Chapter 7; The Devil's Bargain
563 Words
Sebastian’s underground office — dimly lit, lined with monitors and files. A storm brews outside, thunder echoing like slow heartbeats. Evelyn Voss sits opposite him, her legs crossed, wine untouched, eyes glittering.
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Sebastian slides a black folder across the table. Inside: old photos, letters, confidential documents marked South Africa — Confidential.
“You’ve been holding onto this for years,” Atticus murmurs, scanning them.
“Why now?”
Sebastian’s gaze sharpens.
“Because Aston Volvo thinks time erases sins. But some ghosts just wait for the right storm.”
He leans forward, voice low, measured.
“I kept his secrets. I buried his mess — his mother’s scandal, his little South African deal, the woman who stole from Aanya’s family before the heiress even knew she existed.”
Atticus smirks, his tone laced with intrigue.
“His ex-fiancée.”
Sebastian’s eyes flicker, revealing just enough to confirm.
“She’s back in the game. And you—”
“—want me to make sure she remembers her part?” she finishes smoothly.
Sebastian nods.
“Aston will crumble if Aanya ever finds out the truth. But I don’t want her hurt. I just want him to feel it.”
Atticus chuckles darkly.
“ That’s the same thing.”
---
Sebastian turns toward the rain-soaked window, hands clasped behind his back.
“He thinks love makes him untouchable. But love is exactly what makes men like us weak.”
Atticus studies him, sensing the flicker of emotion he tries to hide.
“And what about your love for her?” he asks softly.
“Doesn’t that make you weak too?”
He doesn’t turn.
“It does, but it makes me more dangerous.”
Lightning flashes, illuminating the tension between them. Atticus smiles — he’s impressed, not afraid.
“Then it’s settled,” he says. “I’ll find her. The ex-fiancée. And when I do…”
“She’ll help me break him,” Sebastian finishes.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, Aston stands in front of a mirror in his dark study, staring at his reflection.
The same storm rolls across his skyline.
He doesn’t know why, but tonight, something feels wrong.
He pours a drink — neat, amber liquid trembling in the glass.
“Sebastian’s too quiet,” he thinks. “And when the devil goes silent, it’s never peace… it’s preparation.”
He sets the glass down. In the flicker of lightning, he swears he sees a figure at his window — gone in a blink.
The storm outside intensifies.
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Back in Sebastian’s office, Atticus picks up one of the photographs — Aston and his ex-fiancée smiling, hand in hand, at a gala years ago.
“She looks innocent here,” Atticus says says, voice silky.
“She’s not,” Sebastian replies. “She’s the key.”
He takes the photo back, sliding it into the folder.
“When the time comes, I’ll make sure Aanya sees everything. But not yet. Not until Aston’s too far gone to deny it.”
Atticus raises his glass, finally taking a sip.
“To secrets,” he says.
Sebastian’s lips curl into a shadow of a smile.
“No,” he corrects softly. “To consequences.”
Thunder cracks.
The lights flicker.
And somewhere across the city, Aanya dreams peacefully — oblivious to the storm about to rewrite everything she thought she knew.
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- Writer
