Chapter 1 Take the train

"Sophie, your transfer is ready."

A huge folder full of papers dropped onto Sophie's desk, pulling her out of her thoughts. The idea of leaving her comfort zone made her shudder. Although she had no one in that huge city where she worked, the prospect of going to work in Charleston gave her the chills.

"And if I say I don't want to accept it? What would happen?" Sophie reproached her immediate boss.

"The moment you signed your contract, you said you were willing to travel. Besides, you have two options: stay unemployed or go there. There is an opportunity for a person with your profile there; not here."

Her boss's voice was cutting and cold. The company where she worked as an assistant was going through imminent bankruptcy; the executives were trying to relocate employees. She was lucky, as she was one of the few who still had a position.

But to her misfortune, she had been assigned to go to the coldest and darkest place in the country. Though, what did it matter anyway.

Sophie packed her few belongings and, the following day, took a train there.

Charleston is a small city located in the mountains, surrounded by a thick forest and a cold, misty climate. The city has a rich and dark history, full of legends of vampires and supernatural creatures.

That was what terrified Sophie the most: that perhaps those legends were true. She couldn't imagine being devoured by a legion of vampires and having her poor body lie cold and dry in some unknown place. That death was not something she wanted for herself.

Sophie is a twenty-five-year-old young woman, with fair skin and dark brown hair. She has large and expressive hazel eyes and a shy smile that is rarely shown. She is an intelligent and hardworking woman, with a reserved but curious personality.

What remained of her salary had been allocated to pay for the inn where she would spend her days while in Charleston: a large and old mansion, with several rooms available for rent to strangers.

Maria was the landlady. She had given her a beautiful room upon the recommendation of Sophie's boss, one with views of the dark mountain.

"Look, girl, here is the key to your room. You have the right to the kitchen and the communal bathroom. Your shower time must not last more than ten minutes because you would run out of hot water for the others. You must keep your food and all your things in your room; here, I am not responsible for anything."

"Thank you. I will try to eat quick things. Could you tell me where the big factory is? I must report to work there tomorrow."

"In the big factory? What will you do in that place, girl?" Maria asked her somewhat confused; her eyes were full of terror.

"Well, I will be an administrative assistant, Maria," Sophie replied with resignation. "Why do you ask me with 그 face of panic? Is there something I should know?"

"No, just a recommendation: whatever you see, just keep silent. In this city, some paranormal things are rumored that, to tell the truth, I don't know if they are true, but be careful."

When Sophie heard her landlady's words, she felt a deep chill run through her body, but she preferred to think that everything rumored and said was nothing more than fantasy.

When night fell, her room gave her a view of the huge mountain. At the top of it, a beautiful mansion could be seen, dimly lit; it looked more like an ancient castle that had been modernly modified.

Her eyes remained fixed on that dark place. She felt a magical feeling settle over her. She closed her eyes, and through her mind passed the image of a beautiful man, but pale and with skin like ice; his eyes were red and his smile, devilishly white.

She suddenly opened her eyes and, terrified, pulled the curtain of her window.

"This must be a joke," she repeated to herself several times.

Although her first night was not the best, she got up early to fulfill her duty. She had to work to eat and pay for her mother's nursing home, a woman who had gone mad when Sophie was just a child, leaving her alone to her fate and with one more burden.

It was very early. The cold of Charleston seeped into her bones and, although it was already eight in the morning, the city was almost dark. Now she understood why they called it that and why its inhabitants were so pale: sunlight was something she wouldn't see again for a long time.

When she stood in front of the big factory, she realized it was an excessively luxurious place, much more than her old workplace: a huge ash-colored building that matched the city perfectly, large tinted windows and metallic doors. When she crossed the first one, she automatically felt a terrible cold; it was something she had to get used to living with.

"Good morning, miss. How can I help you?" A young woman at the reception greeted her. She was no different from the others: her face was pale and white; her dark suit was simply adorned with a red scarf around her neck.

"Hello, I am the new administrative assistant. My name is Sophie Robinson."

"Ah, yes, we were expecting you. Follow me, please. Your duties will be the same as in your old job. You must catch up with the factory's affairs, but we are completely modernized. At your workstation, you already have all the information you need."

The receptionist explained to Sophie what she had to do while leading her to her office: a beautiful workstation, a desk, a latest-model laptop, and enough to not lose her sanity in such a frivolous place.

Sophie had already been working at the big factory for a week. She had only interacted with another girl who worked alongside her: Glorie, who was becoming something like a friend.

"Sophie, are we going to eat? I'm starving."

"Thank you, Glorie, yes, let's go, please. This cold makes my stomach want to devour an entire elephant."

"What are you saying, woman! Come on, the elevator is about to arrive."

Both waited for the elevator to stop on their floor. It came from the very top of that skyscraper. It was rumored that no one went up to the top floors, for there was the great office of the superior boss and, for some strange reason, he never allowed anyone to approach him.

When the elevator stopped, the doors opened before their eyes. Although Glorie had already lived this scene, for Sophie it was completely new. A tall man, blond, with gray eyes and red lips, appearing to be about thirty years old, dressed in a fine dark suit and with an exquisite fragrance that flooded the place, was in front of them.

Sophie was completely incredulous. She stood frozen at the entrance of the elevator when she saw him. It was the same man who days before had appeared in her visions, only dressed differently.

"Good morning, ladies," Valentin's deep voice greeted them.

"Good morning, Mr. Von Strudel," Glorie replied to the greeting, while, surprised, she stood watching how Sophie seemed enchanted.

"Sophie, are you okay? We must go. Sophie!"

A shout from Glorie pulled her out of her thoughts. She stepped into the elevator next to her friend. As soon as she passed by Valentin's side, a sensation of panic invaded her being. She did not understand why she felt that strange pressure.

They reached the first floor and he simply left; it seemed as if he had disappeared, while they continued with their plans to go to lunch.

"Who is that man?" Sophie asked Glorie.

"What do you mean who is that man? He is the great CEO of the factory. You were very discourteous to him. Fortunately, he speaks few words. I have been working here for a few years and he has been just as perfect since I can remember. Many things are rumored about him, but you know how it is: small town, big hell."

"What is rumored? Tell me, Glorie," Sophie was terrified at that moment. The last thing she would want to hear was that her boss was a vampire.

"They say that Valentin Von Strudel is a member of a very ancient and powerful family of vampires that has been established in Charleston for centuries. And it is rumored that he has had many passionate encounters with humans throughout the centuries. His presence in the city has been fundamental in maintaining the balance between vampires and humans in Charleston. Although, by this time, I have been living here for ten years and I have never seen a single vampire," Glorie shrugged her shoulders and made a gesture of resignation.

"That's not true?"

"I don't think so. They must be just rumors, dear. Come, let's go eat. I'm starving."

Sophie was left completely confused. She couldn't even eat in peace. Valentin's gaze had become completely imprinted on her. He was a man wrapped in an almost extraterrestrial divinity, one could say infernal. That scared her in a way she couldn't explain. She was far from imagining who that mysterious man was who had already appeared before her eyes previously.