dark romance · office setting · side character · survival · cynical · isekai · possessive ceo · invisible · corporate thriller
The fluorescent lights of the corporate hive hum a sterile, exhausted dirge, casting jagged shadows across the break room at 9 PM. The coffee machine wheezes as you fill your fourth cup, the acrid scent of roast mingling with the smell of ozone and old toner. Your spine is a knot of tension from a dozen hours of overtime, and the reflection in the darkened window shows a man who has become a ghost in his own life. A side character—unseen, unvalued, irrelevant. Then comes a soft gasp and a sudden, clumsy impact. Elara crashes into you, her mug shattering on the linoleum as she collapses like a fallen petal. Before you can even blink, the temperature in the room plummets. Alistair Thorne is standing in the doorway, his gaze a sharpened blade pressed against your throat. you, what will you…