Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Unlike I was expecting, the next two weeks of my work at the bank seemed quiet. I continued writing
my reports, knowing that more and more people would get fired, but somehow I didn't feel as much
hatred directed at me as before. I had noticed that people had started to ignore me as if they feared
me. Perhaps they thought that my evaluation of their work was based on my personal likes or dislikes.
They were completely wrong. First, I didn't know any of them, and second, I didn't care. As much as it
sounds cruel, my work was about numbers and correctly written paragraphs, not my personal attitude.
If there had been abnormalities that had caused losses, there should have been consequences, easy
as that.
On the other hand, I also pointed out people who had done their work exceptionally well and deserved
a raise or promotion. Of course, if that happened, I was certain that none of those people would ever
think that it was due to my reports, simply because it was something good…
The last few days of my work had brought me a bitter-sweet satisfaction, since I was putting more
vampire names on my list. I despised having to bring up yet another argument claiming that vampires
were a superior race. Now, I was finding more vampires who needed to be fired than humans, and that
fact gave me a bit of hope that perhaps I wouldn't be hated by the entire human race…
The work kept my mind busy for at least 80% of the day, but whenever I took a short break to eat or
drink coffee, Sariel's image appeared in my mind. He had left the castle to meet the Vampire King, and
I hadn't seen him since that morning when he was in my bedroom. I could still remember his touch and
his lips on my neck. The way he teased me was driving me insane. I hoped that he craved me as much
as I craved him, but he always seemed so unaffected. I had already learned that the smell of my blood
was almost like an aphrodisiac for the vampires, and Sariel must have felt it too, but he still claimed he
didn't care enough to taste me. At the same time, I wanted to taste him badly. My desire for him grew
more each time I saw his face, and I clearly felt those stupid butterflies in my stomach, flying around in
desperate need of his affection. It wasn't fair. Every fantasy book describes a vampire as the one who
wants to bite his prey, not the other way around, yet every time I looked into Sariel's eyes, I was turning
into a masochist. The fact that I was unable to control my body was seriously pissing me off.
My longing for him increased when I was alone in my bedroom. A weird phantom of his scent kept
floating around the room, bringing me into an arousal state the second I thought about him. I found that Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
terrifying. I feared that it was only a matter of time before I would have to admit having feelings for
Sariel. I had never let myself get emotional throughout my whole adult life and now I felt vulnerable.
The wall that I had built over the years could crack the second Sariel would call for me. I tried to delay
the process, fooling myself that I was in control by immersing myself in work.
I didn't want to go back to the castle. I found myself an excuse, claiming that I had to finish the report,
including contracts from the entire year 2019. It was long after sunset, but I was concentrated on work
far too much to notice the time. Suddenly, I got distracted by the sound of an email coming in on my
laptop. I shifted my focus from reading another contract to checking the mailbox.
The message came from Mateo. He claimed that the CFO asked me to do one more check on a few
contracts from the year 2015 since he had some concerns about the issues I mentioned. I was
confident that I had done my job properly, and I hardly ever made mistakes, especially when there was
somebody's job on the line. The request slightly hurt my ego. The more I was eager to go to the
archives right away and prove to Gabriel that everything I had written in my report was correct.
I rushed towards the elevator and came down to the fourth floor. I walked straight to the archives and
used my pass to open the door. I didn't wait for the door to close. I was in a hurry to find those damn
contracts and clearly establish that I was right.
I went deep into the room, walking among tall shelves and trying to find the right box of documents.
"Got it!" I called out as soon as I found the right shelf.
I climbed on my toes in my high heels to reach the box. It took me some time, but fortunately, I
managed to take it down without needing a ladder. I tossed the box onto the floor and was about to dig
inside it to find the contracts Gabriel mentioned when I heard the sound of the door closing. I flinched. I
could blame it on the wind or think there was another simple reason for the door to close, but my
instincts were telling me otherwise. I became alert, strengthening my hearing sense.
"Footsteps…" I muttered under my breath and gulped.
Someone was inside. There was not one, but three… The steps were cautious. I could hardly hear
anything. I was certain that I wouldn't be able to differentiate their sounds if it weren't for the training I
had received from Ezra. Those were the sounds of predators lurking for a victim. I tried not to move,
and silence my breathing as much as I could. I looked around, but I couldn't see anyone. Perhaps
calling out and asking if someone was there would be the easiest solution to dispel my anxieties, yet
the ominous air that filled the entire room was a clear warning sign. I decided to stay silent.
The lights inside the archives were slightly dimmed. It didn't bother me while I was searching for the
documents, but now I would gladly use the fullest illumination possible. Whoever it was in the room with
me, I could bet it wasn't human, and seeing in the dark definitely wasn't my forte. The question was,
what were their intentions for coming here?
I stood up and slowly turned around. Suddenly, someone's head leaned out from the shelve of boxes.
"Hello there, pretty." A pale, brown-haired man chuckled.
He had a pair of golden snake-like eyes that were looking straight at me. I stepped back as he started
walking towards me. I looked behind and saw another two men, one blonde-haired and one black-
haired wearing a cap. All three of them were grinning wickedly while gazing at me. They were wearing
office suits and ties as if they worked at the bank.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying not to show fear.
"Does it matter?" The brown-haired smirked.
"You are not supposed to be here. The archives have limited access," I stated, pretending indifference
and stepping towards the exit.
Two other men blocked my way.
"Where are you going, lovely snack?" The blonde-haired licked his lips while locking his eyes on mine.
"We were told that you were the one who took our jobs from us. Now we are going to take something
from you." He snorted while getting closer to me.
"It wasn't my fault that you lost your jobs. I merely pointed out mistakes." I gritted my teeth, trying to
keep my voice calm.
"Bullshit!" The man in the cap roared as he approached me.
I stepped to the side, looking for a chance to run away from them. All three of them started laughing.
Chills run down my spine. I briefly looked at the ceiling. There surely were surveillance cameras in the
archives. I had seen them a few times before, flashing with a little red light. Now, every device I noticed
seemed to be turned off.
"Shit," I murmured, realizing that it must have been all a prepared ambush.
My foolish ego made me careless, and I was about to pay the highest price for that foolishness…