Chapter 3: Deal with the Devil
533 Words
Chapter 3: Deal with the Devil
Lucy couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Jayson Smith.
The name echoed through her head like a haunting melody. There was something disarming about him—his cold confidence, the way he saw straight through her mask, and the subtle implication behind his words.
Maybe we should talk.
And they had talked. For hours.
After their initial exchange at the gala, he had escorted her to a private lounge upstairs. There, over aged scotch and whispered truths, Lucy had found herself unraveling. She told him about John. About Mary. About the eight years she gave away and the woman who had stabbed her in the back. Jayson didn’t flinch. In fact, he leaned in closer.
He listened.
And when she was done, he offered her something she never expected.
“Help me destroy them,” she said, almost joking.
Jayson had looked her dead in the eyes and said, “Gladly.”
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Now, two days later, she sat across from him in his office on the 50th floor of Smith & Wells, one of the most powerful conglomerates on the East Coast. The view of the city stretched endlessly behind him, glittering like a million promises.
“I want to understand what you’re asking, Lucy,” Jayson said, clasping his hands over his desk. “Do you want revenge? Or do you want to heal?”
“Why not both?” she replied coldly.
He smiled. “You’re dangerous.”
“You have no idea.”
Jayson stood and walked around the desk, his movements smooth, feline. He stopped in front of her and offered his hand. “Then let’s make a deal.”
Lucy hesitated. “What kind of deal?”
“I’ll help you ruin them. Their reputations, their careers, their self-worth. But you have to let me mold you. Rebuild you. Turn you into someone they’ll never recognize. Someone they’ll regret underestimating.”
“Why?” she asked. “Why would you help me?”
“Because I hate people who throw away loyalty,” he said, voice darkening. “And because your ex just so happens to be connected to someone who’s long been a thorn in my side.”
She tilted her head. “John Smith?”
Jayson’s smile never reached his eyes. “Let’s just say... it’s personal.”
Lucy stared at his hand.
Everything in her told her this was dangerous. But wasn’t danger what she craved now? She wanted fire. She wanted justice. She wanted to stop being the broken girl and become the woman who set the world on fire.
She took his hand.
“Deal.”
The handshake felt like lightning—an unspoken promise of destruction and transformation.
Jayson leaned in, close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath. “Then welcome to the dark side, Miss Haven. Lesson one starts tomorrow. We’re going to make you unforgettable.”
Lucy’s heart pounded. The old her might have trembled.
But not this version.
This version was just getting started.
And neither of them noticed the slim black drone hovering silently outside the tinted office window—its camera lens fixed directly on their handshake.
- Writer
