The world unknown

"You must be the woman that Minerva recommended." The man finally spoke, his voice smooth yet powerful, carrying an air of authority that demanded attention.

She swallowed hard and nodded.

"I was informed about you. Minerva spoke highly of you."

Lady Minerva had? That was surprising.

The vampire studied her for a moment, his gaze piercing before he spoke again.

"I am Luciano Hamilton. You will be working personally for me and when your hands are free, you will be joining the other servants."

She bit her bottom lip... Wondering if it was the right time to turn back and go back to the household that she had been living in all along. Of all the tales that she had heard about the night creatures, she knew they all couldn't be baseless rumours as everyone spoke of it. There was nothing positive about their existence and she wondered if she said that she didn't want the job, if he could kill her.

Larissa sat rigidly in the drawing room. Her hands slightly clasped on her lap. The air in the grand mansion was eerily still, the silence pressing on on her like an unseen force. The scent of polished wood, burnt candles and something faintly metallic clung to the air, unsettling her further.

The man before her, senior Hamilton, sat in a high backed chair, his posture relaxed yet commanding. His piercing eyes studied her with what felt like amusement as though he could read her thoughts. His youthful appearance unsettled her,, he did not look like an old man, yet she knew he was one

"You look uncomfortable." He observed in a smooth, velevety tone.

Larissa swallowed hard. "I..." She hesitated, unsure if she should admit her unease.

His lips curved into a knowing smile. "Let me guess, you've heard of the stories? The blood drinking monsters who lurk in the night? You must be wondering if you made a grave mistake coming here."

His words made her stiffen. She had in fact been thinking about the very same thing.

She couldn't respond, he continued, his tone casual yet edged with something darker. "Well, everything you have heard is not far from the truth."

The finality in his voice sent a chill down her spine. She gripped on the fabric of her dress, trying to keep her hands from trembling.

"There must be some nice vamp..."

Finishing a statement was the hardest thing for her to do at the moment. Her brain was spinning her heart kept on dropping on her stomach which made her morrw nervous.

"Well, there are. Just like humans, some of us are nice, some of us aren't. And some do just fine if they are not provoked. But tell me, are we different from humans?"

The question caught her off guard.

"Why do you ask?" Her voice was polite, trying not to do something or say something that would lead her to her grave.

"Humans kill each other all the time." He said smoothly. Tilting his head as if studying her reaction. "They lie, they steal, betray. They hide behind the maskof morality while spilling blood in the shadows. Vampires, on the other hand, do not pretend to be anything we are not. We do not weave falsehoods about our nature. We are what we are."

She bit her lip, uncertain of how to respond. Some part of her knew that his words about humans had truth in them. After all, she had been living with her abusive relatives for years.

When he stood up from his seat, Larissa soon followed his actions whereby she also got up from thw couch, her legs feeling unsteady and she followed him down a long corridor.

At the end of the corridor, large doors opened revealing a breath taking garden.

It was enormous - filled with lush greenery, delicate white blossoms glowing under the morning sunlight, and fountains that trickled softly in the background was beautiful, yet hauntingly quiet.

They stood there for a while in silent, each one of them occupied with their own thoughts yet none tried to break the silence. The view in front of her brought serenity, for a moment, she just wished to have such beauty, peace and quiet.

Finally, senior Hamilton decided to break the silence. "You can leave if you want. I do not like keeping people against their wishes."

It was an option that she was given but she felt as if she had been put in a predicament. She was supposed to be wary of the creatures of the night but she did not feel scared, rather, she felt confused.

What if senior Hamilton was just a good person trying to live a normal life?

But then, she had not forgotten his earlier words that made her more cautious.

When she recalled of a human maid that escorted her to the drawing room, she finally decided.

"I will stay."