Matthias POV

Because of the hotels, I have been so busy. This is the first day in a month that I can laze around all morning. The bed is the most comfortable in the morning. With the cold weather outside, the warmth given by the sheets is heaven. Who wants to go face the harsh reality of life when you have a bed?

With that said I can’t stay in bed all day even if I wished for it since I have work to do. With great effort, I am finally able to leave the bed at noon and go through my usual routine. After relieving myself, I go to wash my hands before brushing my teeth and arranging my hair. Then, I grab a simple black T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants to cover my awesome naked body. I would walk around naked, but my male employees don’t know how to appreciate the view.

Fully clothed, I make my way downstairs to the den where I will have lunch. I don’t know how she does it, but my secretary is always waiting for me in the right room. She is a competent woman. This is why I kept her by my side for so long. Plus, it would be a pain to train a new girl all over again each month.

“Good afternoon, Sir,” she greets with a pleasant smile as I nod at her. “Today, you only have a conference call with Mr. Martin Raymond from the marketing company scheduled at three.”

“Thank you, you can take the day off.”

She merely stares at me in surprise. “Won’t you need help for other things, Sir?”

“I can handle the rest myself. Have a nice day,” I wave at her with a smile as she nods before leaving.

I wait for her to leave not only the room but also the house before opening the TV. I choose a random channel as my lunch is served in front of me. My mouth waters at the sight of the take-out boxes. I eyed the chef who shakes his head with a frown. I know he dislikes it, but what can I say? I prefer to order food at some low-key restaurants over something fancy. I had been eating the best food all my life, and I’m tired of it. So, this junk food is actually a treat for me.

When I open the lids of the multiple containers, I see dishes composed of white rice, sweet and sour fried pork, salt and pepper shrimp and my favourite, xiao long bao. The different smells and pleasant aromas coming from the delivered Chinese food make my stomach growl. I may not need human food to live, but who can pass up on this?

I quickly take my bite of the soup-filled dumplings and hummed in satisfaction. It may not be as refined as the ones my chef makes, but these basic flavours are exactly what I have been looking for. I need a simple life and simple dishes.

“Sir, I could have made those dishes for you. Do you know how much grease and salt did they put in it?” the chef sternly warns while I put a bite-sized piece of the sweet and sour pork in my mouth.

“I know. Your cooking is delicious. Hundred times better than this restaurant can ever dream of making,” I say between mouthfuls of rice and shrimps.

“Then, why do you insist on eating it?”

“Because I’m usually not allowed to,” I grin at the man next to me who sighs yet once again.

“I’ll start preparing for tonight’s meal. Any preferences?” he asks as I shake my head negative. “Then, enjoy your meal.”

I continued eagerly to eat while watching a show on television. I don’t care what I am watching. I just want to have a distraction while eating the take out meal my talented chef so generously ordered for me. Before, he didn’t mind me eating it until my mother came and told him my bad habits. She has a way with words. If they left the choice to me, I can eat this junk food all day and for seven days a week. Since then, he vowed to cook for me daily. Therefore, I am only allowed to order food only once a week.

After emptying the containers, I fish out my phone to set an alarm fifteen minutes before the call conference. I’m nearly done rejuvenating the hotels. The staff, the furniture, the decor, the restaurant, the entire chain have been modified. It cost a lot of money that was generously donated by the company. Nikolas blasted my ears the other day when he received the receipts. What can I say? If you want success, you need to have the best.

Now, I just need to put it back on the map. A little publicity should do the trick. Our old customers are mostly back. But I can’t relent. Our competition is still striving, and I have yet to find a way to make it submit. I could buy the chain. It is one of my options, but it’ll be too expensive. I need to find a way to not crush but control the competition.

As I head toward my office, my phone vibrates in my back pocket. After unlocking the screen, I read the message Daniel just sent me.

<Are you still in bed?>

<Will you come to kick me out of bed or give me a kiss?> I write down my answer with a smile while wondering what he is going to answer.

We have been talking and texting each other every other day. We have come a long way since we first met. We can now stand in the same room without glaring and yelling at each other as well as having a decent conversation and sometimes a handshake as well. We still have a lot to overcome and accept before being able to get into an intimate relationship.

As I waited for his answer, the alarm I set earlier start to ring. I cancel it and prepare the material I will need during the meeting. Once Martin Raymond and I start to discuss the vision I have for the chain time flew away. I only needed a few words to be exchanged and knew he is the man I need. He understands the vision I try to market and even showed me a few samples of different possibilities. Two hours later, I end the call satisfied. He will send me two samples in a week, so I can review it and make some changes if necessary. Once we announce our newly redesigned hotels with the ads, Hotels Critics are sure to visit us. If we don’t get a top score, I swear I’ll whip the staff until they are finally able to do their job right.

With my phone still in hand, I check if Daniel answered my text. Noticing that he did send a reply put a smile on my face.

<Why would I give you the satisfaction of knowing what I'll do? You'll have to wait and see.>

< o(≧∇≦o) !! >

<What is the hell is this ugly thing?> he immediately answers as I laugh at his answer.

< 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 How dare you call me ugly.>

< … >

I laugh as I must annoy the hell out of him. I put my phone on my desk as I go to the small fridge in the corner of the room and fished out a cold pack of blood. Sitting back on the chair behind my desk, my phone rings once as I receive a text from Daniel.

<ヽ(#ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ┌┛Σ(ノ´Д`)ノ>

<So, you'll come to kick me out of bed.> I tap my answer with a smirk while sucking the blood out of the bag.

Suddenly, I frown at the foul taste that invades my taste buds as I grab the bin on the floor before spitting the blood out. I quickly rinse my mouth with fresh water before spitting it all out in the bin a few more times. Why does it taste like this? Could it be expired? I grab the blood bag and examine it carefully. However, I don’t find anything out of place. It is exactly the same as usual.

It can’t be. We did not even make it official yet. It is common knowledge that once mated, a vampire can’t drink blood from anyone else, but his or her mate. Daniel and I are not ready to be all lovey-dovey if that ever happens. We can tolerate each other, but there is no love yet. Also, I won’t be able to drink directly from him because of that. He may not even accept. This is so complicated and unnecessary. I was hoping that our almost invisible bond wouldn’t develop so fast. What do I do? I need blood to survive but I don’t want to ask him for some. He’s not ready. I’m not ready.

I stare at the blood bag in my hands and then at my phone. What should I do? Should I call him and explain the situation? No, it’s too soon. If he freaks out, all our progress will be for nothing. Yes, I have to wait.

Therefore, I force myself to swallow every mouthful of that foul red liquid that is contained in the small bag. No matter the taste, blood remains blood. I’ll get the necessary nutrients through it. If I don’t use my powers, I will only have to drink this once a week.

It took an eternity to finish it when it would usually take a few minutes. I wash the awful taste away with some water and groan as I get uneasy in the stomach. Only thinking about the taste of what I ingested is enough to make me puke. I throw the now empty bag away and make myself busy with work.

For the next few weeks, I drowned myself with work to forget about the churning sensation in my stomach. I thought I was able to endure it until Daniel is ready to accept it. But who knows how long it can take?

Without a choice, I empty a bag after another every week to get the nutrients I needed and to stay alive. Or so I thought.