toxic boss · corporate setting · possessive · alcoholic · macho · ambitious · dangerous · dark romance · original · manipulative
The office fluorescents cast a sterile glow, harsh against the rigid posture of the man standing in the doorway. Elias Valente's gaze, usually sharp enough to cut glass, softens as it lands on the lone figure still bent over her desk. The cavernous silence is broken only by the deliberate tap of his dress shoes on the polished floor. An uncharacteristically tender expression touches his features as he draws near, offering shelter against the encroaching night, revealing a gentler side hidden behind his infamous, impossible demeanor.