The city stretched beneath Adrian Ling like a glittering map of weakness and ambition. From the top floor of the Ling Corporation's glass tower, he watched the traffic pulse like veins beneath neon lights, a living thing that never stopped moving. His reflection stared back at him in the window ,sharp cheekbones, dark hair falling just enough to soften his otherwise ruthless face, and eyes that carried a depth no mortal gaze could match.
To the world, Adrian Ling was a legend. A man who had taken over his father's global tech empire and turned it into something even more formidable. Ruthless in the boardroom, untouchable in the press, feared by competitors. Employees whispered his name with awe and dread.
But behind the cold perfection of his suits and tailored persona, Adrian felt the familiar restlessness of hunger—not for blood, though it always lingered, but for something else. Something he had yet to define.
Lucien Han entered without knocking. Well of course he did; he was the only one allowed that liberty. Tall, lean, with the precise movements of a predator, Lucien had been by Adrian's side for centuries. His gray eyes flicked briefly to the window before settling on Adrian with his usual detached calm.
"You've skipped two meetings," Lucien said. His voice was low, smooth, but with an edge of reprimand. "The board is restless."
Adrian didn't turn. "Let them be restless. Fear is useful."
Lucien sighed, a faint gesture, almost human. "You're bored again."
Adrian allowed himself the ghost of a smile. Lucien knew him too well. "Perhaps. Humans are predictable. They crave money, power, validation. It's all very… tedious."
Lucien tilted his head. "And yet you surround yourself with them."
Adrian finally turned from the window, his gaze cold and sharp. "Because it amuses me to rule them."
That might have been the end of it, but Adrian's phone vibrated on his desk, the screen lighting up with the day's final appointment...a candidate interview for a junior editor in the publishing subsidiary his company had recently acquired. He almost dismissed it. The girl's name ,Seraphina Cheng,was unremarkable on paper. A degree, some internships, glowing references about her wit and diligence. Nothing extraordinary.
Still, something about the name gave him pause. Seraphina. A name that tasted of fire and softness all at once.
He checked the time. "Send her in," he said, settling back into his chair.
Lucien arched a brow. "You're actually taking this one?"
Adrian's expression was unreadable. "Amuse me."
Seraphina Cheng clutched her portfolio a little too tightly as she stepped into the towering glass building of Ling Corporation. The air smelled faintly of steel and expensive cologne, and everything gleamed—polished marble, mirrored elevators, gold-etched signage. It was the kind of place that seemed designed to remind you that you didn't belong.
She adjusted her blazer nervously, wishing she'd chosen different shoes. Her best friend, Elara Shin, had teased her all morning about "walking into the dragon's den," and now the phrase echoed in her mind.
Everyone knew Adrian Ling was more than just a CEO; he was a legend. A terrifying, impossibly perfect legend.
The receptionist guided her to a private elevator. "Top floor," she said with a polite smile, though there was a flicker of pity in her eyes.
As the elevator doors slid shut, Seraphina exhaled. "Okay, Sera. Don't faint. Don't babble. Just… survive."
The elevator chimed, and the doors opened onto a floor that felt more like a cathedral than an office. Black marble floors stretched into endless space, glass walls revealed the city lights below, and in the center, behind a massive desk of dark wood, sat Adrian Ling.
He was more breathtaking than any photograph, any article she had ever seen. His presence filled the room—commanding, sharp, magnetic. He looked up from a file, and the weight of his gaze nearly stopped her heart.
"Miss Cheng," he said, his voice smooth as velvet but edged with steel. "Sit."
Her knees almost buckled as she crossed the floor and sat opposite him. She forced herself to meet his gaze, though it felt like staring into something ancient and unreadable.
Adrian studied her in silence, his eyes lingering longer than necessary. There was something… strange about her. Her scent was faintly different from the others he had interviewed before. It carried warmth, yes, but also a whisper of something he couldn't place. Not human. Not entirely.
He leaned forward. "Why should I hire you?"
It wasn't a question about qualifications—he already knew she had them. It was a test. A push.
Seraphina's lips parted, her nerves screaming at her to babble, to fill the silence with meaningless words. But instead, something steadier rose in her chest. She met his eyes and said, "Because I'm not afraid of you."
Lucien, standing by the door, arched a brow. Adrian's lips curved in the faintest hint of amusement. Bold. Unexpected.
"Everyone is afraid of me," Adrian murmured, his tone almost a challenge.
"Then maybe they shouldn't be," Seraphina replied, her voice soft but steady.
For the first time in centuries, Adrian felt something stir in him—a flicker of intrigue, sharp and dangerous. He leaned back, studying her as though she were a puzzle. Her hazel eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, though she didn't seem to realize it.
He smiled then, slow and deliberate, the kind of smile that both unsettled and enthralled. "You're hired."
Seraphina blinked, stunned. "Just like that?"
Adrian shot her a look. " What was she expecting from me? A round table with board of directors and her face on a screen while we evaluate her performance?" He thought to himself.
Lucien ,who still stood by the door smirked and thought to himself, " this should be fun."
"Yes, Just like that," Adrian said, though in his mind, the words formed differently: Because I need to know what you are.
And as she gathered her things and rose from her chair, Adrian Ling knew one thing with certainty—his carefully controlled world was about to unravel.