The office was unnaturally quiet for a Thursday night.
Most of the staff had already gone home, the buzz of phones and printers replaced by the distant rumble of thunder rolling in from the coast.
Lily Carter sat at her desk, biting her lip as she scrolled through the day's emails. She'd promised herself she'd leave at 6. Then it became 7. Now, the clock glowed 9:42 p.m., and she was still here, half-buried under reports Alex wanted for the morning.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I swear, this man doesn't sleep. He probably recharges by glaring at people."
The only light came from the tall windows, where jagged flashes of lightning lit up the skyline. Rain began to pelt against the glass, heavy and relentless.
The storm had arrived.
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It happened suddenly.
One crack of thunder shook the building, followed by a sharp click.
Darkness.
The hum of the lights, the steady drone of electronics—everything went silent.
"Wha—what?!" Lily yelped, shooting upright. Her laptop screen flickered once, then died. The entire floor plunged into inky black, broken only by the occasional flash of lightning outside.
Her pulse spiked.
"Oh no no no no—"
She scrambled blindly, bumping into her chair, then the edge of her desk. The shadows seemed alive, stretching long across the glass.
Her mind spun with every possible horror scenario—being trapped, intruders sneaking in, horror-movie ghosts ready to drag her into the darkness.
She let out a strangled squeak.
And then—
"Miss Carter."
The voice was calm. Low. Controlled.
Alex.
Her heart jumped. "Mr. Knight?!"
Footsteps approached, steady and deliberate. A faint glow appeared as Alex's phone flashlight flicked on, cutting through the dark.
He stopped a few feet away, the light illuminating his sharp features. He looked exactly the same as always—composed, unbothered.
Meanwhile, Lily was practically clinging to her desk like it was a life raft.
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"I—I hate the dark," she admitted quickly, words tumbling out before she could stop them. "Like, really hate it. As in—childhood-trauma, can't-breathe, monsters-in-the-closet level of hate it."
Her chest rose and fell too fast.
Alex studied her silently, then moved closer, holding the light steady. "You're panicking."
"Of course I'm panicking!" she squeaked. "The power's out, there's a storm, and I can't even see my own—"
Her hand knocked over a pen holder, sending pens clattering to the floor. She gasped like she'd just triggered a bomb.
Alex's jaw tightened, but not in irritation. In focus.
"Look at me."
She froze, blinking at him through the beam of light.
"Breathe," he said firmly. "In. Slowly. Then out."
Her lips parted, shaky. "I—I can't—"
"You can," he cut her off. His tone was sharp but grounding. "Focus. Now. In. Then out."
For some reason, she obeyed. Maybe it was the authority in his voice. Maybe it was the steadiness in his eyes.
She inhaled, shaky but deep. Exhaled.
Again.
The wild hammering in her chest began to ease.
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When her breathing steadied, she realized something else.
He was standing very close. Too close.
The faint glow of his phone lit only their faces, the rest of the office lost to shadow. His features were sharper than ever—the cut of his jaw, the intensity of his gaze, the subtle furrow of his brow.
For a moment, the storm outside faded.
It was just the two of them.
"You're safe," Alex said quietly, almost as if it slipped out.
Lily's throat tightened. She wasn't used to hearing softness in his voice.
She swallowed hard, heat rushing to her cheeks.
Why did the blackout suddenly feel… warmer than it should?
Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the office for a heartbeat. She saw it then—his expression, softened just slightly, like the armor had cracked again.
And then the light was gone, plunging them back into shadow.
Lily stepped back quickly, fumbling for composure. "R-right. Safe. Totally fine. Except for the part where I nearly had a heart attack."
The corner of his mouth twitched—barely, but enough for her to notice.
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After what felt like forever, the overhead lights flickered back to life with a buzz. Computers whirred, machines rebooted, the steady hum returning.
Lily blinked in the sudden brightness, squinting.
Alex lowered his phone, slipping it back into his pocket like nothing had happened. He was already adjusting his cufflinks, all business again.
"As I said," he murmured, turning toward his office, "safe."
Lily stood frozen, her heart still doing gymnastics in her chest.
Had that… really just happened?
--------------------------- Later That Night
By the time she made it home, exhaustion weighed heavy on her bones. She changed into pajamas, flopped onto her bed, and pulled the covers tight.
But sleep didn't come easily. Her mind replayed the blackout, the way Alex's voice had cut through her panic, the warmth in his eyes when he told her she was safe.
Her cheeks burned at the memory.
Pull yourself together, Lily. He's your boss. Your terrifying, soul-crushing, ice-king boss.
Finally, she drifted off.
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It started the same way.
The echo of raised voices. Shouting. The sound of her own breath, ragged, panicked.
The staircase. Always the staircase.
She saw her father again—his figure tumbling down, arms flailing, the sickening crack of impact echoing through her skull.
Her chest tightened.
And this time, the blurred figure at the top of the stairs seemed closer. More defined. Still hazy, still impossible to see clearly—but there was malice in the shape.
She heard faint screaming. Her own? Her father's? She couldn't tell.
Hands outstretched.
Pushing.
Darkness swallowed everything.
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Lily shot upright, gasping. Sweat clung to her forehead, her chest heaving as if she'd been running.
The dream clung to her like cobwebs, every detail sharper than before.
She pressed her hands to her face, whispering to herself, "It's just a dream. Just a dream."
But deep down, she knew it wasn't just a dream.
It was a memory.
One she didn't fully understand.
She curled beneath the blanket, clutching her pillow, trying to calm the tremor in her hands.
And as the storm raged outside, she couldn't shake the echo of Alex's voice from earlier that night.
You're safe.
For the first time, she wasn't sure if she believed it.