A Deal With The Devil?
995 Words
“You’ll have to work for it.”
Cassian’s words echoed in Aria’s mind, sending a shiver down her spine. She had nothing left—no home, no family, no dignity.
She had been left by someone who she believed she was going to spend the rest of her life with.
And now, the only person offering her a way out was a man she barely knew, one who spoke like he held all the power in the world.
Maybe he did. Maybe he did have all the power in the world. He was a billionaire. A CEO of a company everyone knew to be up there.
She continued to stare at him. “I will have to work for it? What does that even mean?”
He sighed, sitting next to her on the bed. “I am offering you an escape from your world that has already crumbled to nothing. But I’m not going to force you. As I said, I normally don’t do this, I just want to help you.”
Aria swallowed hard. “I’m still confused.”
He chuckled weakly. “Okay…I could pay for your bills and settle you for the accident. Or…I could do all of that and then help you to make the people who hurt you pay. It’s your choice.”
Aria wet her lips and peeled her eyes off the man. All her life, only bad things had happened to her. Was fate finally giving her a chance to turn it all around?
And besides, she did not have much of a choice, did she? She did not want to go back home to her mother, and certainly didn’t want to crawl back to Kieran.
She had embarrassed herself enough. And even though she was not over him, she knew when to give up.
She was no match for Sara. She knew that. So why even try?
Aria looked back at the CEO. “Okay. I choose the latter. But what kind of work will I be doing?”
“So I’m a charitable man, but I don’t just go around handing people money or help. But I feel like you deserve it, Aria. You could be my secretary and work for me. I’m not just going to bring you into my house and take care of you. That’s what I meant by working for it. You would be my secretary.” He shrugged.
She exhaled and nodded. “Fine. It’s not like I have a lot of options, right?” She laughed sadly.
He smiled warmly and stood to his feet, adjusting his suit. “Everything will be fine, I promise you. Your life is about to change.” He smirked.
Aria didn’t know what she was getting herself into, but she felt like this was way better than anything else right now.
He then excused himself and left. It didn't even take ten minutes and she was being discharged. She had not sustained any serious injuries so she was just given some medication.
As she walked outside of the hospital, she didn’t know what was next. She really wanted to change the dress she was wearing because all it reminded her of was what had happened at the ballroom.
She could still hear the words of Kieran, “I’m sorry but I choose Sara.” She felt like she would never be able to recover from that.
The air outside was cold and the sky had cleared up. Stars stared back down at her and the moon was full.
Suddenly, a car horn stole her attention. She adjusted the small bag she had in her hand and looked towards the car.
It looked like something someone very important would ride in. Like, maybe even a president.
The car horn was honked again and she started to walk towards it. All the glasses were tinted. When she reached it, one of them rolled down, revealing the CEO behind the steering wheel.
“Come on, let’s go.” His voice was soft.
Aria opened her side of the car and got in, making sure to fasten her seatbelt. “Thank you,” She managed to say after a few minutes of them driving.
“Aria, I have to tell you. Working for me isn’t easy. It’s not all rainbows and hugs. It’s the exact opposite. Are you sure you want this?”
Was she sure? Thinking about how Kieran had chosen Sara over her, and how her mother had treated her at the hospital and for all her life, she nodded.
“I’m more sure than I have ever been.”
In half an hour, they were entering into a compound that made Aria’s mouth drop in awe. The place was huge and the house in the small distance looked like a castle.
When they came to a stop, Cassian killed the engine and removed his seatbelt before opening the door and getting out.
Aria did the same and closed the door once she was out.
As they walked towards the grand mansion, Cassian’s confident stride sent a ripple of unease through Aria. The air felt heavy, as though the mansion itself was watching them, waiting for something.
Just as they reached the entrance, the sound of a phone ringing broke the silence. Cassian pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. His expression hardened. “Stay here,” he muttered, walking away from her.
Aria stood frozen in the cold night air, the darkness around her thickening.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, something she hadn’t been told. As she glanced at the mansion looming ahead, a figure emerged from the shadows of the garden, watching her intently.
Before she could react, the figure stepped forward, their face half-hidden in the moonlight. “So, you’ve decided to play his game,” the voice sneered.
Aria’s heart raced. “Who are you?” she whispered, but the figure only smiled darkly.
- Writer
