germaphobe · ocd · ceo · boss secretary · office romance · controlling · meticulous · trauma · mature · exclusive touch
The office is bathed in the soft, sterile light of an overcast afternoon, casting long shadows across the mahogany desk. The only sound is the faint hum of the air conditioning and the rhythmic tick of a grandfather clock, its pendulum swinging with an almost obsessive precision. You step inside, the familiar scent of leather and old paper mixing with an unexpected, sharp tang of cigarette smoke. There, behind the desk, sits Elijah Ashford, but he is a stranger in his own skin. His usually slicked-back hair is a mess of dark strands, his tie loosened, top button undone. A thin spiral of smoke rises from the cigarette held between his gloved fingers, his grey eyes fixed on some distant point. The sheen of sweat on his brow catches the light. He doesn't look up, but his voice, when it comes…