Theron's POV
I completed the work for the day and waited for John to arrive. Even though six years had passed, I still trusted only a handful of people in Eldoria—unlike overseas. Here, devils lurked in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity, and snakes coiled into circle, watching for the right moment to strike. You never truly knew who could be trusted, who was a devil, or who was a snake. Naturally, I could only trust a select few, and John was one of them.
But that didn't mean he wasn't testing my patience today.
"You finally decided to show up," I said, leaning back in my chair, my fingers drumming lightly on the armrest.
"Boss, unlike some people, I actually have to work. I had to run from the top floor to the fifteenth floor," he huffed, dropping into a chair across from me.
I smirked devilishly. "Maybe I should replace you."
John's face paled faster than a vampire at sunrise. Then, gathering himself, he straightened his tie and said, "Boss, other than me, no one can handle you. No soul has been born yet who can survive your… unique temperament."
"Huh… you're right." I nodded slowly, watching his confidence return for half a second. Then I added, "Since you know how to handle me, you also know that you're getting a pay cut this month."
His scream echoed through the office. "BOSSS!"
"If I don't get paid, I have no choice but to crash at your villa," he threatened, crossing his arms dramatically. "I won't be able to afford rent. If that's okay for you....."
I picked up my phone, pretending to think. "You know what? You can actually stay. Not in my villa, of course. But at the Drakos family mansion. That way, I get to save company money from your salary."
John's confident smirk froze. He blinked once. Then twice. His throat bobbed as if he had swallowed a rock.
John's knees hit the floor so fast I wondered if the carpet was cracked underneath. If his legs had any less strength, he might've crashed through two floors beneath us.
"Boss, I admit my mistake! I will never argue with you again! You can send me to Mars, even Neptune, but never to the mansion!" he screamed.
I leaned forward, letting my shadow loom over him. "Then write an apology letter. Five hundred times. Before morning."
John looked horrified. "Boss… I...."
"If you don't want to, you can always move to the mansion," I added with a straight face.
He scrambled up. "No, boss! I will take the punishment! I will start now!"
With that, he ran out as if Cerberus itself was chasing him.
I chuckled, shaking my head. Of course, he should be terrified. The Drakos Mansion wasn't just a house. It was a living nightmare wrapped in stone and history. If John spent a night there, he'd come out a different man...or not at all.
The people in the mansion more ruthless than the last, locked in the game of chess, where the pieces were real people, and the stakes were power, money, and sometimes blood. They didn't care about alliances..
And neither did I.
It was time to overturn the board, scatter the pieces, and rewrite the game itself.