OWNED BY THE DEVIL'S HEIR

THE CONTRACT

My fingers trembled as I stared at the cream coloured envelope on my lap, the words on the first page seemed mocking, it was printed in cold terms

"Contract marriage to Lucien Alessandro in exchange for full medical expenses, aftercare and protection, plus a sum of a million dollars for when the purpose of the contract is fulfilled."

"There wasn't even a set duration for the contract, it just listed that I will do exactly as I am told, I will be taken care of and provided for during the time, regardless of what it is I want, in exchange for being someone's wife and living together with him. I couldn't tell anyone about the contract except two people of my choosing who I really trust to keep a secret, but they will have to sign an NDA first"

"It felt like I was reading someone else's life, one I would never agree to live, it felt rushed, like I had no control of the issues surrounding me anymore, it felt like I was locked up and my freedom taken away from me forcefully."

"But my mother's face flashed before my eyes, the pallor of illness, the shallow rise and fall of her chest, the struggled breaths, the faint smile that tried to mask all the pain, but with one signature and all those would go away, my mother could survive, I would be able to clear all the bills that have haunted me for weeks, just one signature, and all my troubles could be gone..... But at what expense?"

"There was a conflict in my head, all I could see was my mother and the life I knew, I didn't know what to do."

" As these thoughts lingered, my phone buzzed, it was a call from Maria........"

"Hey girl, how is mom, what did they say?"

"Her voice was tense."

"It's actually worse than I thought it was, but the bills came with a contract from someone I do not know.it stated that I'll do a job for him in exchange for the full medical expenses, the job entailed that I stay in his place for some time, till it's done"

"I could hear her gasp through the line...."

"What are the details of the job?"

"Honestly, it is still very blurry, I don't have them all yet, but so far I don't think it's something I can't do. It doesn't even matter at this point, anything I can do to save the life of the woman that has given me everything, I will do it. But I promise to fill you in once I have the full details, ok?"

"Hmm, Ash, I want you to calm down for a minute, I know we are under duress, but don't you think this deal is really shady, I mean you don't know this man, what he looks like or any details about him at all, for all I can tell, what if he is a serial killer, or better still a trafficker, did all those run through your mind at all? Well, I really think you should let this sit for a minute, pick up a laptop or even your phone, try to find anything you can about him from the internet, I will do so from my end too, ok?"

"I went inside to check on her, she was sleeping, and that was really good for someone who didn't have the best time sleeping in a long while, so I sat down grabbed my laptop and checked him out...."

"For a while nothing came up and then my screen was flooded with articles, headlines, interviews....."

"Youngest billioniare in New York.......The mind behind Imperium Group of Companies........The man who built a luxurious empire from scratch......."

" I could barely breathe, I clicked on the first link and I could feel my heart jumping out of my chest, the hospital, he owns it, it sent chills down my spine, it made me realise, it wasn't just any offer, it wasn't a coincidence, he knew who I was.

"But something wasn't right, it felt like the internet didn't want to fully disclose his identity, because every picture of him I found, was incomplete. A side profile, a shadowed angle, a blurred frame, but never a clear view of his face, not a single one, it was all terrifying, what could a high class billionaire possibly want from a low class medical student drowning in debt"

"Taking a closer look, I felt a sense of familiarity and then it occurred to me............ The man from the street, I wasn't so sure because the encounter didn't last, but it felt dangerously like him."

"I quickly dialed Maria's number...."

"Hey.... Did you check it out, can you see what I'm seeing, oh my God this is crazy, it's scary, but at least we know now that he isn't a killer or a trafficker right?"

"Yes, he is not. I checked it out, but don't tell me you are considering it, yes we know he is a billionaire but not just that, he is powerful too, someone with those business chains can't possibly be a regular billioniare, men like that don't hand out contracts for fun, especially contracts like yours, we know mom's life is in his hands since it is his hospital but for a man without face online, he is not to be trusted"

"Chill girl... I'm scared too, but as you said the life of my mother is in his hands so what if he decides to make her life shorter than it already is, if I refuse his offer. He is powerful, and rich men always get their way, that's one of the reasons I hate them, but right now I don't have much of a choice, I'll do it"

"That's what you say right before doing something insane Ash, but I can't talk you out of a thing once you have set your mind to it, just to check the odds again before taking a decision, regardless I'll be with you every step of the way, keep me informed when you make the decision, tell mom I love her, I'll come to see her as soon as I'm free ok?"

"After I dropped the call.... I contacted the number at the end of the document, after a while, a young well polished lady came and led me to a conference room where I was to sign the documents."

"Miss Ashley, your signature is needed in three places, and after the contract is signed you will need to follow the driver designated to you, you'll be going on a road trip."

"Her grammar was polished, her tone was polite and kind as well."

"What about my mom, she is the reason I signed the contract, can I at least see her before going ?"

"Yes ma, you can, in fact, the nurses are on their way to her room, they are preparing her for the surgery as we speak, you have nothing to fear, Mr Lucien is a man of his words."

"I chuckled, like that helped to calm me down, I said to myself...."

" I grabbed the pen and for a second it felt heavier than it should, I could see my hands trembling, but it needed to be done, I had to push myself to sign it, and after a while I did."

"I was still terrified about the unknown, but I had a little sense of relief knowing my mom will be finally okay, I stepped out of the room and hurried down the hallway to see her..."

"The nurses in the room gave us some privacy...."

"Mom, you are awake, that's good, I'm going to step out for a bit, Maria will be coming to stay with you for a while, she'll be here after work today ok, you'll be fine. I'm so sorry I won't be there to hold your hands through the surgery, but believe me it's for the best, I finally raised the money and you will be well again I love you, Mommy"

"I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes...."

"Ash, how did you do it, her voice was shaky and exhausted but I could sense a bit of relief there...... Mom, don't worry about that, I'll explain better, your only job right now is to get better ok? I'm going to see the person that helped us hopefully, that is why I won't be here for the surgery, but I'll definitely be here later ok, see you soon."

"I left the room and headed towards the hospital entrance where I could see a black luxury SUV awaiting me, I moved towards the vehicle knowing that there is no turning back now, I have just s

tepped into something unknown."