The office was eerily quiet at night.
No buzzing phones. No clicking keyboards. Just the low hum of the city lights spilling through the glass windows of Knight Enterprises' top floor.
Lily Carter sat at her desk, surrounded by a fortress of files, her eyes drooping dangerously as she scribbled notes.
"This is fine," she muttered to herself, propping her chin on her palm. "Totally fine. I'm young. I'm energetic. Who needs sleep anyway?"
Her pen slipped from her fingers.
Her eyelids grew heavier.
She blinked hard. "Nope. Not happening. Lily Carter does not fall asleep on the job—"
And then she slumped forward, face-planting into the nearest stack of reports.
Out like a light.
----------------------- Inside the Lion's Den
Alexander Knight stepped out of his office, jacket draped over his arm, ready to call it a night.
That was when he noticed her.
Lily.
Head buried in paperwork, hair falling into her face, lips parted slightly as she breathed softly in her sleep.
For a moment, he simply stood there, staring.
His assistants in the past would never—could never—have allowed themselves such carelessness. They were precise, composed, untouchable.
But Lily…
Lily was chaos. Messy, unpredictable chaos.
And yet… there was something disarmingly human about her.
Alexander exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Ridiculous girl.
He stepped forward, intent on waking her. But then he paused, jacket in hand.
Almost without thinking, he leaned down and gently draped the jacket across her shoulders.
The fabric slipped around her like a blanket, and she instinctively nuzzled into it, sighing in her sleep.
Alexander's jaw tightened.
This was… inappropriate. Unnecessary. And yet, he didn't move. For the briefest second, a crack formed in his carefully constructed armor.
----------------------- Flashback
The image of Lily's sleeping face blurred—shifting into another memory.
A library.
Sunlight filtering through tall windows.
Books stacked high.
And Katherine.
She was smiling at him over the top of a textbook, her dark hair falling into her eyes as she teased him about studying too much.
"Lighten up, Alex," she'd said, laughing softly. "Life isn't all about grades."
He remembered the warmth in her voice, the way her smile had once softened him.
Back then, before everything had gone wrong.
Alexander blinked, the memory fading as quickly as it came. His expression hardened once more.
----------------------- Midnight
Hours later, Lily stirred awake.
The first thing she noticed was the faint smell of cologne. Expensive. Sharp. Unmistakably Alexander Knight.
The second thing she noticed was the jacket draped over her shoulders.
Her eyes widened. She sat bolt upright, clutching it.
"Oh my God. Did I—did he—oh no, no, no—"
She buried her face in her hands.
She had fallen asleep. At work. In the Devil CEO's lair.
"I'm dead," she whispered. "So dead. Beyond dead. My ghost is going to be unemployed too."
She glanced around, but the office was empty. The only sign of him was the jacket still wrapped around her shoulders.
Tentatively, she pulled it tighter, her heart skipping in confusion.
Why would he—?
----------------------- Later That Night
By the time Lily got home, exhaustion had weighed her down completely. She tossed the jacket carefully over her chair, staring at it like it held some great mystery.
"Why would he…?" she whispered again, shaking her head.
Her thoughts chased themselves in circles until sleep claimed her.
-----------------------
The sound of shouting echoed through the halls.
Her legs carried her to the staircase, where shadows twisted in the dim light.
She saw someone falling—fast, helpless, down the steps. A man. Her father.
And behind him…
A figure. Blurred. Unclear. But unmistakably sinister.
Hands outstretched.
Pushing.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
Lily gasped awake, heart pounding, sweat beading her forehead.
She pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to catch her breath.
Her gaze fell on the jacket draped across the chair.
For some reason, it made her feel… safe.
Even if only for a moment.