter's way. Today she is really sorry for not being able to protect her. Although she once promised herself to keep Erin out of her past and Erin's true existence, she failed. But she can't take any risk anymore. Erin has already become a target.

Venessa looks at her hand watch. " He should be here by now." She keeps looking around her. But can't find the person she has been waiting for.

Suddenly, she sees a man in a long black coat. He's also wearing a black hat. So it's kind of hard to recognize his face. Though Venessa can guess who it is by that man's height and way of walking. The man slowly walks towards Venessa and puts off his hat.

"Long time no see, Venessa."The man's smiling. His eyes are sparkling because of tears.

Venessa has tears in her eyes too. "Yes. It's been a long time." replies with a sad smile. The smile is a mixture of pain, happiness and agony. As if there's a mystery hidden in it.

The man hugs her tightly. " I hope I could choose you. You wouldn't have to live alone all this time."

Venessa shrugs her face in his coat and looks at him, "I wasn't alone. I had someone else in my life, Rowan." She has no courage to face him, so she keeps hiding her face.

The man, Rowan, looks at Venessa with a surprise in his look. Reading his face Venessa says, "Let's go somewhere quiet where we can speak. I have kept a secret from you which is your right to know. And I think this is the right time to tell."

Rowan can't get what Venessa is saying. But he's curious to know. So he's following wherever she's taking him. They keep walking along the road.....