"Haven't been sleeping well again? Work must be tough lately." Seraph, with her flame-red hair, settled beside Elara like a bright fire, looking concernedly at her pale face.
Elara glanced at the mirror on her desk and gave a helpless smile, nodding. "Yeah, I've been busy even after work hours."
"Making money is important, but health comes first. You don't need to work so hard - you're already the top performer, and you have such a good boyfriend—" Seraph paused mid-sentence, her expression turning strange. "Though... he's been acting weird lately."
With perfect feigned surprise, Elara tilted her head. "Weird how? Because he's been close with Ashley?"
"Ah... you noticed? Then it's probably nothing. Maybe I'm overthinking." Seraph awkwardly pulled a candy from her pocket and placed it on Elara's desk. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "There have been some... unpleasant rumors about you... just be careful."
Before Elara could respond, Seraph turned to leave, but Elara quickly stood and grabbed her hand, hesitating before saying, "...It's not true."
Seraph's red curls swayed as she stopped. Her clear blue eyes met Elara's with a gentle smile. "I believe you." She pulled out more candies from her pocket, pressed them into Elara's hand, and left.
Elara stood there clutching the candies, her brown eyes melting like honey. She suddenly realized how foolish she'd been before - perhaps things would have been different if she'd defended herself earlier.
That evening after work, shrouded in a black hoodie and face mask, Elara calmly entered the large supermarket near her office. This had become her routine over the past few weeks - methodically filling her cart with survival essentials. She moved through the aisles with practiced efficiency, selecting long-shelf-life items: canned foods, dried goods, rice, and pasta. Her cart gradually filled with multi-packs of bottled water, first-aid supplies, and basic medications.
In the household section, she added matches, batteries, and portable chargers to her collection. The feminine hygiene products were last - she'd learned from experience that these would be among the first items to disappear in a crisis. A few curious glances followed her loaded cart, but she'd long since stopped caring about others' opinions.
After completing her shopping, she pushed the cart into her newly rented garage. The space had transformed into a well-organized stockpile over the months. Shelves lined the walls, methodically arranged with supplies: canned goods organized by expiration date, emergency medical kits, water purification tablets, and enough dried foods to last months. A small generator sat in the corner, still in its box. Solar-powered chargers and emergency radios were neatly arranged on the upper shelves.
As she arranged her new purchases, Elara felt a grim satisfaction. While others saw her as a victim, she was quietly preparing - not just for survival, but for whatever might come next. Each can, each package, each supply was a small piece of insurance against future uncertainties. The garage had become more than a storage space; it was a testament to her resilience, a physical manifestation of her determination to never be vulnerable again.
After completing her shopping, she pushed the cart into her newly rented garage, which resembled a mini warehouse filled with supplies.
As she left the garage, Elara spotted that familiar man walking with a woman in the distance. Despite being mentally prepared, her pupils still constricted sharply.
Just as she reached into her bag, a warm large hand caught her wrist, withdrawing quickly as she looked up.
Elara raised her head to see a sharp jawline and prominent nose, accompanied by the comforting scent of expensive cologne.
It was their company's director - Cassian.
Unlike his usual taciturn, suited appearance at the office, Cassian now wore light gray athletic wear that revealed his well-built, masculine frame. White wireless earbuds hung on his shoulders, giving him a casual air.
His post-workout hair fell naturally across his forehead and temples. Cassian's sharp features were slightly furrowed as his deep ocean-blue eyes fixed on his employee and new secretary in the distance.
Cassian glanced at the petite woman beside him, whose downturned face masked her emotions, wondering if she was heartbroken.
Before he could speak, Elara surprised him by smoothly pulling out a small camera from her bag, aiming it at the blonde, blue-eyed man wearing a love-struck expression - Leon, her current boyfriend and fiancé...
The woman holding the camera maintained a composed expression, showing no mercy - like a paparazzi on assignment, but colder, lacking any excitement at catching breaking news.
Elara had no energy to contemplate what the man beside her might be thinking, completely unaware that her actions had sparked a subtle delight in him.
Cassian, who had initially planned to leave, now stood quietly beside her, patiently waiting. His deep blue eyes, like a calm and gentle sea, steadily watched Elara. Only after she finished did he speak, "Would you like to get coffee?"
As expected, Elara declined, tucking her soft brown hair - as straight and stubborn as she was - behind her ear. "I'm sorry, Director, but I'm not feeling well and would prefer to go home. If it's work-related, we can discuss it tomorrow at the office."
Cassian watched the pale-faced woman before him with amusement. Despite her supposedly heartbroken state, her eyes betrayed no emotion. Internally, he noted her poor acting skills.
But he simply said, "Of course, get some rest then."
Elara nodded without hesitation and hurried away.
The moment she closed her door, exhaustion washed over her. She slid down against it, feeling a strange sense of emptiness, as if floating in space.
Her hand absently found the candies from Seraph in her pocket. Unwrapping one, she popped it in her mouth, slightly alleviating her disappointment. Her phone buzzed, and though she meant to dismiss it, assuming it was work-related, she saw it was from Seraph: "Take care of yourself, get some early rest (＾▽＾)."
Elara's heart melted, and she found herself exchanging multiple messages with her friend.
By dinner time, heavy rain had started outside, but her mood had improved considerably. Thinking about Leon and Ashley, who hadn't brought umbrellas, she felt more absurd than bitter, her previously numbing hatred barely stirring.
With a slight sense of satisfaction, she headed to the gym downstairs to exercise.
As the moon rose, brown hair spread across her pillow, Elara's brows furrowed in sleep.
In her dream, blood-red rain fell from the sky. The familiar rough, large hands that once held her tenderly now violently pushed her from the car.
The once-gentle female voice turned sharp and venomous, defending the man: "It's okay now, Leon... we had no choice..."
Her body hit the ground hard as the words faded with the departing car.
Elara opened her light brown eyes in despair - eyes that once gleamed like honey in sunlight now lost their warmth. The putrid breath of the undead dripped down, and as she squeezed her eyes shut, instead of darkness, she saw an intense red light.
A thunderclap jolted her awake. Fine sweat covered her no-longer fragile body. The confusion in her eyes had long since transformed into determination. She stood up straight and walked to the bathroom.
In a cold corner of the night city, a light illuminated where warm water flowed, washing away a woman's former weakness.