The event was organized to formally introduce the new business partner of Steel Enterprise. After years of rejecting investors, Richard had finally agreed to a deal—a decision that sent ripples through both the human and dark worlds.

It hadn't been entirely his own idea. A fellow creature from the dark realm had once advised him to start relinquishing some of his burdens. At the time, he'd scoffed at the suggestion. Now, here he was—following through.

The investor insisted on throwing a grand event to celebrate the partnership's beginning. Richard was later informed that he would have to make a speech for the press.

It was, in every sense, Richard's version of a nightmare: crowds, cameras, chaos.

Given the unpredictable state he was currently in, anything could happen. He couldn't risk proximity with too many people. He couldn't guarantee what part of himself might surface.

Normally, he would've refused outright. But this wasn't a matter of choice—it was a contractual obligation. He just had to endure it. Then, the moment it ended, he would disappear as quickly as he came.

The drive to the hotel the next day was long, quiet, and heavy.

From the moment they left, silence had settled between Richard and Maya like a thick fog.

Maya assumed the silence stemmed from Richard's irritation—probably at her. She had a habit of spacing out, and she figured it had already worn thin on him. If she wanted to keep this job, she'd have to focus more, make fewer mistakes.

But Richard wasn't thinking about her.

His irritation wasn't directed at Maya. Truthfully, he hadn't paid enough attention to her yet to be irritated by her habits. His mind was elsewhere—fixed on the event. The press. The eyes. The risk. His thoughts twisted in circles of discomfort, every detail amplifying his frustration.

After an hour and twenty-nine minutes, Richard finally pulled up to the hotel.

It loomed behind an ornate gate, the name Eel's Ibis carved in grand letters across the archway.

"Eel's Ibis," Maya mumbled, reading the sign as they drove through the gates. The entrance was lined with carefully manicured bushes and a sea of blooming flowers.

It was more beautiful than anything she had yet seen in the human world.

The elegance reminded her of home—of the Cupid realm. It tugged at something tender inside her. She hadn't thought she would miss it, but now she found herself longing for the small things she once took for granted.

And someone in particular.

His face flickered in her mind like a warm memory.

"Welcome to Eel's Ibis," a suited hotel valet greeted them as the car rolled to a stop.

Maya blinked, startled from her thoughts. She hadn't even realized they'd arrived.

The man's uniform bore the hotel name in elegant italics across the pocket.

Maya stepped out of the car with a polite smile. Richard followed, his expression unreadable as he handed the keys to the valet and instructed him to park the car.

Without a word, he began walking toward the entrance. Maya followed, her bag slung over her shoulder.

The hotel lobby took her breath away.

It was grander than she had imagined—soaring ceilings, polished marble floors, gold accents gleaming under warm lighting. The reception hall alone looked ten times larger than the entire apartment complex where she lived.

Her eyes widened in awe.

Richard didn't even glance around. His gaze was fixed ahead, purposeful and sharp. Still, Maya caught him looking at her more than once from the corner of his eye.

She was smiling. Genuinely. Like the world was new.

He'd noticed the same expression on her face when they passed through the gates. And for a moment—just a fleeting, dangerous moment—he wondered what that felt like. To smile like that. To feel light.

He crushed the thought before it could bloom.

At the front desk, there was no need for words. The receptionist took one look at Richard and staff rushed forward immediately. Several employees bowed lightly, ushering them through the lobby and into a private elevator.

Everyone moved around him with restrained panic, as if tiptoeing over thin ice.

Maya watched the reactions with quiet astonishment. She felt the same cold presence they did, but standing next to him, it didn't chill her in quite the same way.

The elevator doors closed. Richard pressed the button labeled "13"—the top floor.

Silence returned.

The only sound was the faint ticking of Richard's watch, amplified by the hush in the enclosed space.

Maya stole another glance at him. One hand was tucked into his pocket, the other checking his watch. His posture was relaxed, but his face... wasn't.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something simmered beneath the surface. Something dark. Something sorrowful.

But maybe she was just projecting. Ever since arriving in the human world, her thoughts hadn't been fully her own.

She turned her attention back to the doors, silently counting down the floors.

Finally, the elevator dinged.

They stepped out into a quiet corridor that stretched out in both directions. Only two doors stood on the floor, spaced far apart.

"That one's yours," Richard said, gesturing toward the door on the right. "Get some rest for tomorrow."

That was all.

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and entered the left room, closing the door behind him.

Maya lingered for a beat, staring at his door before stepping into her own.

The room was stunning.

Painted in soft shades of blue, it had yellow flowers arranged on every surface—tables, counters, shelves. The scent was calming. Everything about the room felt designed to soothe.

It reminded her of a dream.

She walked to the bed and collapsed on top of it with a quiet sigh. Through the wide window, the city stretched out before her, glittering under the evening sky.

She stared at it until sleep slowly pulled her under.

Across the hallway, Richard stood by his own window, the same cityscape spread before him.

But he felt no peace.

Only a hollow ache. A familiar emptiness that refused to leave him, no matter how beautiful the view or how distant the noise.

A quiet, persistent longing for something unnamed. Something he might never find.

And somehow, for reasons he couldn't begin to explain, it lingered longer than usual tonight.

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