The Dark Secret of the CEO by Sofia de Orellana

Chapter 1

“…Isn’t it taking too long, Sir?”

“She’ll wake up. Soon. …Isn’t my daughter so pretty already?”

“Yes, yes…”

I hear someone chuckle, a deep voice. After a couple more seconds of struggle, I finally manage to open my eyes. Oh, crap, it’s bright…

“Good morning, my Sleeping Beauty.”

A silhouette appears above me, blocking the light. I blink a couple of times, trying to distinguish those facial features. A smile like a shark amongst a greyish, perfectly combed beard, and two piercing, ice-cold blue eyes. …Who’s that? I can’t help but keep blinking repeatedly, my eyes dry as hell. Where the heck am I? What’s going on? I want to move. My body’s so damn heavy… What’s that weird smell, too? I try to move my head, look around. This place is so… white. All monochrome, white and metal. Sanitized and cold like a hospital. No, wait. It looks like it must be cold, but I don’t feel cold at all. Nor hot. Just… neutral. So weird…

I do feel something hard and sturdy underneath me. I’m not on a bed. A table?

“Can you hear us?”

I turn my head, finding another man on my right, seated and staring from behind his glasses. I do hear them. I want to answer, but… my throat hurts! It hurts so much, like it’s completely dry, and raspy. I want to talk, but I don’t even know how to breathe! I can’t feel any air moving through my lungs, my throat… I try to inhale, but it feels empty, like my organs are moving for strictly nothing.

“Answer us,” the man insists. “Can you hear us?”

He’s wearing a white coat and scrubs? I just nod by reflex.

“I… I-I do.”

The air I finally feel seems so strange in my lungs, my throat. My own voice sounds different. Deeper, raspier.

“Good.”

“Give me your hand, Dear,” gently says the bearded one next to me. “Let’s have you sit up first.”

I feel his cold hand grabbing mine, and very gently, he helps me sit up. My body feels so heavy, I thought I’d get a bit dizzy or something, but there is none of that. Just some strange… nausea. I try to ignore it and sit up, to finally realize where exactly I am…

“Is this a… mortuary?” I mutter, a bit confused.

I’ve never been into one, but there’s no mistaking it. I’ve seen enough crime shows for that. Those rows of chrome cupboard doors with numbers on them, and this aseptic, cold hospital atmosphere, without any patients… I look down, and notice I’m sitting on a silver table, like one they put the bodies on. Except that I’m very much awake and alive, and not naked nor covered by just a sheet like I’d imagine a corpse to be. Instead, I’m actually wearing a long-sleeved black dress I’ve never seen before…

“What the…”

“Seems like you’re a quick one,” says the guy in the doctor outfit. “Yes, this is a morgue. Your death was pronounced at thirty-four minutes past one this morning, and it’s now… ten in the evening.”

“My… death? But I’m not…”

“Oh, no, you’re dead. According to the humans standard, you were dead the minute your heart stopped beating, although you were formally pronounced dead a few minutes later. But you did die at around one o’clock this morning.”

makes no sense,”

has been smiling all this time, staring at me like a proud father looking at his child, which seems incredibly strange given the situation. I don’t understand anything that’s going on. Not only do I feel…

do you feel?” Asks

guy’s got a British accent… Or is it Scottish? His blue eyes look as if

I mutter. “My t-throat hurts like hell, and… I’m feeling somewhat sick. Nauseous. But… who the

is Richard,” says the

the guy behind him waves with

around to grab a paper on his desk, visibly unbothered. He has short curly hair and a two-day beard. I turn my eyes to Richard. I feel such a strange… sensation towards him. As if I know him, like a long-lost parent. Have I met him before? Even if my mind wasn’t so fuzzy, I don’t think I could remember. No, I wouldn’t have forgotten someone with such a strong… aura. I’m attracted to his eyes every time I try to look elsewhere.

feel sick for at least the next forty-eight hours,” says Ethan, his eyes still on the paper. “It’s just the beginning, but it should subside, though. Eventually. Are you

throat hurts,”

I frown. The smell is… a bit off. Or perhaps because it’s new. I drink, I keep drinking. No, I just can’t stop myself. I push all my thoughts aside and drink more and more, unable to stop. The liquid’s cold, but it’s filling and warming me up nicely. It’s almost calming, but it’s never enough. I want that feeling in my throat. It’s the most delicious thing I’ve

“…Good girl.”

can protest. Now that I’ve drunk a bit, I feel a bit better, but also… even more confused. He’s visibly the man in charge, so I turn to

on?” I mutter.

“Do you remember?”

loneliness. The rain against the windows, the neon lights from the billboards, and the darkness of my room… The bathtub overflowing. The lukewarm water, and that pain… The one in my chest, deeper and worse than the one dripping down my wrists. …It’s like a nightmare

“I… I…”

myself. No… I fucking did. I grab my other sleeve, to find the same bandage, the same blood stains on the other side. Ice

“Hera.”

forcing me to look into his blue eyes again. He smiles, with a hint of warmth, but more importantly, two visible

“You will be alright. This is all over.

did you call

I start to feel… sleepy. Why am

child,” he whispers. “You’ll feel

have no choice but to obey. My whole self

slowly, with no idea where I am, or how long I’ve slept… I’m not in a proper bed either, but leaning in a comfy leather armchair, a blanket covering me. There’s a strange, heavy buzzing in the background. I grimace. I’m still feeling crappy, but it’s a bit better… The ache in my throat is gone. I glance at the window next to me. It’s night again… But this isn’t a window. It’s a

“Good evening, darling.”

In the seat facing me, Richard Heartgraves, again. He’s looking at me

I mutter. “Where…

Atlantic ocean,” he says, glancing outside. “We will land in London

frown. “Why the

“Is there a problem?”

I swallow down my protest. I guess I have a few bigger issues than going back to that City for now… I try to remember what happened. It still feels like I’m half in a dream, or in a weird daze. I look down, to notice I’m still wearing the same black dress as before. It looks simple, but I can tell when a piece of fabric is expensive. That kind of lace and embroidered top isn’t one you’ll buy at any store. I glance around. This is definitely a private jet, too… And while he’s not wearing any jewelry but a couple

I finally

so many questions, and about as many wild

you save me?” I

didn’t,” he smiles.

one way of saying it, but he’s obviously avoiding my real meaning… My eyes fall

I drank

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