Karen stayed behind like she was told.
Not because she was scared.
Because she hated not knowing what game Alex was playing.
The office was quiet. Late hours thinned the air. Everyone had gone home except her and him.
She gathered the files she needed, stacked them neatly on her desk, and was just about to pack up when the lights flickered slightly.
Then she heard it, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps behind her.
"You followed instructions. I wasn't sure you would."
Alex.
He didn't enter right away. Just stood at the doorway, like a shadow watching her from the edges.
Karen didn't turn. "I didn't realize I had much of a choice."
Silence.
Then
"You always have a choice. But choices have consequences."
She slowly turned to face him.
"Why am I here, Alex?"
The way his name rolled off her tongue seemed to freeze the air. His jaw tensed slightly, but his voice stayed cold.
"You intrigue me."
Karen blinked. "That's not a reason to summon me like a dog."
"I don't keep dogs," he said flatly. "They're too loyal. Too easy."
Her eyes narrowed. "And what am I?"
He stepped inside now, the air shifting with him.
"A problem I'm trying not to solve."He said
His stare was intense, not lustful, not gentle. Just deep, as if trying to peel back her layers.
"I don't like how Luca looks at you," he said, voice dangerously calm.
Karen crossed her arms. "You don't get to say that. You barely know me."
Alex stepped closer. "I know enough."
She held her ground, refusing to be intimidated.
"No, you don't. You just want to control what you don't understand."
Something in his eyes darkened. Not anger. Something worse
'POSSESSION'.
"Maybe," he said. "But you didn't walk away either."
The silence between them stretched, full of tension and questions neither of them dared to answer.
Karen finally grabbed her bag. "I'm going home."
Alex didn't stop her. But as she brushed past him, he said just loud enough:
"Next time… don't wear that perfume. It makes it harder to forget you."
She froze just for a moment.
Then she walked away pulse racing, mind spiraling, wondering what the hell she was getting herself into.