I'm in Love with My Vampire Boss

POV: Joana "Please, no!" Cornered against the alley wall, I cried out in anguish. The torrential rain poured down on me, drenching me. The water mixed with the blood on my torn clothes. The unknown, threatening man brandished a knife at me once more. He had already cut me a few times — not deeply, but enough to intimidate me. "I already told you to take off your clothes, you ridiculous little slut," he threatened again. I looked around desperately. He laughed. "No one is going to save you. You’re going to do exactly what I say, girl." Trembling but defeated, I began unbuttoning my blouse (now already torn), but a soft sound caught my attention. Someone had just passed through the alley, moving quickly. Frightened, I looked toward the street but saw nothing. "What are you doing, girl?" The man shoved me against the wall, and a sharp pain spread through my neck. "I said take off the damn clothes!" A crash sounded; lightning split the sky. In the confusion of light and shadow, out of nowhere, behind the attacker who wanted to do horrible things to me, another man appeared. He was pale, almost gray, with extremely clear, piercing blue eyes. His hair was golden and curly. He could have been an angel. But then he grabbed the attacker’s neck and, without any difficulty, bit into him. A piercing scream tore from the bearded, foul-smelling man’s throat. Horrified, I couldn’t do anything but watch, trembling as the stranger tore through the man's neck. When he finally stopped moving, the fallen angel tossed the body aside like a mere sack of potatoes. Disgusted, he spat blood on the ground and looked at me. Was I next? "Don’t hurt me," I begged softly, though I knew it was pointless. Slowly, the beautiful creature took a step toward me, then another. His movements were fluid, graceful. His body, though thin and wiry, was alluring. A crazy thought crossed my mind at that exact moment: if he was truly an angel of death, I would gladly let myself be taken as long as I could touch his pale, inviting skin. He was now closer. It was incredible how his face was completely devoid of expressions. Sharp fangs grazed his rosy lips as he examined me, seeming to wonder if my blood would taste good. "Vampire." The word slipped past my lips, and I whimpered in fear. His strong, calloused hand pushed me against the wall, and I felt his teeth slide against the skin of my neck. Shivers ran through my body. "Well, well, what do we have here?" The fallen angel's — the vampire's — voice was silky, deep, and restrained. Amidst the panic, I felt something else. A feeling of… attraction. "Don’t hurt me," I repeated, but I knew it was pointless. He pressed me harder, and I smelled him — something musky with a hint of cherry blossom. "I'll take my time with you," he warned. "Please." "Silence." "I have family. I have to take care of them." His teeth pressed harder. I stifled a scream. "My father," I continued, desperate, "died recently, and I need to take care of my mother and sister. They have no one else." I squeezed my eyes shut, already bracing myself for the inevitable bite that would tear my neck apart like he had done with the other man, but... The pressure on my neck disappeared immediately. I opened my eyes. The fallen angel was now a meter away, motionless, staring at me in disbelief. "Is that true? Or are you making up that story to protect yourself?" I touched the twin wounds on my jugular. I looked at the blood on my hands and trembled. "It’s true." "What is your name?" I swallowed hard. "Joana." "Your full name, Joana." "Joana Alagan Joshi, sir." A flicker of recognition appeared in his eyes. "I see." A thick silence hung between us. A thunder rumbled again, followed by a flash of fierce lightning. The little explosion of sound and light disoriented me, and I closed my eyes tightly. When I opened them, the angel was gone. --- The next morning, after a sleepless night and with my mind still clouded by what had happened, I knew I couldn’t miss work. Working at that big company as a janitor was what kept my family afloat. People there didn’t even know my name; to them, I was just "the cleaning girl" — an unnoticed face amid the constant flow of well-dressed executives and employees who seemed to look right through me. I arrived at the company with my face marked by the sleepless night and wearing clothes as discreet as possible. I kept my head down as I passed through the crowded lobby and went straight to the locker room to get my cleaning supplies. I tried to ignore the quick glances and stifled laughs that always followed me in the corridors. It was the usual. I was the type of person they considered invisible... until they decided to make a joke. While I was cleaning the hallway floor that led to the meeting rooms, I heard footsteps approaching. Glancing up, I saw a group of executives gathering nearby. It was inevitable. They stopped close to me, exchanging mocking looks, and then one of them started. "Look who’s here, the ‘future CEO,’" one of them sneered, casting a provocative look my way. "Ever thought about what you’d look like in one of those glass offices?" Another laughed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Maybe if she scrubs the floor harder, the boss will promote her. Head cleaner, maybe?" The laughter was cruel, and although I tried to focus on my work, I could feel my face heating up with shame. I knew there was no point in replying. The last time I tried to respond, they only got angrier. I lowered my head, pretending not to hear, but inside, each word was a blow to the little pride I had left. "Hey, are you deaf? When we talk to you, you answer," one of them ordered, kicking my broom so it fell to the ground with a loud thud. "You should be grateful, you know? Few people have the honor of cleaning the floor where we walk." I was about to bend down to pick up the broom, my hands shaking, when I felt a cold, firm touch on my shoulder. The environment around me seemed to freeze, the laughter and whispers abruptly silenced, and as I looked up, everything around me went still. I froze when I saw who it was. There he was. The man — the vampire — from the night before.