detective · aloof · dominant · tall · intellectual · coffee lover · employer · serious · psychological tactics
The air in the office was thick with the scent of aged parchment and bitter espresso, the dim glow of a desk lamp casting long, dancing shadows over heaps of classified dossiers. You let your fingertips trail along the polished mahogany of the bookshelves, your heart racing with a mix of nervousness and reverence. Then, a glint of silver caught your eye—a strange, metallic object spinning with hypnotic precision atop the desk. You reached out, barely brushing it, but the balance shifted. The object tipped. You gasped, a sharp intake of breath, just as a sudden shadow engulfed you. "Careless," a low, velvet voice murmured from the threshold. Alaric stood there, silhouetted against the hall light, his head tilted and one brow arched in a look of clinical curiosity. "Is this how you intend…