WHEN THE DEVIL CHOSE LOVE

THE FIRST NIGHT

Chapter 8

Nerisse stared at the message on her phone.

**Don't sleep beside Lucien tonight.**

Her fingers tightened around the device.

A chill crept up her spine.

She slowly raised her eyes to Lucien.

He was still examining the shattered camera hidden inside the porcelain angel.

He hadn't seen the message.

"Nerisse?"

She quickly locked her phone.

"It's... nothing."

Lucien studied her face.

"You're lying."

She looked away.

"I just need some air."

Without waiting for an answer, she walked toward the balcony.

The rain had finally stopped.

The cool night breeze brushed against her skin as she stepped outside.

She took a deep breath, hoping to calm the storm inside her heart.

The message wouldn't leave her mind.

**Don't sleep beside Lucien tonight.**

It wasn't a threat.

It sounded more like a warning.

But from whom?

And why?

A few moments later, the balcony door slid open.

Lucien stepped outside.

He kept a respectful distance between them.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

The silence was almost comforting.

"You don't trust me."

Lucien's deep voice broke the quiet.

Nerisse lowered her eyes.

"Should I?"

He didn't answer.

She let out a tired sigh.

"Every day I discover another secret."

"Another lie."

"Another person who seems to know more about my life than I do."

She looked directly at him.

"Tell me honestly."

"If our positions were reversed..."

"Would you trust me?"

Lucien remained silent for several seconds.

Then he answered.

"No."

Nerisse gave a small, bitter smile.

"At least you're honest."

Lucien stepped closer.

Not enough to invade her space.

Just enough for her to know she wasn't alone.

"Trust isn't something I expect from you."

He said quietly.

"It's something I have to earn."

Nerisse searched his face.

For the first time...

She saw more than the feared billionaire.

She saw a man carrying regret.

A man haunted by promises he couldn't keep.

Before she realized it, she whispered,

"Are you always this calm?"

A faint smile appeared on Lucien's lips.

"Only on the outside."

She found herself smiling back.

It was small.

Almost unnoticeable.

But it was the first genuine smile she had managed since her mother's death.

Lucien noticed.

And for a brief second...

The weight on his shoulders felt lighter.

Suddenly—

Ethan's voice echoed from inside the manor.

"Sir!"

The smile disappeared instantly.

Lucien and Nerisse hurried back inside.

Ethan stood in front of one of the security monitors.

His face was tense.

"Someone just entered the estate."

Lucien frowned.

"How?"

"They used the old eastern gate."

The monitor displayed a hooded figure walking calmly through the gardens.

There was something unsettling about the way the person moved.

No rush.

No fear.

As if they knew exactly where they were going.

The figure stopped beneath a large oak tree.

Then slowly looked up...

Directly at the security camera.

Raising one gloved hand, they pointed toward the manor.

Toward Nerisse.

A second later...

The screen went black.

Ethan immediately tried to restore the feed.

Nothing.

Every camera covering the eastern grounds had gone offline.

Lucien's expression hardened.

"Lock every entrance."

"Double the security."

Ethan nodded.

"Already done."

Lucien turned to Nerisse.

"From this moment..."

"You don't go anywhere alone."

Nerisse wanted to protest.

But after everything that had happened...

She couldn't.

As midnight drew closer, the manor became quieter.

Yet no one slept.

Outside, hidden among the shadows of the garden...

A pair of eyes watched the illuminated windows.

The hooded figure smiled.

Then whispered softly,

"The game has only just begun."

Midnight settled over Blackwood Manor.

The rain had stopped, leaving the gardens shrouded in a thick blanket of mist.

Inside the mansion, every corridor was heavily guarded.

No one spoke louder than a whisper.

The house itself seemed to be holding its breath.

Nerisse stood by the bedroom window, unable to sleep.

The anonymous message still lingered in her mind.

**Don't sleep beside Lucien tonight.**

She looked down at her phone.

She had read those six words at least twenty times.

Who had sent them?

Was it another trap...

Or was someone trying to save her?

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Miss Nerisse?"

It was Margaret.

Nerisse opened the door.

Margaret entered carrying a tray with a cup of hot tea.

"I thought this might help you sleep."

Nerisse managed a faint smile.

"Thank you."

Margaret placed the tray on the table before gently taking Nerisse's hand.

"You've been through more than anyone should."

"But please..."

"...don't lose hope."

Nerisse's eyes became moist.

"Everything happened so fast."

"Two days ago, I had my mother."

"Now..."

"...I don't even know who I am anymore."

Margaret squeezed her hand gently.

"Sometimes the truth breaks us before it heals us."

Before Nerisse could reply—

The lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then they went out.

The entire room fell into darkness.

Margaret gasped.

"Not again..."

A loud alarm echoed through the manor.

Ethan's voice came through the intercom.

"Everyone stay where you are!"

"We've lost power to the east wing!"

Nerisse instinctively reached for her phone and turned on the flashlight.

The beam swept across the room.

Everything appeared normal.

Until...

The light stopped on the mirror.

Written across the glass in fresh red letters were five terrifying words.

**YOU SHOULD HAVE RUN.**

Margaret screamed.

The tray slipped from her hands and crashed onto the floor.

Nerisse felt her blood turn cold.

Just seconds ago...

The mirror had been clean.

The bedroom door burst open.

Lucien entered with Ethan and two bodyguards.

"Nerisse!"

His eyes immediately fell on the message.

His expression darkened.

Ethan searched the room.

"No one's here."

Lucien walked to the window.

It was locked from the inside.

The balcony was empty.

There was no sign that anyone had entered.

Nerisse's voice shook.

"How did they do this?"

No one had an answer.

Lucien gently stepped in front of her.

"You're moving rooms."

"Tonight."

Nerisse nodded without arguing.

For the first time...

She no longer questioned his decisions.

They left the room together.

As they walked through the dimly lit hallway, Nerisse slowed her pace.

She looked at Lucien.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Have you ever been afraid?"

Lucien stopped walking.

A faint smile crossed his face.

"Every day."

Nerisse looked surprised.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"The difference is..."

"...I don't let fear make my decisions."

She looked at him for a long moment.

Somehow...

His words eased the panic in her heart.

Suddenly—

A gunshot shattered the silence.

Bang!

One of the hallway windows exploded.

A bullet tore through the air.

Lucien reacted instantly.

He wrapped an arm around Nerisse's waist and pulled her against him.

The bullet struck the wall behind them.

Glass rained across the floor.

Ethan shouted,

"Sniper!"

Bodyguards rushed toward the broken window.

Lucien didn't let go of Nerisse until he was certain she wasn't hurt.

Their faces were only inches apart.

She could hear his heartbeat.

Fast.

Strong.

Real.

For a brief moment...

The rest of the world disappeared.

Then Ethan's voice broke the silence.

"Sir..."

He held up a sniper bullet.

Wrapped tightly around it...

Was a small strip of paper.

Lucien unfolded it.

His jaw tightened as he read the message.

Nerisse looked over his shoulder.

Written in black ink were four chilling words.

**She's starting to trust you.**

The note slipped from Lucien's fingers.

**She's starting to trust you.**

Four simple words.

Yet they carried a terrifying message.

Someone wasn't merely watching Blackwood Manor.

Someone was watching them.

Closely.

Lucien folded the note and handed it to Ethan.

"Send it to the forensic team."

Ethan nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Nerisse remained silent.

Her heart was still racing from the sniper attack.

She looked at Lucien.

"How does he know everything we do?"

Lucien's expression hardened.

"Because someone keeps feeding him information."

Ethan sighed.

"The traitor."

Lucien nodded.

"And this time..."

"...we're going to flush them out."

He turned toward the guards.

"Gather everyone."

"Staff."

"Bodyguards."

"Maids."

"No exceptions."

Within minutes, every employee of Blackwood Manor stood inside the grand hall.

Fear was written across their faces.

They had all heard about the attacks.

None of them knew who to trust.

Lucien slowly walked to the center of the room.

His presence alone silenced the whispers.

"One of you is helping my enemy."

No one moved.

"I'm giving that person one chance."

"Step forward now."

"And I may show mercy."

The room remained silent.

A full minute passed.

Then another.

Not a single person stepped forward.

Lucien gave a slow nod.

"Very well."

Ethan carried a small metal box into the room.

Everyone looked at it in confusion.

"Inside this box," Lucien said calmly, "is a flash drive containing false information."

Murmurs spread through the hall.

"It says that tomorrow morning, Nerisse will be taken to a safe house outside the city."

Nerisse looked at him in surprise.

She knew immediately it was a trap.

Lucien continued,

"Only the people in this room know that information."

He slowly scanned every face.

"If Damien attacks that location tomorrow..."

"...I'll know the traitor is standing here."

Fear spread across the employees.

Some looked nervous.

Others looked offended.

But one person...

One person quietly lowered their head.

Ethan noticed.

So did Lucien.

Before either of them could react—

The manor lights suddenly went out again.

Darkness swallowed the hall.

Someone screamed.

Glass shattered somewhere upstairs.

Then came the sound of running footsteps.

"Seal every exit!" Ethan shouted.

Flashlights flickered on.

Guards rushed through the corridors.

Lucien immediately searched for Nerisse.

"Nerisse!"

"I'm here!"

Her frightened voice came from only a few feet away.

He reached her and gently held her arm.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"No."

Just then, the lights came back.

Everyone looked around.

A maid was lying unconscious on the marble floor.

Beside her...

A single black rose.

Ethan picked it up carefully.

Hidden beneath the flower was another note.

He unfolded it.

His face turned pale.

"Sir..."

Lucien took the note.

Written in bold black ink were the words:

**You chose the wrong trap.**

**The traitor isn't working for me...**

**The traitor is working against both of us.**

Silence filled the grand hall.

Even Lucien looked stunned.

Nerisse felt a cold knot form in her stomach.

If Damien was telling the truth...

Then there was someone even more dangerous hiding in the shadows.

Someone neither side had expected.

End of chapter 8

When the devil chose Love