Sold to the davil

Episode two

Chapter 2 – The Devil's Proposal

The door shut behind Elena as she came in. She was tense, her eyes wide, but she didn't fall apart like I expected. Most people couldn't bear to look at me for more than two seconds. She stared me straight in the face and didn't flinch.

Interesting.

I leaned back in my chair, resting my clasped hands on the desk. "You arrived quickly. I expected your father to take longer to tell you."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You already know why I'm here."

"Of course." I studied her. She was frightened, clutching her bag as if it were a weapon, but there was passion in her voice. That passion stirred something I hadn't felt in a very long time.

"You can't just sign my life away," she said.

I almost smiled. She had no idea. "Your father doesn't think so. He already signed the agreement."

"That doesn't make it right," she snapped back.

Her audacity entertained me. "Do you think I care about right and wrong, Miss Hayes?"

She clammed up, her lips tightening into a thin line.

I pulled open the drawer, pulled out a folder. The contract inside. I'd been reviewing it earlier, making tiny notes. I'd already decided to make a particular alteration—something no one else would ever see. I wrote quickly, made the alteration at the bottom, and shut the folder before she could get a glance.

"What was that?" she said.

"Nothing for you to worry about." I slid the folder across the desk. "Read it."

She hesitated, then moved forward and took it. Her hands trembled as she turned the first page.

Her eyes widened. "This… this says engagement?"

"Yes." I watched her intently.

"Not marriage?"

"Not yet. I don't need a wife. I need a fiancée."

Her head snapped up. "What does that even mean?"

"It means you'll play the role. Publicly. My board has been nervous. Investors have been circling. They think I'm too volatile, too unpredictable. An engagement makes me look stable. They'll back off."

Her face twisted in disbelief. "So you want me to be some kind of… image booster?"

"You catch on quick."

She slammed the folder shut. "You could pick anyone. Why me?"

"Because you're clean," I replied straightforwardly. "No scandals. No baggage. No skeletons in the closet. The press can't find dirt on you, and that makes you useful."

Her jaw clenched. "I'm not some tool you can just use."

"You already are." I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk. "And you have a choice of two things. Stand up and walk out of here now, and your father loses everything. Or sit down and sign that contract. Your family lives."

She swallowed. "You're threatening me."

"I'm giving you options," I corrected.

She just stood there, clutching the folder. The silence extended. I could see her fighting with herself, weighing the desperation against the anger.

Finally, she dropped into the chair across from me. She allowed the folder to land on my desk with a soft thud. "What if I say yes?"

"You'll move into my house. Attend public events. Pretend to be with me. And in return, your family's loans are cleared. Simple."

Her voice interrupted. "And if I don't?"

I tapped my pen against the table. "Then your father dies. Your mother, your sister, your whole family. They'll all be homeless next month.".

Her fists clenched in her lap. "You don't even care what this does to me. "

"No," I said honestly. "I don't."

Her eyes flashed. "You really are as cruel as people say."

"Cruel keeps me alive. A year with me and after that, back to your life"

She looked down, silent.

I waited, giving her the time to break. Everyone did, eventually.

Minutes passed. She opened the folder once more, staring at the lines of type. She read slowly, lips moving as she whispered the words. I leaned back, watching. Most people scanned. She tried to understand every word.

"I don't even know you," she whispered.

"You don't have to."

Her head lifted. "What if people ask questions? About us?"

"They will."

"And what do I say?"

"That you're happy."

She gave a short, humorless laugh. "You want me to smile while living a lie."

"Yes."

She shook her head, talking under her breath. I didn't quite catch it all, just bits and pieces. "Unbelievable… crazy…"

I drummed my fingers on the desk. "Done complaining?"

Her glare snapped back to me. "You're unbelievable."

"Good. Now sign."

"I haven't made up my mind yet," she said.

"You already have."

She tensed, eyes slitting. "You think I'm that easy?"

"I think you care too much about your family to let them suffer. You'll sign, Elena. Today or tomorrow, it makes no difference."

Her lips parted. She looked as if she was going to argue again. Instead, she took a shaking breath and held out her hand for the pen.

Her hand hovered above the line.

"Wait," she said suddenly. "If I do this… what happens to me then?"

"After?"

After your board is satisfied. After your reputation is restored. What about me?"

I tilted my head. "Then you disappear. Back to your life. Simple."

She searched me, looking for any sign of deceit. I gave her none.

Her shoulders sagged. She slowly leaned forward and signed her name.

I tracked the pen's movement, sharp and decisive. Her hand trembled at the end, but the signature was readable.

When she released the pen, she wouldn't look at me.

"It's done," she whispered.

I pulled the contract back, folding it neatly. My eyes remained on her signature. "Good girl."

She flinched.

I stood, putting the folder in my drawer. My fingers brushed against the page I had altered some time ago. My own addendum. She hadn't noticed, and she wouldn't. Not until I wanted her to.

When I turned back to her, she was already on her feet, her bag clutched like a shield.

"This isn't forever," she muttered. "I'll do my part, but don't expect more."

I almost smiled. "We'll see."

Her burning glare didn't quite catch fire, but she turned and departed without a word.

The door shut.

Alone once again, I slid out the drawer and stared down at the contract. My secret inclusion stared back at me, silent and binding.

She thought she had agreed to a simple engagement.

She had no idea.