forced to marry the devil

The apartment was too quiet. Not the peaceful kind of quiet ...the kind that made every small sound feel louder than it should be. The ticking wall clock, the soft hum of Lia’s laptop, the occasional rumble of a car passing outside on the wet street below. Lia sat cross-legged on the edge of her narrow bed, her laptop balanced on a pillow in front of her. The only light in the room came from the pale blue glow of the screen, throwing sharp shadows across the cramped apartment. Her fingers hovered above the keyboard. “Come on…” she muttered softly. A line of code blinked back at her. ACCESS DENIED. Lia exhaled slowly, pushing a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. Her eyes were tired from staring at the screen for hours, but she refused to stop now. Not when she was this close. She cracked her knuckles and started typing again. Firewalls weren’t new to her. She’d been doing this long enough to know that most systems looked more intimidating than they actually were. People with money liked complicated security. But complicated didn’t always mean smart. The first layer collapsed after thirty seconds. The second one took a little longer. Her lips curved slightly as she worked. “Not bad,” she murmured. “But not good enough.” Her fingers flew across the keyboard, lines of code stacking on top of each other in quick succession. To anyone watching, it would look chaotic. But to Lia, it was a puzzle...one she had solved many times before. Finally, the screen flickered. ACCESS GRANTED. Lia leaned back slightly, letting out a quiet breath. “Thank you.” She glanced around the small apartment instinctively, as if someone might have heard her. Of course no one had. The place was empty except for her. A tiny kitchen took up one corner of the room. The sink was filled with two unwashed mugs and a bowl from earlier that day. Across from it was a small couch that had seen better years, the fabric faded and slightly torn at the arm. This place was temporary. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Just until things got better. Just until the debts were gone. Her attention returned to the laptop. Now that she was inside the system, the real work began. Files appeared across the screen...financial records, private communications, encrypted folders. Whoever owned this network clearly had money. A lot of it. That was good. People with money were exactly the kind of clients Lia’s anonymous employers liked targeting. She opened one of the financial folders and scanned the contents. Her heart sped up. Transfers. Millions moving between accounts across different countries. “Wow,” she whispered under her breath. Whoever this person was, they weren’t just rich. They were powerful. Lia hesitated. For the first time that night, a small feeling of unease crept into her chest. Maybe she should stop. Her phone buzzed beside the laptop. The sound made her flinch. She grabbed it quickly, glancing at the screen. Mum Her stomach tightened. Lia opened the message. The landlord came again today. She closed her eyes briefly. Another message followed almost immediately. He says if we don’t pay this month, he’ll change the locks. Lia swallowed hard. Her mother rarely complained. The fact that she was texting about it meant things were worse than she had been saying. Two weeks. That was all the time they had left. Lia typed a quick reply. Don’t worry. I’m handling it. She stared at the message for a moment before sending it. A lie. Or at least… not entirely the truth. She was trying to handle it. That was the problem. Lia placed the phone back beside her laptop and stared at the screen again. Her hesitation disappeared. “Just one job,” she whispered. Just this one, and everything would be easier. She opened another encrypted file and began bypassing the lock. The system resisted harder this time. Her fingers moved faster. One minute passed. Then two. Finally, the encryption broke apart like glass. A new folder opened automatically. Lia leaned forward slightly. Something about this one felt… different. At the top of the page was a single name. VOLKOV ENTERPRISES Lia frowned. The name stirred something in the back of her mind. Where had she heard it before? She opened another tab and quickly searched the name. Within seconds, dozens of articles appeared. Her eyes scanned the headlines. The Phantom King of Europe’s criminal underground. Authorities suspect Nikolai Volkov controls one of the most powerful black-market empires in the world. No confirmed photographs exist. Lia’s stomach dropped. Her hands went still on the keyboard. Nikolai Volkov. The name alone carried a strange weight. She clicked another article. Rumors. Speculation. Stories about a man who supposedly controlled arms deals, private intelligence networks, and financial operations across several countries. But the strangest thing was that no one had ever confirmed what he looked like. No photos. No interviews. Nothing. It was as if he existed everywhere and nowhere at the same time. A chill slid down Lia’s spine. “Okay…” she murmured slowly. “That’s… not good.” Her first instinct was to disconnect immediately. She moved the cursor toward the exit command. But before she could close the system, the screen flickered. Lia frowned. “I didn’t open anything…” A small black window appeared in the center of the screen. Blank. At first she thought it was just a glitch. Then the cursor began blinking. And letters started appearing. Slowly. One by one. Lia stared at the words as they formed. UNKNOWN USER: You’re very talented. Her blood turned cold. That wasn’t possible. Her connection was hidden behind multiple servers across different countries. No one should be able to see her. Her fingers began typing rapidly, trying to shut everything down. The system refused to close. Another message appeared. UNKNOWN USER: Most people take at least ten minutes to break through that firewall. Lia’s breathing quickened. “Who is this?” she whispered. Her voice sounded small in the quiet apartment. A response appeared instantly. UNKNOWN USER: Someone who noticed you knocking. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Knocking? She tried disconnecting again. Nothing happened. Her laptop felt suddenly too bright, too loud, too exposed. A third message appeared. UNKNOWN USER: But you made a mistake. Lia swallowed. “What mistake?” she whispered. The reply came almost immediately. UNKNOWN USER: You knocked on the wrong door. The apartment lights flickered. Lia’s head snapped toward the ceiling. “That’s not funny,” she muttered nervously. The laptop chimed again. Another message. UNKNOWN USER: Look outside. Her stomach twisted. Slowly, she turned toward the small window beside her bed. Rain had started falling, blurring the streetlights outside. At first she saw nothing unusual. Then headlights appeared at the end of the street. A black SUV rolled slowly toward her building. It stopped directly in front of it. Lia’s breath caught in her throat. The car doors opened. Three men stepped out. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Moving with quiet purpose. Her hands started shaking. “No,” she whispered. Another message appeared on the screen. UNKNOWN USER: Don’t bother running. Her pulse roared in her ears. The men disappeared through the entrance of the building downstairs. Footsteps echoed faintly in the stairwell. Heavy. Steady. Getting closer. Lia jumped to her feet, her laptop nearly falling off the bed. Her mind raced. Escape. She needed to leave. Now. But the only door led to the hallway. And the footsteps were already coming up the stairs. Her laptop chimed one last time. She looked down at the screen. UNKNOWN USER: My men are already there. A loud knock hit her door. The sound echoed through the tiny apartment. Once. Twice. Lia stood frozen in the middle of the room. Another knock came, harder this time. Then a deep voice spoke from the other side of the door. Calm. Controlled. “Lia Hassan,” the man said. Her blood turned to ice. “We know you’re inside.” She backed away slowly. Her heart hammered so loudly she was sure they could hear it. The doorknob rattled. The voice spoke again, quieter this time. “Our boss would like to meet you.” Lia stared at the door, terror creeping through every inch of her body. Then the lock began to turn.