CHAPTER 2: THE DEVIL'S OFFER
1858 Words
Selene's heart skipped a beat.
"...You've found me?"
The man before her held her gaze without blinking.
For a brief moment, the entire restaurant seemed to disappear.
Only the two of them remained.
He was tall—well over six feet—with broad shoulders that filled his tailored black suit effortlessly. His charcoal tie was perfectly straight, and a silver watch rested on his wrist, its face catching the soft light above.
Everything about him screamed wealth.
But wealth wasn't what unsettled her.
It was the quiet confidence.
The kind possessed by someone who had never heard the word no.
She forced herself to recover.
"I'm sorry, sir... have we met before?"
His expression remained unreadable.
"No."
"Then..."
"Sit."
She blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
"I said, sit."
She glanced around nervously.
"I'm afraid I can't. Employees aren't allowed to sit with customers."
"I'll speak to your manager."
"That isn't necessary."
"It wasn't a suggestion."
Before she could answer, the private lounge door opened.
Mr. Collins rushed in, his face covered in sweat.
"Mr. Nightshade."
He bowed so deeply Selene thought he might fall over.
"I sincerely apologize if my staff has made any mistakes."
Mr. Nightshade.
The name sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
The billionaire looked at Mr. Collins.
"Leave us."
"Of course."
The manager nodded repeatedly before turning to Selene.
"What are you waiting for?"
She stared at him.
"...Sir?"
"Stay here."
His tone became urgent.
"Mr. Nightshade specifically requested you."
She had never seen her manager look frightened before.
He quickly excused himself, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Silence settled over the room once again.
Selene remained standing.
"So..."
She folded her hands neatly in front of her.
"You know my name."
"Yes."
"But I don't know yours."
He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and placed a simple black business card on the table.
She picked it up.
Kael Nightshade
Nightshade Global Holdings
No phone number.
No email.
Nothing else.
Just a name.
She looked up slowly.
The name hit her like lightning.
Kael Nightshade.
The billionaire who owned half the city's luxury hotels.
The youngest CEO to appear on international business magazines.
A man rumored to be worth billions.
People called him The King of Wall Street.
Others simply called him The Devil in a Suit.
"What..."
She whispered.
"...does someone like you want with me?"
Kael answered without hesitation.
"Marriage."
The room fell silent.
Selene blinked.
Then blinked again.
"I'm sorry..."
"I don't think I heard you correctly."
"You did."
"I asked you to marry me."
She stared at him for several long seconds.
Then...
She laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was completely absurd.
"I'm serious."
That made her laugh even harder.
"You don't even know me."
"I know enough."
"No."
She shook her head.
"You know my name."
"I know far more than that."
Her laughter slowly faded.
Something in his voice...
Made it impossible to joke anymore.
"What do you mean?"
Kael calmly reached for the leather folder beside him.
He slid it across the table.
"Open it."
She hesitated before doing as he asked.
The first page contained a photograph.
Her photograph.
Taken only two days ago.
She was leaving the hospital carrying bags of medication.
The second page.
Her university records.
Agricultural Engineering.
Outstanding academic performance.
Third page.
Employment history.
Every café.
Every part-time job.
Fourth page.
Her bank statements.
Fifth page.
Hospital records.
The surgery estimate.
The final payment deadline.
Sixth page.
Photographs of her childhood home.
Seventh page.
A copy of her father's death certificate.
Her breathing became shallow.
Page after page.
Every detail of her life.
Every struggle.
Every failure.
Every sacrifice.
She slammed the folder shut.
"Who are you?"
"I already told you."
"No."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I mean..."
"What kind of man investigates a complete stranger?"
Kael answered calmly.
"The kind who never leaves anything to chance."
Her fingers trembled.
"You've been following me."
"I've been protecting you."
"I never asked for protection."
"You needed it anyway."
She took a step backward.
"I should call the police."
"You can."
He sounded completely unconcerned.
"They'll arrive in approximately eleven minutes."
She frowned.
"...How do you know that?"
"Because the nearest patrol vehicle is six streets away."
A chill crept down her spine.
How could he possibly know that?
Who exactly was this man?
Before she could ask another question...
Her phone rang.
The screen displayed an unknown number.
She hesitated.
Then answered.
"...Hello?"
A cold voice spoke.
"Miss Ashford."
Her blood froze.
The loan sharks.
"You've got less than twenty-three hours now."
"I know."
"Our boss is growing impatient."
"I said I'm trying."
"We've changed our minds."
Her stomach tightened.
"What?"
"You won't have twenty-three hours anymore."
A slow smile spread across Kael's face.
As if...
He already knew what the caller was about to say.
The man on the phone continued.
"You have until midnight."
"And if you fail..."
A long pause followed.
"...we'll start with your mother."
The call ended.
The phone slipped from Selene's hand and hit the floor with a dull crack.
She stood frozen.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to think.
Across the table...
Kael slowly stood.
His voice remained calm.
Almost frighteningly calm.
"I told you."
"You needed protection."
Then he walked toward her.
Stopping only inches away.
"There is only one person in this city..."
"...who can keep them from touching your mother."
His gray eyes locked onto hers.
"And you're looking at him."
Selene's knees nearly gave way.
The phone lay on the polished wooden floor, its screen cracked from the fall.
"We'll start with your mother."
The words echoed mercilessly in her mind.
No.
Not her mother.
Anyone but her.
She bent down with trembling hands to pick up the phone, but her vision blurred with tears. No matter how hard she blinked, they refused to stop.
Kael silently picked up the phone before she could.
He placed it on the table.
"You should sit."
"I'm fine."
"You can barely stand."
"I'm..." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I said I'm fine."
Her voice broke on the last word.
Kael didn't argue.
Instead, he pulled out the chair opposite him.
"Sit."
This time, she obeyed.
Not because he ordered her to.
Because she no longer had the strength to remain standing.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Outside, rain drummed steadily against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Finally, Kael broke the silence.
"Your mother requires surgery within twenty-four hours."
Selene nodded weakly.
"The hospital needs two hundred and eighty-seven thousand four hundred and fifty dollars."
She looked up in surprise.
"You really do know everything."
"You've been working three jobs."
"You've sold your father's truck."
"You've exhausted every loan option."
"You even tried crowdfunding."
A tear escaped before she could stop it.
"I was desperate."
"I know."
"You don't."
She laughed bitterly.
"You know the facts."
"You don't know what it feels like to watch the only family you have disappear little by little."
For the first time...
Kael didn't answer immediately.
His gaze drifted toward the rain outside.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.
"When I was fifteen..."
"...I buried my mother."
Selene froze.
"I couldn't save her."
Something in his expression changed.
It lasted only a heartbeat.
But she saw it.
Pain.
Real pain.
Then it was gone, hidden once more behind the cold mask he wore so effortlessly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"So am I."
Silence settled between them again.
This time...
It didn't feel uncomfortable.
It felt heavy.
As though two strangers had unknowingly shared the same wound.
---
Kael slid another document across the table.
"This is the contract."
Selene stared at it.
"I haven't agreed to anything."
"I know."
"Then why prepare it?"
"Because I don't make offers I can't fulfill."
She opened the first page.
The heading read:
CONTRACT MARRIAGE AGREEMENT
Her stomach tightened.
She continued reading.
Article One: The marriage will remain legally binding for one year.
Article Two: All medical expenses concerning Eleanor Ashford shall be paid in full immediately after the contract is signed.
Article Three: All outstanding personal debts under Selene Ashford's name shall be settled.
Her eyes widened.
She flipped through the remaining pages.
Monthly allowance.
A private residence.
Freedom to continue working or studying.
Separate bedrooms.
No forced intimacy.
No interference with her personal life.
No hidden financial obligations.
She frowned.
"Why..."
She looked up.
"...are these terms so generous?"
Kael folded his hands.
"Because I need a wife."
"There are thousands of women who'd marry you without a contract."
"I don't want thousands."
"I want you."
"Why?"
He held her gaze.
"Because you aren't interested in my money."
She almost laughed.
"I'm sitting here because I'm broke."
"Exactly."
"You hate needing help."
"You've refused charity six times in the past year."
Her eyebrows knitted together.
"You even know that?"
"You returned an anonymous donation to your mother's hospital fund."
She remembered.
Someone had transferred fifty thousand dollars into the fundraiser.
She'd assumed it was a mistake and returned it.
"I don't accept money I didn't earn."
Kael nodded once.
"That's why I chose you."
---
A knock interrupted them.
Ethan entered quietly.
He leaned down and whispered something into Kael's ear.
Kael's expression hardened.
"When?"
"Ten minutes ago."
"How many?"
"Five."
"They're watching the hospital."
Selene frowned.
"What hospital?"
Neither man answered.
Ethan glanced briefly at her before lowering his voice even further.
"Our scouts lost them near the east bridge."
"We don't know how much they've discovered."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"Increase security."
"Yes, Alpha."
Ethan left as silently as he had entered.
Selene blinked.
"...Alpha?"
Kael ignored the question.
Instead, he picked up his phone.
Within seconds, someone answered.
"Move Mrs. Eleanor Ashford to the private medical wing."
"Double the security."
"No visitors without my approval."
He ended the call.
Selene shot to her feet.
"You can't just do that!"
"I already have."
"You didn't even ask me!"
"I wasn't protecting you."
His gray eyes met hers.
"I was protecting your mother."
Before she could respond, another knock sounded.
Mr. Collins hurried into the lounge, looking pale.
"Mr. Nightshade..."
He hesitated.
"There are... some men downstairs asking for Miss Ashford."
Selene's blood ran cold.
"What do they look like?"
Mr. Collins swallowed.
"Leather jackets."
"Motorcycles."
"They don't look like customers."
Her heart pounded violently.
"The loan sharks..."
Mr. Collins nodded.
"They're demanding that we hand you over."
The color drained from Selene's face.
"They found me..."
Kael calmly stood.
He buttoned his suit jacket with practiced ease.
His expression was unreadable.
"They're early."
Selene stared at him.
"You knew they'd come?"
"I expected them."
He walked toward the door, every step unhurried.
Then he looked back at her.
"Stay here."
She shook her head immediately.
"No."
"They're here because of me."
"And they're about to leave because of me."
He opened the door.
The atmosphere around him changed completely.
The calm businessman was gone.
In his place stood someone far more dangerous.
Someone who looked as though he had never lost a battle in his life.
Without another word...
Kael walked downstairs to meet the men waiting for him.
- Writer
