The devil's mate

"Nooooo!" The loud scream of a woman echoed through the concrete walls of the underground parking lot. The sound snatched Alvina’s attention away from the text message she had been staring at for the past twenty minutes, causing her to halt in her tracks. She was supposed to be heading straight to her car. Who would have thought she would witness a real-life drama unfolding in the shadows? "You can't do this to me, Mr. Moon. I love you!" Peeking around a concrete pillar, Alvina saw a woman on her knees, begging desperately. Alvina’s chest tightened. What kind of situation would make a woman humiliate herself out in the open like this? "Love?" An icy, cold male voice interjected. The sound sent a violent shiver straight down Alvina's spine. Panic seized her. She quickly slipped into the narrow space between two parked SUVs, hiding herself in the darkness. "Yes, love! I want to be with you. I want to have your babies!" The woman’s voice was firm, but it vibrated with an underlying layer of terror. Alvina held her breath, eager to hear the man's response. But a heavy, suffocating silence followed. Her curiosity tempted her to steal a glance, to see what kind of face belonged to a man who could remain so utterly unmoved. Yet, the sheer aura of danger in the air glued her shoes to the ground. She couldn't move. Until at last, the man finally spoke. "That's it?" Alvina gasped silently, her hands flying to cover her mouth in utter disbelief. "W-hat?" the kneeling woman stammered, equally shocked. "You don't want anything else?" The man's sarcastic tone sliced through the damp air, devouring what little warmth was left in the garage. "Like meeting my family? Getting married? Growing old on a beach together?" "Mr. Moon, please! We have been together for a month now. We have had close intimacy, there's no way you didn't feel anything for me! It's fine if you don't want babies. All I want is for you to at least love me back." "Now, we are done," he declared. His voice was a flat, empty void. "W-ha-t! What do you mean done?" The woman stood up abruptly, her legs trembling so badly she stumbled forward. "We've only been together for a month, and the contract says I get to be your girlfriend for three months! I don't mind the ten-million-dollar monthly payment, keep it! I just want this to be official!" Alvina pressed her back harder against the SUV, her mind racing. A contract relationship? Ten million dollars a month? "Miss Nelly," the man's voice cut in, sharp as a scalpel. "The two conditions clearly stated in the contract were: you could enter any room in the house of your choice except mine, and the second was never to demand love and affection." Realizing the situation was spiraling into something incredibly dangerous, Alvina wanted to run. But fear kept her paralyzed. She couldn't stop herself from taking a subtle peek through the tinted glass of the car windows. Her eyes widened. She recognized Miss Nelly. She was a beautiful, well-known socialite, though Alvina couldn't remember where she'd seen her features before. Why is a stunning lady like her begging desperately for love from a man? Alvina’s gaze shifted to the man, causing all this chaos. She couldn't see his face because his back was turned to her, but his broad shoulders and commanding posture loomed over the weeping woman. "Because you stayed the longest and I keep my promises, I'll wire you your final pay," the man spoke coldly. “You can't do this to me! I gave up everything for you!" she yelled. "I never forced you and I never asked you to," he blurted out. Miss Nelly collapsed back onto her knees, looking as though all the blood had been drained from her body. Within seconds, a dark sedan pulled up, and two suited men quietly bundled the weeping woman into the back seat. Just like that, the scene was over. Alvina finally came back to her senses. She blinked multiple times to confirm she wasn't dreaming. As the sedan drove off, she finally found the courage to move her legs. However, before she could take a single step, a voice sliced through the silence. "Come out." Alvina froze. Oh god. Her heart raced faster and louder, pounding against her ribs. "I know you can hear me, Red. Come out now." Red? Who was he calling Red? Then she realized he must be talking about her hair. Taking a deep, trembling breath, Alvina forced her legs to move. "Come over here." She stepped out from between the cars. She kept her head down, looking nervous. The only time she had ever felt this suffocated was when she was called to the dean's office in college, and she had never even been in trouble before. When she finally lifted her head and their eyes met, her breath was knocked clean out of her lungs. The man standing before her was beyond good-looking. He looked like a god. He didn't look like the regular type of man you found walking the streets; he didn't look like he belonged to this earth at all. His hair was as dark as midnight, falling perfectly around a gorgeously sculpted face. But it was his eyes—piercing, greyish depths that stared at her with a hostility that made her want to shrink into the concrete. "Who are you?" Alvina jolted at the sheer hatred dripping from his icy tone. Swallowing hard, she forced her vocal cords to work. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop." His eyes narrowed, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop another ten degrees. "That wasn't my question, Red. Who are you?" He moved. He started walking towards her slowly. Every single step he took felt heavy, loud, and deliberate. He was trying to crush her with his aura, but Alvina planted her feet on the ground. Even though her knees were shaky, she stood her ground. When he stopped less than a meter away from her, she bit her bottom lip. Dangerous was an understatement. This man was hell itself. "I'm just a bystander," she whispered. He didn't say anything. Instead, he abruptly raised his hand making Alvina to flinch. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting him to hurt her. "Open your eyes," his voice commanded. Alvina opened them slowly, blinking in confusion. He was staring intensely into her wide, doe eyes. Oddly, the daggers and ancient glaciers in his gaze seemed to wash away, replaced by a strange, unreadable calm. Alvina stood perfectly still, her heart erratically hammering against her chest. He blinked, and in a flash, his cold, ruthless self returned, but the raw hatred was gone. "Go home, Red," he said flatly. He turned on his heel to leave. Alvina stood there, frozen. She should have been thrilled. She was safe, she was unscathed, and she was free to run. Yet, her feet wouldn't move as she watched his elegant figure walk toward a luxury sports car. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her brain ignited a desperate memory. The text message on her phone, the one she had been staring at for twenty minutes, was a final notice. Her mother's care facility was demanding a massive deposit by the end of this week, or they would discharge her. Alvina was completely out of options. This arrogant man and his ten-million-dollar contract were her only hope. "Wait! Excuse me!" He had already opened his car door, his hand pausing on the frame. He didn't turn around completely, trying not to look at her. "What?" Suddenly flooded with a burst of reckless bravery, Alvina walked fearlessly toward him. "I want to be your girlfriend."