Chapter 3
Victor walked over to me and stopped.
He took off his black suit jacket and gently draped it over my shoulders.
"You're dressed too lightly," he said, his voice low and husky, trembling with restraint.
I didn't pull away.
It was strange. There was something about his presence that felt familiar, making me want to get closer to him.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
"M-Mr. Sterling?" Charles stammered. "You know her? That is Aurora Lane. She got kicked out by the Lane family. She is some nobody from the sticks..."
"Shut up," Victor said, turning to him.
The gentleness from before vanished in an instant.
He looked at Charles like he was staring at a dead man.
"Who do you think you are, daring to address her so casually?" Victor snapped.
Charles's legs went weak, and he nearly sank to the ground.
Victor raised his right hand, and his assistant, Ethan Carter, immediately stepped forward. "Boss."
"Crush the Bennett Corporation by dawn. I want him with nothing," Victor said, his tone as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.
"Understood." Ethan took out his phone and started issuing orders right away.
Charles's face went ghostly pale. "Mr. Sterling. What did I do wrong? You can't do this to me!"
He reached out, trying to grab Victor, but Ethan stepped in and kicked him aside.
Charles's phone started ringing like crazy.
He answered, and his father's frantic, desperate voice came through. "You bastard! Who gave you the nerve to mess with Sterling Enterprises? The company's stock has crashed. All our suppliers have bailed. We are ruined."
Charles's phone clattered to the floor.
The hotel fell completely silent. No one even dared to breathe.
With one word, a family's entire business was destroyed.
It was absolute domination.
Victor looked back at me, his eyes soft and warm like a gentle spring day.
"It's too noisy here." He leaned in and offered me his hand. "Come with me, okay?"
I stared at his pale hand, the long, elegant fingers standing out.
Without even thinking, I slipped my hand into his.
His hand was icy, completely devoid of warmth.
*****
The black car raced through the night.
It was pitch black inside the car.
I turned to Victor next to me. "So, who exactly are you?"
He stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched. "Someone who's been looking for you for ages."
We ended up in a private room at an exclusive dining club.
The room was dim, lit only by a few wall lamps that gave off a gentle glow.
I felt comfortable here.
I hated bright lights. They stung my skin and ached my eyes.
Without even glancing at the menu, Victor told the waiter, "One bone-in ribeye, blue rare. No sides, no sauce. And a glass of purified water on the rocks."
I lifted my head in shock. "How did you know?"
Most people couldn't stomach a blue rare steak.
But I absolutely loved it.
I'd never told anyone about it.
"I told you, I've been searching for you for a long time. I know everything about you," Victor said softly, but his words hit me like a punch to the heart.
The steak was served in no time.
Victor picked up his knife and fork, his movements unbelievably graceful. The outside of the steak was a little charred, but when he cut it open, the inside was raw and bloody red.
Then he placed the sliced steak right in front of me.
The rich, bloody flavor spread across my tongue.
The restless heat inside me melted away.
It was absolutely delicious.
Victor didn't eat anything.
He propped his chin up with one hand, watching me.
His gaze was locked on me, almost burning.
His eyes held so much—longing, restraint, and a possessiveness that threatened to spill over.
"Eat slowly," Victor murmured, taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth.
His fingertips were still icy cold.
"Did we know each other before?" I asked.
Victor's hand paused midair.
He looked at me deeply and then gave a smile tinged with pain.
"No. Not before," Victor said, pulling his hand back.
"But from now on, your world belongs to me. Only me." His voice was soft, but the possessiveness was unmistakable.
After dinner, the car stopped in front of my place.
"Go on up. Get some rest," Victor said, standing by the car door, making it clear he wasn't coming up.
I nodded and headed inside.
As I was stepping onto the stairs, the light above me exploded with a loud crack.
Everything went pitch black.
Something lunged at me out of nowhere, moving so fast it was unreal. I barely managed to dodge.
Before I could even steady myself, I fell into a cold embrace. "You've got a death wish." Victor's voice snapped.
He was even faster than whatever it was.
He pulled me into his arms to protect me, and with his other hand, he reached up and caught the thing by the throat.
A heavy thud echoed. Victor slammed it down onto the ground.
In the faint moonlight, I could see what was lying there.
It was a creature with a human torso, but two sharp fangs jutted out from its mouth.
Its eyes were a murky gray-white, and it let out a guttural scream of agony.
Victor stood with his back to me.
His shoulders heaved, and his fists were clenched so tightly.
"Victor?" I called out, my voice tentative.
Victor didn't turn around.
His voice was hoarse. "Don't come any closer. Aurora, step back."
But there was this strange, irresistible force pulling me closer, and almost against my will, I found myself stepping forward.
"I told you to step back!" Victor barked, spinning around suddenly.
My breath caught.
His eyes were no longer deep black. They had turned a fierce blood-red, so intense it looked like they might bleed at any moment.
His mouth was clamped shut, but two bone-white fangs had broken through his lips, streaked with blood.
I remembered those eyes. He was the man from my dreams.
"Did I scare you?" Victor asked, his voice trembling.
As he spoke, he suddenly lunged at me like a wild animal, drawn by the intoxicating scent of my blood, hot and pulsing in the air.
I barely had time to react before my back slammed hard against the wall.
Victor locked my wrists in his grip, trapping me between the wall and his chest.
"You smell incredible," Victor murmured, lowering his head until his nose pressed into the hollow of my neck, inhaling deeply. "Why are you so intoxicating?" he breathed.
His fangs pressed against my neck.