Stealing The Devil's Heart

Chapter One - In For A Shock

Elena

“Ellie, sweetie! I can’t believe you’re finally home.” Mom’s sweet, melodious voice brought me back to reality. I was in our Seeger Mansion, but things were different now. There was no Damien in my life. Maybe he didn’t live here anymore. Maybe he was happily married to Veronica James!

I smiled at my mom, walking into her open arms. “Mom, it’s so good to see you. I missed you so much!” I hugged her delicate frame, inhaling the familiar rose-scented fragrance she always used. While my dad had remarried Sylvia Keller, his PA, Mom hadn’t moved on from him. She was still the sweet, graceful, soft-spoken woman who had authored many non-fiction books on child psychology. A highly qualified child psychologist, she practiced too and had made a name for herself in the city. I was proud of what she had achieved in the last four years.

“I missed you too. I hope you’ll stay here for some time.” She released me to check the luggage I had brought with me. There were only two trolley cases, and she grimaced, realizing my plan to escape after the wedding.

“Let’s see, Mom.” I sighed, since this wasn’t in my hands. I wanted to stay with her forever. If only I hadn’t met Damien and his wife. But I couldn’t bare my heart to my mother. She wouldn’t understand.

“Oh, there you are! I had lost my way, Ellie!” gasped Noah as he came rushing down the corridor.

Before I could introduce them, Mom glared at Noah. “Who’s this, Ellie? Why have you brought him home? Is he your boyfriend?”

“Mom, he accompanied me all the way from Bern...”

Noah intervened. “Hello, Mrs. Meier, I’m Noah Weber...”

I gaped at Noah, who was clueless about the blunder he had made. If Mom hated anything, it was being addressed as Mrs. Meier.

She interrupted Noah, stopping his little introductory speech. “I’m not Mrs. Meier anymore, young man. I’m Dr. Jessica Seeger, a clinical child psychologist associated with Bayview Medical Center.”

The main door unlocked, and Alex walked in with a pretty woman. He gasped at the sight of me while I smiled at him. It felt so good to see him. He might be my cousin, but he cared for me as a sibling would. He had always kept in touch with me regularly, while I hadn’t ever called him. Every time, he was the one who called me. My heart prodded me to ask him about Damien, but I refrained from mentioning him.

Thankfully, Alex never brought him up even once during our brief conversations.

Therefore, it felt strange seeing him with a girl instead of with Damien. At one point, he and Damien had been attached at the hip.

“Ellie! When did you arrive? You could have called me. I would have picked you up from the airport.” He came forward to envelop me in his arms.

“I wanted to surprise all of you.”

“You did, sweetie. Alecia was planning to go to Bern to get you.” Mom smiled cheerfully, all her animosity towards Noah forgotten. As for Noah, he stood by my side proudly, like my boyfriend! What was wrong with him?

“Oh, where’s umm..Alecia? Isn’t she home?” I checked myself just in time from asking after Damien.

“She’s at a friend’s house. You can meet her at the dinner table.” Alex drew his fiancée forward. “Meet Serenity Knightley, my fiancée. She’s also an architect working at our firm.”

I smiled at the beautiful woman, but she hugged me instead. “Hey, Ellie. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” I hugged her back. She was much nicer than the bit*hes Alex had dated before.

I smacked his arm playfully while no one was looking. “I’m happy to see you settle down, bro.”

He wiggled his eyebrows at Noah walking towards the kitchen. “Don’t tell me that’s your boyfriend!”

“Hell no. He’s Noah Weber, my new neighbor and college friend from Bern. That’s all!” But Mom had already walked away with Serenity. I had to clear the misunderstanding soon.

“That’s a relief. You deserve someone who loves you selflessly.” Alex led me up to my old room.

“That’s a myth, Alex. No one loves another selflessly these days. So maybe I’m meant to be single all my life.” I smiled at my brother, but my heart bled for someone. My love for him was selfless. Only he didn’t remember my existence, let alone love me.

Alex stopped and shook his head vehemently, giving me a concerned look. “I used to think the same way, Ellie. But Serenity changed me. Her love for me is so selfless and unconditional, it makes me want to believe in forever. You’ll know when you find true love. Serenity tells me that God creates a soulmate for everyone. It’s up to us to identify the right one and accept him/her in our lives. That will lead to true happiness.”

Throughout the day, in everything I did, Alex’s words played in my brain like a broken record. Who was my fated soulmate? Did God forget to create one for me? Why was I so unlucky?

“Ellie! Wow! You’ve grown hotter, girl!” exclaimed Alecia the moment she walked into the house. We hugged like long-lost friends, and I blushed at the attention.

“That’s what we’ve been telling her. I wanted her to try out a few dresses from my boutique, but she keeps declining,” said Aunt Carol, their mom. Her husband, Jason Seeger, was my mom’s oldest brother and looked after the family's architectural firm. Aunt Carol was a fashion designer whose designer label Bella Aura, was quite popular in Beacon.

“She prefers jeans and T-shirts, ma’am,” Noah chimed in, and everyone glared at him.

I felt uncomfortable and nudged him to shut up. “Umm, I’ll try them on, Aunt Carol.”

“Yes, you’d better dress up for the dinner party tonight. Maybe you can find someone to marry.” Granny Rose’s words had been law here at Seeger Mansion. I didn’t dare to argue, although my heart protested. I didn’t want to marry anyone else. If Damien were married, I would be fine living all by myself.

“Yes, at twenty-two, you should have been engaged at least.” Mom supported Granny to my immense disappointment.

“I’m not looking to settle down at twenty-two, Mom. I’m planning to pursue an MBA after this.”

I noticed the disappointment on everyone’s faces, especially Alex’s.

“You can study even after marriage, right?” He glanced at me, hesitating a little. But in that moment, I realized he wanted to say more.

“Maybe, but I can’t marry some random guy, Alex. I’ll only marry for love.” I lowered my voice for his ears only.

“There’s nothing called love. I’ll marry for unlimited s*x!” whispered Dylan, son of Mom’s older brother, Jeremy Seeger.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him away. “Why don’t you complete your studies first?”

“Unlike you, I’m only a semester away from completing my master’s, little one.” He chuckled and walked away.

Yes, I was the youngest of all my cousins, and they loved to rub it in every time.

“Stop forcing her, Alex. She’ll marry whoever she wants to.” Serenity was the only one supporting me. “So, what are you wearing for tonight’s party? Our families have invited almost two hundred guests.”

“I’ll check out a few dresses from Aunt Carol’s collection.” I wanted to see the guest list, but who could I ask? Alex would be suspicious if I asked him. I didn’t care about the other guests. I wanted to know if Damien would be here. Why didn’t anyone mention him in this house? Did Alex break off with his best friend?

In the evening, there was chaos all around. I chose a white, ruched and flared, sequined gown. Fixing my hair into a bun, I applied minimal makeup. I had no one to dress up for.

When I went downstairs to the entertainment room, the place was already teeming with guests. “Veronica, what will you have? I hope you know you shouldn’t touch alcohol in your condition,” Alecia’s voice drifted towards me.

So, Veronica was here! Turning around, I saw a pregnant and radiant Veronica laughing with Alecia and Aunt Carol! My heart sank with despair. Was Veronica pregnant? So she married Damien after all!

‘What else did you expect?’ chided my inner mind. So much for hoping!

I felt claustrophobic before the party had started. If she were here, surely Damien would be here too.

I couldn’t face him. How would I see him with another woman? Coming here was definitely a bad idea. I had to flee. But where would I go?

I sneaked out of the house and roamed around the backyard aimlessly. I couldn’t go back to the party and watch Veronica with him. It was the dream life I wanted for myself.

In my dazed state, I collided with a hard chest. “Ow!”

I stumbled backward, but a pair of arms circled my waist.

“Oh, I’m so..” Looking up, my breath hitched. A pair of stormy gray eyes stared down at me. Damien Sylvester, my heart, my only love, was here in front of me! Now, where would I run?