CHAPTER TWO: THE DEVIL’S OFFER
1635 Words
Nyra POV
“What kind of job?”
Lucien’s eyes stayed on mine.
Cold.
Steady.
Like he already knew my answer before I gave it.
“The kind,” he repeated softly, “that changes your entire life.”
The hospital lobby suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
I stared at the black card still resting between his fingers but refused to touch it.
“Find another girl,” I said flatly.
One of the armed men behind him shifted slightly.
Lucien didn’t.
“I already found one,” he replied calmly. “She’s standing in front of me.”
My jaw tightened.
Arrogant.
Dangerous.
And somehow worse because he spoke like a man completely used to getting what he wanted.
I crossed my arms harder against my chest. “I’m not interested.”
“Interesting.”
“What is?”
“You’re the first person who has said no before hearing the price.”
His voice remained smooth, but something dark flickered beneath it.
Amusement.
I hated that too.
“I don’t work for criminals.”
A quiet laugh escaped one of the guards behind him before Lucien silenced the man with a single glance.
The lobby immediately became tense again.
Lucien looked back at me.
“You already do, trouble.”
The nickname hit strangely.
Not flirtatious.
Not soft.
Like he had already decided something about me without permission.
My eyes narrowed instantly. “Don’t call me that.”
His gaze dropped briefly to my bruised knuckles.
“Then stop breaking people’s faces.”
“He touched me.”
“And you punished him for it.” His voice stayed calm. “Thoroughly.”
Something about the way he said it made my skin crawl.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Like he understood violence too well.
I stepped back slightly.
Instinct.
Danger.
Everything about this man screamed danger.
“I don’t owe you anything,” I said carefully.
“No.” Lucien slid the black card into my coat pocket before I could stop him. “But you will.”
My body stiffened immediately.
I grabbed the card and shoved it back against his chest.
“I said no.”
For the first time, the air around him changed.
Still calm.
Still controlled.
But colder now.
His gray eyes lowered to the card pressed against his suit before slowly lifting back to me.
“You’re very protective of your pride for someone drowning.”
That hit too close.
I hated that it did.
“I’d rather drown than belong to someone like you.”
The silence afterward stretched dangerously thin.
The guards looked nervous.
Like they were waiting for him to react badly.
Lucien only stared at me.
Then—
“Belong?”
His voice dropped lower.
“That word frightens you.”
My heartbeat stumbled.
Because he sounded less like a stranger and more like someone reading directly through my skin.
I immediately stepped back again.
Too close.
He was standing too close.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing,” I muttered.
Lucien tilted his head slightly.
“This isn’t a game, Nyra.”
The way he said my name made something uncomfortable twist low in my stomach.
Like he’d said it before.
Many times.
That thought unsettled me immediately.
I folded my arms tighter. “Then explain it clearly.”
He studied me for a moment before answering.
“I need someone useful.”
“I’m a waitress.”
“No.” His eyes flicked toward my bruised hand again. “You’re a fighter pretending to be one.”
Silence.
My pulse quickened slightly.
Nobody knew about the underground fights.
Not officially.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know your landlord filed an eviction warning three weeks ago.”
Ice slid slowly down my spine.
“I know you skipped meals twice this week so Leo could eat.”
I stopped breathing.
“I know your sister died believing she failed you.”
The world tilted.
My face hardened instantly.
“Stop talking.”
Lucien ignored me.
“And I know,” he continued quietly, “that you carry cash in your left boot because you don’t trust banks anymore.”
My stomach dropped.
No.
No, no, no.
How the hell did he know that?
I instinctively stepped backward.
Lucien noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“There it is,” he murmured.
“What?”
“Fear.”
Anger exploded through me so fast it almost burned.
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be.”
The words were calm.
Simple.
Certain.
And somehow that made them worse.
I stared at him while my pulse hammered violently inside my chest.
This man knew things he shouldn’t know.
Private things.
Things nobody should know.
A terrible thought suddenly pushed through my mind.
Watched.
The feeling hit me so suddenly my skin prickled.
I looked around instinctively.
The hospital cameras.
The crowded lobby.
The glass doors.
Then back at Lucien.
His expression didn’t change.
But somehow—
Somehow I felt like he knew exactly what I was thinking.
My chest tightened.
“What exactly do you want from me?”
This time, he answered immediately.
“Work for me.”
“And do what?”
His gaze held mine for a long moment.
“Whatever I ask.”
Absolutely not.
Every survival instinct inside me screamed at once.
I laughed bitterly. “You really walked into a hospital and expected me to become your servant?”
“No.” His voice stayed calm. “I expected desperation to make you practical.”
I moved before thinking.
The sound of my palm hitting his face cracked through the lobby loudly.
Gasps erupted nearby.
One of his guards immediately reached inside his jacket.
Lucien lifted one finger slightly.
The man froze instantly.
My breathing had turned sharp now.
Fast.
Angry.
Lucien slowly turned his head back toward me.
A red mark spread faintly across his cheek.
But he didn’t look angry.
If anything—
He looked more interested.
That terrified me.
“You think money gives you the right to own people?” I snapped.
“No.” His eyes stayed locked on mine. “Power does.”
Silence slammed between us.
Cold.
Heavy.
I realized then why people feared him.
Not because he shouted.
Not because he threatened loudly.
Because he spoke like a man completely certain the world already belonged to him.
I hated men like that.
Men like my father.
Men like Adrian.
Men who believed control was love.
I stepped back from him slowly.
“I’m done here.”
Lucien didn’t stop me.
That should have relieved me.
Instead it made me nervous.
I turned and headed toward the elevator quickly.
My heartbeat still pounded violently.
I pressed the button repeatedly.
Too aware of him standing behind me.
Too aware of his eyes following me.
The elevator doors finally opened.
I stepped inside immediately.
Just before the doors closed, Lucien spoke again.
“Ten tomorrow morning.”
I looked up sharply.
His expression remained unreadable.
“If the remaining paperwork isn’t signed by then,” he said calmly, “the hospital returns every dollar I paid tonight.”
My blood ran cold.
“What?”
“You said you don’t accept charity.” He adjusted his sleeve slowly. “So earn it.”
The elevator doors began sliding shut.
Panic hit me hard.
“What paperwork?”
Lucien’s gaze held mine until the very last second.
Then—
“You’ll find out soon enough, violence.”
The doors closed.
My stomach twisted violently.
Violence.
The word echoed inside my head all the way upstairs.
Not because of how he said it.
But because—
For one terrifying second—
It sounded familiar.
Like he’d called me that before.
---
The moment I stepped back into Leo’s room, I locked the door behind me.
My breathing still felt uneven.
Leo looked up weakly from the bed.
“Tia?”
I immediately forced my face back into something softer.
“It’s okay, bug.”
But Leo frowned slightly.
Children noticed fear too easily.
“You look mad.”
“I always look mad.”
That earned a tiny smile from him.
Thank God.
I walked toward the sink and splashed cold water across my face.
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Lucien Draven.
What the hell did he want from me?
No.
Bigger question.
How long had he been watching me?
A soft knock suddenly came from the hospital door.
I stiffened immediately.
“Miss Kane?”
A nurse entered carefully holding a file.
Her entire attitude had changed now.
Nervous.
Respectful.
Almost afraid.
“The hospital director asked me to deliver this personally.”
I frowned and took the folder from her.
Inside sat several papers.
At the very top—
D R A V E N H O L D I N G S.
My stomach tightened.
Below it was a single sentence typed neatly across the page.
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT.
“What is this?” I whispered.
The nurse looked uncomfortable. “The billing department said your nephew’s treatment is now under private sponsorship.”
“No,” I said immediately. “Cancel it.”
The nurse hesitated.
“We… can’t.”
“Why not?”
Her face
paled slightly.
“Because Mr. Draven already owns the hospital.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
I stared at her.
Then slowly looked down at the contract in my hands.
At the elegant black signature already written at the bottom.
Lucien Draven.
The paper suddenly felt heavier.
Like chains.
Behind me, Leo coughed weakly.
My heart shattered instantly.
I looked toward him.
Then back at the contract.
Ten hours.
That was all I had left.
And somewhere downstairs—
A monster waited for my answer.
- Writer
