The devil's mate

Chapter 2 Desperate proposal

“I want to be your girlfriend."

The man finally turned around. His dark grey eyes assessed her, shifting between disbelief and a sudden, sharp interest.

"From what I understand, you're willing to pay someone to be your girlfriend, right?" Alvina challenged.

Silence settled heavily between them. For a moment, he simply stared, appearing quietly amused by the curvy creature standing defiantly in front of him.

"Not just someone," he countered, his eyes traveling deliberately from her head to her toes. A wicked, mocking smile played across his lips. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm just asking if I got my facts right," she said, pressing her lips together. She stared directly into his eyes, searching for a hint of what he could be thinking.

"You don't fall in love? That's not even possible."

A low, devilish laughter escaped his chest, though it never reached his eyes.

"Red... are you saying you want to try me?"

She nodded her head in firm affirmation.

He laughed again, louder this time, the sound echoing mockingly through the empty lot. Alvina creased her brows, her expression hardening to show him exactly how serious she was.

When his laughter finally tapered off, his gaze turned lethal. "I don't fall in love. And besides," he looked her head to toe, "you're not my type."

Alvina stared at him in utter disbelief. "What do you mean, not your type?"

He walked back toward her, his tongue briefly licking his lips as he tracked her movements like a lion cornering its prey. He stopped just inches away, his shadow completely engulfing her full figure.

"I don't do thick, curvy women," he whispered, his eyes dropping to her hips before snapping back to her face. "I do model-sized."

The words stung. She had heard variations of that insult most of her life—you're too fat, you're big, you're not what guys want, you occupy space, blah blah. She had never for once cared about what anybody said about her looks.

But hearing it from this arrogant, god-like man didn't make her want to cry. It ignited a fierce, burning determination inside her. It pushed her over the edge.

"Just tell me what you want," she blurted out, stepping closer into his space. "I'm going to prove to you how good I can be. Just because I'm thicker doesn't make me any less worthy! I'm human too!"

The man's smirk deepened, a dangerous glint appearing in his grey eyes. "You're really a brave little girl, aren't you?"

"I'm not a little girl," Alvina snapped.

Mr. Moon went dead silent. The mockery vanished from his face, replaced by a cold, predatory focus. He leaned down slightly, his grey eyes piercing into hers, searching for the greed, malice, or ambition he was so used to seeing in the women who chased him. But he found none of it.

Instead, as he looked into her wide, doe eyes, he saw a profound, blinding innocence. She was pure, untouched by the rot of his world, and utterly desperate. A strange, heavy sensation pulled at his chest. If she signed his contract, the darkness surrounding his life would chew her up and spit her out, just like it did to everyone else. She didn't belong in his hell.

His expression hardened, turning deliberately cruel to save her from himself.

"Go home, Red," he said, his voice dropping into a chilly, merciless register that brooked no argument. "You don't know what you're asking for. I don't corrupt children, and I don't play games with desperate girls."

Alvina blinked, stunned by the sudden shift in his demeanor. "But the contract—"

"Is closed," he cut her off sharply.

He didn't give her another glance. He stepped back, deliberately putting a vast distance between them, and slid into the driver's seat of his luxury sports car. The engine roared to life with a deafening, predatory purr. Within seconds, he sped out of the underground lot, leaving Alvina alone in the cold shadows.

Alvina stood frozen, her hands trembling as she clutched her phone against her chest. He had completely shut her down.

As she looked down at the screen of her phone, seeing her mother's pale face in the wallpaper, a wave of pure hopelessness crashed over her. Tears blurred her vision. Her hands shook violently. He was her absolute last resort, her only wild gamble to secure millions by the end of the week, and he had thrown her away like trash.

She walked back to her car with a heavy, hollow ache in her chest. She had completely failed. Every single ounce of hope she carried had just driven away in that

luxury sports car, leaving her entirely in the dark.