Eternal Echoes: The Vampires' Reborn Mate

I stared at my computer screen, blinking rapidly, willing the spreadsheet to magically correct itself. It didn’t. Traitor. With a groan, I slumped forward, resting my forehead on my desk. “I wasn’t made for this level of suffering,” I muttered dramatically to no one in particular. “Talking to yourself again, Eloise? Should I be worried?” Lucas’s voice, smooth, teasing, drifted over my cubicle wall. I lifted my head just enough to glare in his direction. “If you saw the monstrosity I’m dealing with, you’d be talking to yourself too.” Lucas appeared over the divider, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. “Let me guess. You hit one wrong key, and now the whole formula’s gone rogue?” I sighed. “Something like that.” “You do know you could just ask for help, right?” I narrowed my eyes. “And let you hold this over my head forever? No thanks.” He chuckled, the sound rich and undeniably unfair. “Suit yourself. But if you start screaming at the computer, I’m recording it.” I rolled my eyes and turned back at my screen, determined to conquer the spreadsheet beast on my own. As if sensing my renewed determination, my email pinged. I clicked it open and... oh. Oh no. Meeting with the CEO Mr. Cassian Moreau – Mandatory Attendance My stomach flipped. The new CEO. The mysterious, rarely-seen boss of bosses who had been the topic of hushed conversations around the office. And now he wanted to meet us. Lucas let out a low whistle, glancing at his own screen. “Well, this just got interesting.” “Have you met him before?” I asked, trying to sound casual. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, just a flicker of something in his expression before his usual confidence slid back into place. “Not officially. But I’ve heard things.” “Things like what?” Lucas’s smirk deepened, “You’ll see soon enough.” That was… not ominous at all. I glanced down at my outfit... smart but unremarkable, and, for reasons I refused to examine too closely, felt the sudden urge to at least brush my hair again before this meeting. Not that I cared. Obviously. Lucas, apparently reading my mind, chuckled as he walked away. “Might want to check your reflection, Eloise. You look like you just lost a fight with your chair.” I grabbed the nearest stapler and lobed it at him. “Get out!” He dodged easily, laughing as he disappeared down the hall. With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair, my fingers tapping restlessly against my desk. The office buzzed with a new energy, people whispering theories about what the CEO wanted. My coworkers, usually buried in spreadsheets and reports, suddenly looked wide awake, alert. I pulled out my compact mirror and did a quick once-over. Lucas wasn’t wrong – I did look a little disheveled. A stray lock of black hair had escaped my bun, curling near my temple. My eyeliner, applied hastily that morning, was smudged just enough to be annoying. I smoothed down my blouse and straightened my necklace – a delicate pendant I never took off, the silver cool against my fingertips. It was an old family heirloom, but I’d always felt oddly attached to it, like it meant more than just tradition. Something about this meeting unsettled me, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. The CEO was just a man. A person. I’d survived plenty of corporate nonsense before – what made this any different? Yet the feeling in my gut remained, a whisper of something deeper. A warning, maybe. I shook it off. Whatever was coming, I’d handle it. I always did. Still, as I made my way toward the conference room, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change. The hallway seemed longer than usual, the fluorescent lights overhead humming with a faint, almost eerie buzz. As I approached the glass-paneled doors of the conference room, snippets of hushed conversation reached my ears. “I heard he’s impossible to read. Cold as ice.” “Some say he bought out the last CEO personally. No one knows why.” “I just hope he doesn’t fire half of us.” I exhaled slowly, steeling myself. Whatever the truth was, I’d find out soon enough. As I stepped inside, the room went silent. All eyes turned toward the man standing at the head of the table. Tall. Imposing. A presence that demanded attention without a single word. My heart skipped a beat. Because I knew that face. Not from news articles or office gossip. From my dreams. The ones I’d been having for months, maybe longer. The ones that involve very steamy moments with Lucas and this very man. The ones I’d convinced myself meant nothing. Golden eyes locked onto mine, and a slow, knowing smile curved his lips. Everything inside me screamed that this was the moment my life would never be the same again.