The Vampire Lord's Blood Doll

**Sissy's POV**

"Is the data organised?" A voice made me lift my head and stop thinking about yesterday. Isabella, my supervisor, stood at my desk, looking down at me and raising an eyebrow. Even though she was naturally tall, she wore high heels, making her exude a sense of authority.

I took the folder out of my drawer and I handed it to her quickly, but as soon as she took it, her strong perfume made me sneeze. Fortunately, I had enough time to reach the tissue box, and I could cover my mouth and nose with it. I sneezed many times, but when I apologised, she only raised a corner of her lips.

"Even though you were parachuted in, you should still be more careful. I found spelling mistakes in your proposal, that makes me think that your degree is fake. The expectations are high here. Keep that in mind." She talked to me, using a condescending tone.

Her words hurt me, of course, and I wanted to protect myself, but I wasn't in the position to do so.

As my ex-boyfriend left me with nothing, my only chance was to keep this job and start from scratch, so I hardened myself in a second to endure Isabella's mockery.

"Thank you for making me aware of my mistakes. I will go through it again, and I'll do the corrections now." I forced myself to smile at her.

My humble acceptance of her scoldings apparently made her dissatisfied. She snorted lightly through her nose, and she let the document fall back on my desk in front of me. Then she left without a word.

I took the folder, and I started to work on it. I couldn't really find any mistakes in there, so I just made some changes which, I hoped, would satisfy Isabella.

The entire room went quiet, but as I finished, I quickly realised most of my colleagues were just pretending to work.

It was time for my break, so I stood up and I headed to the pantry.

As I arrived, I found a tablet on the desk. Its screen wasn't locked, and I realised it belonged to one of my colleagues, logged into their group chat. Messages were popping up continuously, and I unwittingly started to read the texts. "Do you know anything about this woman coming out of nowhere?" Asked one.

"Aiden's secretary brought her in yesterday. This tells a lot," said another.

"I don't understand, Isabella. She actually dares to be so harsh with this newbie. Since when is she so mean?" Wrote another.

"Don't you know what is going on? Laughing emoji. Isabella is into Aiden. She constantly tries to get close to him, but each time she makes a move on him, he ignores her. Yesterday, she used this newbie as a shield to keep Isabella away." Another replied.

"It seems like Isabella is the villain here. LOL." The one who started the conversation wrote.

"Is there anyone still who doesn't know her background? Her father is a shareholder. Therefore, she thinks too much about herself. She is practising with countless men, yet she still wants to pursue Aiden, who definitely doesn't like public transport."

I was about to read on, but the owner arrived, probably from the restroom, and she held the tablet quickly, blocking my view. Even if I felt a little embarrassed reading their messages, I only smiled, and after making a coffee, I headed to the rooftop to get some fresh air, but to my surprise, I wasn't alone there. Aiden, the secretary, also had his smoke break.

"What a coincidence?" He greeted me with a smile, and he continued smoking. I nodded, then I watched the view. Staring at the towering skyscrapers in front of me made me feel my frustration dissipate from my chest. "Are you adapting to the job well? I hope no one gives you a hard time there." Aiden's honest interest made me smile.

"Isabella likes you a lot, I understand."

I felt like Aiden's attractive features while blowing smoke rings carried a hint of teasing. "I still don't know," he said, and that sentence made me laugh. It sounded unexpectedly witty. "She is making things difficult for me because of your actions yesterday." I confessed.

He chuckled. "It isn't easy to be a handsome man, you see."

We shared a smile, and he continued smoking while I sipped my coffee. I found him nice and intelligent. Compared to his boss, Mr. William, I felt much more at ease around him.

The evening finally came. I walked to the lift, and I waited with a few other people around. However, when the door opened, the familiar mixed feelings of mine returned in a second when I saw Mr. William standing there.

The others froze, like no one wanted to share the lift with him. I hesitated to step in as well, and the situation just started to be awkward when his deep voice made me shiver once more. "Not coming in?" He asked, making that obvious he questioned me only.

Feeling scrutinised by the surrounding others, I stepped into the lift.

He pressed the button for the underground car park, and I was hesitating to press for the first floor.

I was scared to move, actually. I felt my legs weaken again, and I could not move. His intoxicating perfume lingered in the air. That tortured me again with the bittersweet feeling it caused in me.

"How is your wound?" His deep voice sped up my heart pound instantly, but I did my best to hide it. I didn't want him to realise my weakness, that his appearance made me feel. I was worried once he learned that he would turn into a predator, and I would be his prey, which he can catch easily.

"Yes, thank you." I nodded, and I looked away, hoping the lift would stop soon, and I could just go back to the first floor, going back home without running into him. I only lifted my gaze to look at him suddenly when I heard him sighing. "Have you planned how to thank me?"