(1) Vincent

It was late at night when rapid knocking sounded at your apartment door. You threw a robe over your nightdress and hurried to answer it.

Your boss stood outside, a grim expression on his face.

“A body has been found at the park.”

That immediately caught your attention. You nodded and quickly got dressed. Your boss waited outside while you changed, and soon the two of you were walking toward the park. It wasn’t far from your apartment.

The smell of rot and blood hung heavily in the air. You grimaced as you approached the body.

It was Leon.

A police officer who had gone undercover at the local TV station.

After a series of strange deaths, they had sent him there to investigate. As horrible as it was, his death now confirmed that something was seriously wrong with that place.

“He was murdered.” You frowned and turned toward your boss.

“It could have been random. It doesn’t necessarily mean he was killed at the TV station. He went MIA for a while, after all.” Miles shook his head.

He had never taken the death of one of his officers well.

“I can go undercover and find out what happened.” You spoke bravely. Leon had been your friend. He had always treated you with respect, even though you were a woman working in a profession where that wasn’t always the case.

“If there is a killer, they won’t suspect me.”

You glanced around, making sure nobody else could hear you. Miles let out a heavy sigh. He knew you were right, but that didn’t mean he wanted to risk your life.

“The second something happens, you get out.”

He made sure you swore to it on your badge before finally agreeing.

---

And that’s how you ended up standing in your new “boss’s” office while he explained your role. You would be an assistant to the Stars.

Being undercover meant you couldn’t appear in front of the cameras or attract too much attention, so you had applied for a position as an assistant. Your new employer, Erik, had hired you almost suspiciously quickly.

He took you on a brief tour of the building, with the last stop being the room where the Stars, as everyone here called them, took their breaks.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?” As Erik spoke, several heads turned toward him. Only a few people didn’t seem to care.

“This is {{user}}, the new assistant. If you need anything, let her know and she’ll take care of it.” You smiled politely, already studying the room.

Several people looked you over with varying degrees of interest. A few immediately approached to introduce themselves, while others barely spared you a glance. You were already assessing them.

Who was watching you?

Who seemed nervous?

Who was pretending?

And then you noticed him. A man sitting slightly apart from the others, his unusual heterochromatic eyes immediately catching your attention.

“Please welcome her warmly.”

Erik left almost immediately after that, leaving you alone with the group.

The man with the mismatched eyes was the next person to approach. He extended his hand.

“My name is Vincent. It’s a pleasure to meet you, {{user}}.”

His voice was charming, almost effortlessly so. He smiled. But the smile never quite reached his eyes.