Kira knew she didn't belong in that building the moment elevator doors slid shut behind her.
The sound was soft…no metallic clang, no echo. Just a smooth, airtight seal that cut her off from the rest of the world. The silence that followed wasn't the calm, professional quiet of banks or law offices. It was heavier than that. Dense. As though the air itself had been trained not to make noise.
She stood still, clutching the file against her chest.
The walls of the elevator were polished black, reflective enough to throw her image back at her from every angle. Sensible shoes. A plain grey blazer she'd bought on discount. Hair pulled into a tight bun that tugged slightly at her scalp, the kind of hairstyle that announced first job…..please take me seriously.
She swallowed and shifted her grip on the file.
Moonlight Corporation.
Global holdings. Government contracts. Entire industries that didn't like being audited. She was still in disbelief that her first project is with this big shot company.
And yet, here she was.
The elevator began to rise without a sound. No vibration beneath her feet. No flicker of numbers to mark the floors passing by. She had no idea how high she was going, and the lack of control made her chest tighten.
Relax, she told herself. You earned this.
When the elevator finally stopped, it did so so smoothly she almost didn't notice. The doors slid open.
Cold air brushed against her skin.
Kira stepped out and immediately felt it.
Eyes.
Not watching.
Measuring.
The corridor beyond the elevator was long and wide, lined with men and women dressed in perfectly tailored suits. Their posture was identical. straight backs, shoulders squared, hands either clasped neatly or resting at their sides. They didn't whisper. They didn't stare openly. They simply noticed her, the way predators notice a disruption in their territory.
Her heartbeat quickened.
They're just rich people, she told herself. Overtrained, overpaid, and overdisciplined.
Still, something about the place felt wrong. The air smelled strange, clean and sharp, with a faint metallic edge she couldn't place. Not unpleasant, just unfamiliar.
"Kira Ellis."
The voice came from her left.
She turned so fast she nearly dropped her files.
A woman stood beside her, tall and striking, with silver-blonde hair pulled back into a severe braid. Her features were sharp, almost sculpted, and her eyes…..an unsettling pale grey….flicked briefly to Kira's hands, then to her face, as if cataloguing her in seconds.
"I'm Milo," the woman said calmly. "You'll follow me…Don't wander."
"Oh….yes. Of course. I wasn't…."Kira cut herself off, heat rising to her cheeks.
Talking too much already, she scolded herself…Great start.
Milo turned and walked away without waiting for a response. Her heels made no sound against the marble floor, despite their sharp, elegant shape.
Kira hurried after her.
As they moved deeper into the building, Kira became increasingly aware of what was missing. There were no windows. No clocks. No visible exits or emergency signs. The lighting was subtle and indirect, casting soft shadows that never quite settled.
The place felt sealed off from the outside world….less like an office and more like a fortress pretending to be one.
They stopped in front of a massive door made of dark wood. Strange patterns were carved into its surface…curves and lines that seemed to shift if Kira stared too long, refusing to settle into any recognizable shape. While here eyes were wandering staring everything with awe…
Milo turned to her.
"Before you enter," she said evenly, "there are rules."
Kira straightened instinctively. "Yes, ma'am."
"You will not touch anything unless instructed."
"Okay."
"You will not explore beyond your assigned responsibilities."
"Understood."
"You will not ask unnecessary questions."
That one stung. "I'll… try."
Milo's lips curved slightly...not quite a smile. "And you will never be late again."
Kira frowned. "Again?"
The door opened from the inside.
Cold washed over her like a physical force.
The room beyond was vast and minimalist to the point of intimidation. One entire wall was lined with shelves reaching from floor to ceiling, stacked with thick ledgers that looked older than computers, older than her father, maybe. At the center stood a single desk, black and immaculate, untouched by clutter.
Behind it stood a man.
He was tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed entirely in black, tailored so perfectly it looked less like clothing and more like a second skin. His hair was dark, his face sharp, composed, restrained in a way that suggested control rather than kindness.
And his eyes…
Kira's breath caught.
They weren't brown. They weren't black.
They were gold.
Not bright, not glowing, just gold…like molten metal cooled into a gaze that stripped things down to their bones. Kira didn't realised that she is staring at him..
A heavy voice rang….
"You're late," he said.
His voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
"I….I'm sorry, Sir," Kira rushed out. "The traffic…."
"Excuses are irrelevant."
Each word landed clean and precise, like a blade laid carefully on a table.
"I am Leo."
She nodded too quickly. "Kira Ellis. Junior forensic accountant, from Lucas & Finch Accounting. This is my first…."
He lifted one finger.
She stopped mid-sentence as if she'd hit an invisible wall.
"You talk too much," Leo said coolly. "That will be a problem."
Heat rushed to her face. "I'll be more careful."
His gaze shifted then….not to her files, not to her résumé…but to her. Her posture. Her breathing. The faint tremor in her hands she hadn't even noticed herself.
Something unreadable flickered across his expression.
"She's an outsider," Milo said with a quiet smile.
Leo's jaw tightened.
Kira blinked with confusion but agreed quickly…."Y….Yes, I am…"
"Enough," Leo snapped.
The air changed.
Not metaphorically…literally.
Pressure wrapped around her ribs, subtle but undeniable, as though the room itself had leaned in closer.
"You will follow Milo's instructions at all times," Leo said. "You will remain within designated areas. You will complete the audit efficiently and leave."
He stepped closer.
Too close.
Kira became acutely aware of her heartbeat, loud in her ears. The scent in the room intensified….cold stone, iron, and something wild beneath it, something that made her instincts scream without explanation.
"This is not a place for mistakes," Leo continued. "And it is certainly not a place for curiosity."
She nodded, throat dry. "I understand."
His gaze dropped….just briefly…to her wrist, where her pulse fluttered visibly beneath her skin.
For a fraction of a second, his expression cracked.
Not anger.
Hunger.
Then it was gone.
"Workstation," Leo said, turning away.
As Milo guided her back toward the door, Kira finally exhaled, her breath shaky.
She didn't know why her legs felt weak.
She didn't know why Leo's presence clung to her skin like static long after she'd left the room.
All she knew was this….
She had come here to audit company accounts.
And somehow, without understanding how, she had stepped into something vast and unfamiliar. Something ancient and mysterious.
Something that already knew her heartbeat by heart.
What it was, she had no clue.
But she had the terrible feeling it had noticed her long before she noticed it.