The CEO's Son is a Serial Killer

III.II First Date

Heather found her neck craning as she stared up at the massive skyscraper in front of her, the bright lights of Downtown reflecting off its glass sheen as it stood tall and proud at the heart of the city. The redhead felt a nervous excitement wash over her, a typical reaction whenever she found herself going somewhere new.

"First time for everything.." 

The Tower of Midas was the tallest building in the city, having been constructed during the Golden Age of infrastructure and economic prosperity during the 1960s. Sporting a whopping 99 floors, the building housed the local branches of some of the world's most influential multinational corporations in Midas. It also provided a spectacular view of Midas's skyline, with the Topside Bar allowing one to enjoy such breathtaking views with a glass of whatever alcohol they served on one hand.

While the humble teacher may have heard of the bar's reputation, she had never once set foot in the aforementioned bar, not to mention that she hadn't even entered the Tower of Midas even once throughout her entire life. Clutching the strap of her handbag for some much-needed courage, Heather finally stepped inside the skyscraper's extravagant interior, fighting the urge to gawk and stare at the opulent and luxurious display of wealth displayed in the lobby alone.

"Wow.."

The gobsmacked commoner muttered under her breath as she walked the distance across the surprisingly large ground floor. From the carpets alone, to the chandeliers currently hanging off the ceiling, Heather couldn't believe her eyes that she was simply passing through such extravagant and most assuredly expensive display. And if this was the standard for the rest of the building..

"How expensive are the drinks in this bar then?"

While she wasn't exactly strapped on cash per se, what with the salary of being a public school teacher well exceeding the minimum wage, Heather wasn't big on spending too much money on luxury and self-pampering. Having been forced to live alone since her late high school days, the redhead learned to survive from paycheck to paycheck, working part-time in convenience stores, even paying for her own college fees since her parents died all those years ago. There were more practical or useful things to spend on instead of overpriced drinks and cocktails. She just hoped that her pocket money was enough should this Dio suddenly couldn't continue the date further and had to bail on her mid drink.

"Where to, miss?" 

The concierge manning the elevator asked as she briskly stepped inside the small space. Even the vertical transport oozed luxury as Heather found herself leaning against the silver handlebars mounted against the walls. What kind of world did she accidentally step into?

"T-Topside Bar, please."

The metal doors closed as the machine began its ascent through the tall building, elevator music playing faintly in the background as the teacher took in a much-needed breather. Taking her glasses off, Heather stared at the elevator's mirror walls as her hands wiped her lenses clean of any grime that may have accumulated during the trip.

This was certainly a new experience. While the redhead understood that Midas was an obscenely rich city, she never expected it to be this rich. 

"No wonder the politicians campaigned desperately during this time of year.." She muttered under her breath. "Corrupt fools that're never satisfied with what they've already got.."

The memory of the various two-faces running for governmental positions came to mind as Heather reminisced the time one of them visited her school for what was supposed to be a graduation ceremony just last year. The thinly-veiled campaign speech that Mylonas gave during his opening speech was laughable; promises and showboating heavily peppering his token speech. Seeing as it was almost election year, anyone with a functioning brain would see through his poor excuse of a congratulatory spiel; his grand cadence clearly directed to the parents of her students as well as the faculty themselves. It was a valid tactic, one that the teacher would never fault on anyone that would use it to get votes.

Too bad Heather never planned on voting in the first place.

The teacher hasn't voted in her first eligible election four years ago, and she most likely never will.. ever. What was the point in choosing when there was a dynasty firmly in place in the city? Granted there was that Reyes man that seemed to be picking up steam judging on the bit of hearsay that she picked up on here and there, but the Mylonases will surely stamp him out with their political machinery, no matter how damaged the vice-mayor's motherly reputation was now.

*Ding*

The elevator doors opened to her destination as a cold wave swept through her feet. The redhead mentally pat herself on the back, it was a good thing that she was partial to thick, unrevealing clothing.

"Now or never.."

The redhead chuckled to herself in the mirror as she donned her glasses once more, her right sapphire eye relaxing in relief as it readjusted to the corrective lens. Briefly checking herself over the mirror for the last time, the date bound teacher finally stepped off of the elevator, leaving her to navigate the golden hallways of the floor she now found herself in. 

Now, 'where to' was the question that was swimming in her mind, a hand going to her chin as she scanned the area for any sign or direction as to where the Topside Bar was located. 

"There's got to be a floor directory here somewhere.." 

For a building this large, it was practically a guarantee that there's some sort of floor map for each level. If the ground floor was to be an analog, there should be one just right around.. there.

"Finally." 

Heather breathed to herself as she walked towards a silver stand just a few steps away from the elevator. Glancing at her wristwatch as she approached the advert displaying LED, the teacher was greeted by the large, touchscreen monitor of the information kiosk, flashing its current position relative to the rest of the tower as it screamed on the display to touch it to continue. Navigating the menus like a teenager playing with a smartphone, the teacher finally got her much needed directions to this blasted bar. 

"Just in time too.." It was almost 7 PM after all; the time Mr. Panagopolous set for their 'romantic' date.

Heather briskly walked away from the kiosk in favor of traversing through the golden yellow halls of the 98th floor, doors zooming past her peripherals as she zoned in on her destination. Glancing back at her wristwatch every now and then, Heather picked up the pace as she saw that she only had a few more minutes to get to this bar on time.

Turning on what she knew to be the last left corner that she should take, the redhead took a moment to catch a small breath as the glittery embossed sign of the establishment twinkled in front of her. Any preconceptions about the place were blown out of the water simply from the facade alone as Heather took in the entrance to the bar in question. With a silver, gem-studded sign with the words 'Topside Bar' written on it in cursive just above the golden handled glass doors, the unready commoner felt a lump form in her throat as she felt herself hesitating to even touch the expensive-looking door handle. The commoner teacher felt her inner frugal self screech in defiance as she stepped closer to the glass doors, a hand firmly on the handle as she only needed the final push to go inside. 

What in the world was stopping her? She'd faced things far, far worse than an unwanted date in an expensive bar or restaurant, so why can't she just push the door and be done with it? God forbid she back out now, and she sure as hell wasn't a-

"Ms. Littman?" The hesitation in her mind came to a screeching halt as a familiar tenor voice echoed from behind, her heart going from zero to a hundred in a split second. "Is that you?"

The redhead felt her cheeks flush in both embarrassment and trepidation as she slowly turned her head to face what was assuredly her date for the evening, her left hand clutching her handbag tightly as she fought her right arm's urge to go into her handbag by stuffing it into her pockets.

"S-sir Panagopolous." Heather stuttered as old instincts unconsciously sized up the man in front of her. "Sorry if I'm not on time."

"Nonsense." The COO chuckled lightly as he took the space right beside her. "I'm running pretty late myself, as you can see."

Wearing a black suit with his white polo flared up exposing what appeared to be his chiseled chest, the dashing COO was unmistakably attractive to look at especially under the twinkling lights of the bar's signage. Her gut feelings however never let up their own assault, unconsciously making her take a step back as the man opened the door for the wary teacher. Panagopolous looked at her with expectant eyes, his left arm holding the door ajar as he visibly waited for her to take the first step.

"Shall we?"

Steeling her nerves and drowning out the intense feeling roiling in her chest, the madly blushing redhead took the courage given to her by her friend and promptly took her nominal date's offer, stepping into what was assuredly one of the more memorable experiences in her life. Her heart hammered in her chest as adrenaline never stopped barraging her senses, her body going on overdrive against her will as she entered the bar. 

"Let's make this a night to remember, Ms. Littman."

Heather fought the urge to shudder as the COO led her through the hand as what was assuredly the bar's luxurious decor and ambiance whizzed through her hyperactive mind. Her gut screamed at her to yank her hand away and pull out the switchblade hidden in her handbag, the uncanny businessman still giving off a strange aura that just felt wrong to her. 

"Here we are~"

Leading her to an empty table right beside the transparent glass walls of the bar, Panagopolous pulled the black, leather chair out of the table, giving her a seat before taking his place right across the silk draped table. The cityscape scintillated on her right side, the tantalizing view of the nightlights giving the scene a romantic backdrop on top of the bar's luxurious atmosphere. 

"Th-thank you." The redhead stuttered as she tried to force herself to make eye contact with the man seated in front of her. "I hope I'm-"

"You look stunning, Ms. Littman." The smooth COO complimented after he signaled to the counter something that the disoriented teacher didn't recognize. "Quite the far cry from the meek elementary school teacher I saw just a few days ago." 

The redhead quashed the overwhelming feelings of bloody murder and absolute danger, the man in front of her looking at her with the same lustful eyes that he once did three days ago. 

"Thank you, sir.."

Heather grit her teeth as her right hand hovered dangerously close to her handbag just beside her chair. She had to endure this. Just one night of this, and it'll be over.

Damn her for agreeing to this! She just wanted a life of peace, was that too much to ask?!

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Sorry if the quality isn't up to snuff, I'm still new to writing stuff like this. 

Penny for your thoughts?