Aurin woke to the soft hum of the AC and the faint scent of cedarwood. For a moment, she still felt suspended between sleep and something else—where the forest seemed to breathe in time with her heartbeat—until her eyes finally opened and the truth spilled in.
This wasn’t her apartment.
The room was wide, neat, minimalist—defined by clean lines and quiet luxury. A tall window revealed the silhouette of Serene City at dawn, washed in a pale, silver glow.
Aurin pushed herself upright, her throat tight and dry.
Where am I?
Before panic could climb higher, the door eased open. Kael Aldrich stepped inside.
He moved with a trained calm that made the room feel smaller. Tall frame, sharp features, charcoal shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled, Kael looked like someone sculpted from a storm that had finally been tamed. His dark hair was still damp, as if he had just come out of the shower, and the faint gleam in his gray eyes caught Aurin the way moonlight settles on water. She had to admit, he was strikingly handsome.
“You’re awake,” he said, his voice low and steady.
Aurin swallowed. “W-where am I?”
“In my guest room,” Kael replied. “I found you unconscious at the edge of the city forest last night. You were freezing.”
Aurin blinked. Her memories came in fragments—running through the trees, something hovering behind her, then darkness. As if her mind had been locked away.
“You… found me,” she echoed, unsure.
“Yes.” His expression hardly shifted, but something measured threaded through his tone. “You were alone. Disoriented. The storm was getting worse, so bringing you here was the fastest option.”
He made perfect sense—thoughtful, even—but the instincts in Aurin’s chest thrummed uneasily, just like they had in the forest.
“Did we… talk? About anything?” she asked cautiously.
Kael paused—just a flicker, almost invisible—but she caught it.
“No,” he answered. “You fainted before you could say anything.”
He wasn’t lying. But he was definitely leaving something out.
“Thank you… for helping me,” Aurin whispered.
“No need.” Kael stepped back, creating distance. “I’ll have my driver take you home once you’re feeling better.”
The distance felt deliberate—polite, controlled. As if he were keeping Aurin at arm’s length.
Or keeping himself from her.
Aurin wondered who this man really was, and why his presence felt so eerily similar to her regular customer, Raven. Only Kael was calmer, steadier—and despite herself, she felt oddly safe near him. Still, she needed to leave. Something about this place didn’t feel right. This man was too mysterious.
“I… I think I should go home.” Aurin rose from the bed, though her head still spun. Kael moved instantly toward her.
“You don’t have to push yourself. Once you’re truly stable, I’ll take you home. I promise.”
His gaze softened—honest, almost tender. As if he were looking at someone he had cared about for a very long time.
Gently, he guided her back down and pulled the blanket over her.
“Rest. You’re safe here…”
Aurin felt his warm hand brush her forehead—soft, careful—before everything slipped into darkness again.
---
Kael’s Office
That afternoon, after waking again, Aurin insisted on going home. But Kael had work he couldn’t leave, and he refused to entrust her to his staff. So he brought her to his corporate headquarters instead.
He didn’t have to. Aurin didn’t mind waiting a few more hours.
But he still chose to take her along. She had no idea why.
Aurin waited in the office lounge while Kael attended a meeting. The space mirrored his home—minimalist, cold, silent, meticulously arranged. She wandered toward the tall window that overlooked the city; the hum of servers thrummed through the building like a steady pulse.
But his employees…
They made her uneasy.
The receptionist typed with a speed that felt almost inhuman.
Two security officers whispered several meters away—but somehow Aurin heard every word, as if her hearing had sharpened overnight.
A large man walked past without a sound, his footsteps unnaturally light.
Everything felt rehearsed, precise—too precise. And Aurin couldn’t explain how she sensed it, or why.
Worse, nearly all of them glanced at her—briefly, knowingly.
Not out of curiosity, but… recognition.
As though she was someone they had been taught not to ignore.
Seeing all that, Aurin only wanted to leave more.
They’re like him, she thought.
Though she didn’t understand what 'him' meant.
She didn’t understand what any of this meant.
When Kael finally stepped out of the meeting room, he gave one curt nod. His entire team dispersed instantly.
Aurin could feel the strange weight of their obedience.
“You must be exhausted,” Kael said when he reached her. “Serene can be overwhelming on your first day.”
“It’s not the city,” Aurin murmured. “It’s the people. And… why did you bring me here? Your employees were staring at me like I was going to bite them.”
Kael stopped.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re… strange. As if they can hear everything.”
His expression remained unreadable. “You’re still recovering. It’s normal to feel unsettled. They’re all good people.”
Aurin wanted to believe him. Truly.
But something was undeniably wrong.
Eventually Kael drove her safely back to her apartment. She didn’t rest.
That night, she returned to her job at the café—a place that suddenly felt too ordinary compared to Kael’s world.
Not long after, the door chimed.
Raven walked in.
He looked different tonight—tension etched across his face, his eyes sharp, holding back emotions she couldn’t name.
“You disappeared,” he said quietly.
Aurin didn’t reply. She only stared, confused by his intensity. What was with him? She couldn’t deal with it now—not when there were customers to serve and only two staff on shift.
Seeing she didn’t respond, Raven seized her wrist and pulled her into a small back room. Fear shot through her—she felt his emotions like molten heat rolling through her body, though he somehow kept them controlled.
Raven stepped closer, his voice barely a whisper.
“Listen carefully. Stay away from him.”
Aksara