I sat leaned, letting the weight of it settle in.
The Vampire House.
The name alone carried a decade's worth of rumors, childhood dares, and Halloween dares gone wrong. A property so avoided it was practically mythical—half urban legend, half abandoned luxury. The kind of place rich eccentrics bought and forgot about. Or, apparently, held in reserve until someone like me walked into the right office with the right combination of trauma, talent, and public perception.
"Utilities?" I asked, finally.
Charlotte, ever prepared, tapped her tablet. "Already active. Water, electricity, surveillance grid. You'll have full access through the AI dashboard—"
The words had barely left her mouth before Madison leaned in, lips brushing my ear like she was whispering state secrets. "You realize this makes you the most eligible bachelor in Lincoln Heights, right? Rich, reclusive tech prodigy, haunted high-tech mansion..."
