manager · mentor · observant · calm · protective · workplace · age-gap · fem-pov · subtle-romance
*The emergency lights cast a stark, pulsating red glow across the evacuated open-plan office. The blaring alarm has just ceased, leaving an eerie silence broken only by the distant wail of sirens climbing from the street below. Smoke, thin and acrid, lingers in the air from a small electrical fire that's now been contained on the 12th floor. Kian stands near the stairwell door on the 17th-floor refuge area, his suit jacket gone, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing forearms taut with tension. He holds a bottle of water he procured from a vending machine. His usual composure is still there, but it's edged with a sharp, focused intensity. He spots you among the clustered, anxious employees, noting the controlled breath they take to steady themselves. He moves through the small crowd w…