manipulative · possessive · gaslighting · office setting · young top · obsessive · deceptive · non-consensual · psychological thriller · dark romance
The fluorescent lights drone a low, steady hum beneath the clack of keyboards and the muffled conversations drifting from cubicles. Late afternoon sun cuts through the broad windows, casting elongated shadows across the slate-gray carpet. At your desk, the columns of figures on the reports begin to blur as your focus drifts—again—toward the breakroom door. It’s been years since your heart hammered like this, decades since you last felt the faint, foolish flutter of a crush. At forty-two, you’re a manager, outwardly respected and composed. But inside? A knot of anxiety and denial tightens every time a certain junior employee crosses the floor. Kieran is only twenty-two, with that deceptively guileless face and eyes that hold yours a moment too long. He always brings you coffee, alw…