Dating With The Devil

Chapter 3 (Why!)

"So, you gave her your number."

Dean’s voice broke the comfortable silence. His expression was unreadable, a mix of annoyance and something else Riana couldn't quite place.

Riana nodded slowly, popping a purple grape into her mouth. She clearly regretted it, but what was done was done. Time couldn't be turned back.

"Is she dangerous? Is she going to hurt me?" Riana asked, her voice laced with genuine worry. "Who is she really, Dean? I know it’s not my place to ask, but seeing how tense you got, I can’t help but be scared."

Dean looked at her, his dark eyes softening slightly. "She won't hurt you. I give you my word. Don't worry about it."

"Can you really guarantee that?" Riana pressed on, not easily convinced.

"Yes, Riana. I guarantee it."

"You still haven't told me who she is," she persisted, narrowing her eyes.

"You don't need to know. Not at least for now," Dean said firmly, closing that topic completely.

Riana sighed, giving up. She went back to eating her grapes, enjoying the sweetness to calm her nerves. But her mind was racing with questions.

"Then answer me this," Riana said again, looking straight at him. "Why do you always bully me? Why do you make my life so difficult at the office? Is it fun for you?"

Dean leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "I honestly don't think so,I call it...extra orders."

Riana almost shouted, pouting furiously. "You called me to massage you, or threatening to cut my salary 'extra orders'? That is oppression, Dean! You are abusing your power!"

She wanted so badly to smack that handsome face of his, but she knew she couldn't. She was just an employee, and he was the Manager.

"Listen," Dean said, his voice dropping an octave, sounding dangerously authoritative. "I am your Manager. I have every right to assign tasks to you or any other employee. If you don't like it...then resign. That’s simple."

Riana gritted her teeth. "But you are not the OWNER! You don't have the right to fire people or cut salaries as you please!"

Dean smirked, a look that sent shivers down her spine.

"Who told you I don't have that right? Believe me, Riana... even without being the CEO, I can do whatever I want. It’s not a big deal."

Riana fell silent.

Why? She wondered. Why does the CEO trust him so blindly? Are they related? Is Dean secretly the son of the owner? Or does the CEO owe him some kind of huge favor? There is definitely a dark secret behind his power.

"You said..." Riana whispered, breaking her train of thought. "You said I had an impact on your life. What did you mean by that? How could a nobody like me affect the great Dean Harrison?"

The atmosphere changed instantly. Dean suddenly looked awkward. He shifted in his seat, avoiding her gaze, trying to act cool but failing miserably.

He looked at her intensely, then said something completely absurd.

"Did you... did you cast a spell on me?"

COUGH! COUGH!

Riana choked on her grape! She grabbed her glass of orange juice and drank it frantically until half the glass was gone, coughing violently.

"Are you crazy?!" she shouted, wiping her mouth, feeling utterly offended. "What kind of nonsense is that?! Why would I waste my energy casting a spell on you?! If I had magic, I would have used it to turn our CEO into a duck or make money fall from the sky! Not on you!"

Seeing her red face and fiery eyes, Dean actually laughed. A deep, genuine laugh.

"You laugh when I'm mad! You bastard!" Riana hissed. Realizing she had used harsh words, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, praying he wouldn't get angry.

But Dean didn't get angry.

"Don't cover your mouth," he said softly.

Slowly, he reached out and gently pulled her hand away from her mouth. Before Riana could react, his other hand reached the back of her neck, pulling her forward.

Their lips touched.

Time stopped.

The world around them vanished. It was just the two of them.

Dean took the lead, moving his lips softly but with immense pressure, claiming her mouth as his own. His hand on her neck slid down slowly, resting firmly on her waist, pulling her body closer to his.

The kiss started gentle, but it quickly deepened, turning hungry and passionate. Riana felt dizzy, her body melting against him, her mind going blank. She hated him, she was supposed to hate him, but why did this feel so right?

They were lost in the moment, until..

The harsh sound of her phone ringing shattered the intimacy.

At first, Riana ignored it, trying to pull him back, but it kept ringing. On the third call, she realized it was urgent. She pushed Dean’s chest gently, breaking the kiss, her lips swollen and red.

She grabbed her phone. It was her mother.

"Hello, Mom?... Yes, I'm coming home now... Okay, I understand... Do you need anything else? Alright, see you."

Riana hung up and looked at Dean, her breathing still ragged.

"I... I have to go."

"I'll drive you home," Dean said immediately, not taking no for an answer.

Riana nodded. It was late, and she was too tired to take public transport.

"But..." she said hesitantly. "Don't drop me right in front of the gate. Just stop at the house before mine. Please. My parents can't see me coming home with a man."

Dean smirked. "Okay. Whatever you want."

[ The morning]

Riana woke up feeling terrible. It was the first day of her period, and her body felt heavy, her mood was at its lowest point, and she just wanted to curl up and disappear from the world.

Luckily, it was the weekend, so she didn't have to face Dean.

Or so she thought.

She checked her phone repeatedly. No missed calls. No messages. Not even a simple 'Good Morning'.

Strange.

Riana bit her lip, feeling a mix of relief and disappointment.

Last night, after he drove his car, they didn't just stop at kissing. They stayed in the car, parked in the dark street, and kissed again. It was wilder, deeper. They used their tongues, exploring each other, and his hands... his hands were not innocent. They roamed her body, squeezing her breasts firmly through her clothes, making her moan softly.

It was clear he wanted her. It was clear there was passion.

But then... silence.

"He must be just playing with me," Riana whispered to herself, throwing her phone onto the mattress in frustration. "Of course! Why would a man like him be serious with someone like me? I was just a distraction. A toy ."

She grabbed a pillow and screamed into it as loud as she could. It was the only way to release the anger, the confusion, and the hurt she felt.

Stupid Riana! Stupid! You fell for it!

TRING!

Her phone rang again. Riana grabbed it quickly, her heart jumping with hope, only for it to sink when she saw the name.

It wasn't Dean.

It was Raymond.

"What is it, Ray?... I can't... tonight? Oh okay... fine, see you."

She hung up and sighed.

Raymond was her best friend. They had known each other since Junior High School. Their relationship was complicated—sometimes they were like siblings, sometimes they fought like cats and dogs, but they always had each other's backs. Because they were both busy, they rarely met, mostly chatting on the phone.

"Alright," Riana said to her reflection in the mirror. "Stop thinking about that bastard Dean. Take a shower. Freshen up. You have a date... I mean, meeting with Raymond."

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They met at a cozy restaurant. Riana ordered a large cup of ice cream, hoping the sweetness would fix her broken mood. She decided that no matter what, she wouldn't text Dean first. Even if he messaged her later, she would pretend to be busy.

"Do you really not want to eat?" Raymond observed, twirling his pasta.

Riana shook her head, scooping a spoonful of ice cream. "Yeah I do. Do you know? this is delicious. Want to try?"

"No thanks," Raymond grinned, taking a big bite of his pasta. "I'd rather eat this. I haven't eaten all day."

They chatted for a while. Raymond told her he was leaving soon.

"I miss home. I miss my friends here," Raymond said, looking at her softly. "Don't you miss me, Ana?"

Riana rolled her eyes playfully. "If I didn't miss you, I wouldn't be here wasting my time with you, idiot."

Raymond laughed. Then, without warning, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it, revealing a beautiful gold bracelet with a tiny heart charm.

"I saw this and thought it would suit you perfectly."

Riana’s eyes widened. She took it carefully. "Wow... Ray, it's so pretty! I love it! Thank you so much!"

"Good. At least now you're smiling again," Raymond said softly, his eyes looking at her with an intensity that made Riana slightly uncomfortable. "I'm glad I could make you feel better."

Suddenly, Raymond took a forkful of pasta and brought it to Riana’s lips. "Open up."

Riana hesitated for a second, but then ate it. It felt natural, yet strange.

"Anyone who becomes your girlfriend in the future is going to be so lucky, Ray," Riana said casually.

Raymond stopped eating. He looked at her, a strange smile playing on his lips.

"Then... that's good."

Riana didn't understand what he meant, but she ignored it. The wind was blowing gently, and for the first time in days, her mind wasn't completely occupied by Dean.

"Ray," Riana started, playing with her spoon. "I want to ask you something. Something serious."

"Go ahead. Ask me anything."

"How do you know... if a guy is serious about a woman, or if he just wants to have fun?" Riana asked, her voice trembling slightly. "And... is it possible for a man to fall in love just from kiss? Can hate...really turn into love?"

Raymond put down his fork. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. He stared at Riana intensely, his expression changing from friendly to something much darker and deeper.

Slowly, he leaned forward across the table, his voice dropping to a whisper that sent chills down Riana’s spine.

"Why do you ask, Ana? Are you talking about that Manager of yours? Dean?"

Riana froze.

"How did you...?"

"I can read it in your eyes," Raymond interrupted, a smirk that looked eerily similar to Dean’s appearing on his face. "Let me answer you. A man is only serious if he is willing to claim you publicly. And yes... hate can turn into love. But sometimes... what looks like love is just obsession. And obsession... can destroy everything."

He reached out and held her hand on the table, gripping it slightly too tight.

"Listen to me carefully, Riana. Stay away from that man. Dean is not who you think he is. He is dangerous. And the woman you met at his house."

Riana’s heart stopped. "Did you get any information about her?”

"I don't have any but I know that anyone who gets close to Dean... ends up getting hurt," Raymond said ominously. "And I am not going to let that happen to you. Because you belong to me, Riana. You always have."

Riana pulled her hand back, shocked and scared.

"Ray... what are you saying? We are just friends..."

"Are we?" Raymond laughed, but there was no humor in it. "We'll see. But remember this... Dean thinks he is playing a game. But he doesn't know who he is messing with and neither do you."

Riana sat there, frozen.

Questions exploded in her mind.

How does Raymond know about those? Why does he look so threatening? Is Raymond hiding something too? And what did he mean about the woman being a warning?