Chapter 1
920 Words
The Night the Devil Came for Me
There is a saying that you will feel the devil's presence before you see him .
For me, my sign was different..
It was my father's voice raspy, frantic down the marbled hallway of Fallenhart Estate.
I was in the arena, alone, staring out at the shining skyline. The city was troubled at night by cars streaming like veins of loaded gold, skyscrapers clawing toward the stars. Blackwood Tower stood tallest, its steel-and-glass frame gleaming like a blade.
I couldn't even feel his presence
Adrian Blackwood.
Once, he had been my everything but now he has been the catalyst for destruction in my life
Isla! My father's voice changed as he entered, his shoes tapping sharply against the marble. His silver hair was mussed, his suit rumpled. In his hand was a sheet of paper, crushed and wrinkled like it had fought him.
I turned, I was tautened. What happened?
He forced the paper into my hands. The legal text splashed before my eyes words like acquisition, ownership transfer, and exclusive control.
It took me a while to proceed.
I was terrified.
Blackwood Global had acquired Fallenhart Industries.
All possessions, everything owed. Every piece of resource owned by the family had gone.
This is unimaginable, I whispered. We didn't authorize
There is no error, my father interrupted his voice flat and strangely hollow. He's been planning this for years. Every investment, every partnership Adrian played us. Played me.
Adrian.
The name sounded unpleasant to say.
Memories hit in quick, cruel flashes:
His lips whispered against mine at the back of his car
He glanced at me as if I were his hope and despair
His pledge, whispered late at night when the world felt cozy and secure
Lies. All of it.
Why? I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted the reply.
My father's stare found mine, and for the very first time in my life, I saw fear. Sometimes, power isn't about need, Isla. It's about wanting to watch the world burn and knowing you can.
Above us, the chandelier flickered.
Not from faulty wiring. I knew the difference.
That pulse in the air sharp, electric rolled over my skin.
I'd felt it before, always when Adrian was near. It wasn't just a feeling. It was something other.
Drawn to the window, I looked down at the street.
And became still
He stood there ..
Adrian Blackwood, standing in the rain .. The black suit fit him, droplets flowing down his sharp jawline. His hair was slicked back, but the storm had loosened a few strands, giving him look threatening and inhuman quality
And his eyes icy, unnatural blue were locked on me.
Through glass. Through darkness. Through the kind of distance that shouldn't allow for such precision.
The corner of his mouth curved into the faintest smirk.
The kind that said he knew exactly what this moment was doing to me.
The paper dropped from my fingers.
I flashed
And he was nowhere to be found.
I was wide awake that night.
The rain lashed the windows, and there was heavy lightning and a thunderstorm. I sat in my father's study room, surrounded by ancient books and the heavy aroma of aged whiskey, scrolling through contracts, desperate for a flaw in Adrian's scheme.
There was none. Every move had been meticulous. Legal. Brutal.
And then, at 3:04 a.m., my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
But I knew.
A: You're awake. Good.
Me: What do you want?
A: To see you. Fifteen minutes. Your gate will be open.
I stared at the text.
The gate.
I moved to the window just as headlights sliced through the rain. The black car rolled up the drive like it belonged here.
The door opened.
And the devil stepped out.
Even drenched in stormwater, Adrian Blackwood looked like sin. His suit clung to his frame, the expensive fabric ruined but his composure flawless. He didn't hurry. He walked like the rain parted for him.
I met him at the front door not because I wanted to, but because I wasn't letting him walk into my house uninvited.
Adrian, I said, my voice cold enough to freeze the rain midair.
Isla. His voice was silk smooth, rich, and dangerous.
You stole my family's company.
I took what should have been mine, he said easily, his eyes sweeping over me in slow, deliberate inspection. You always did look good in a storm.
Heat curled low in my stomach. I hated it.
What are you doing here I asked.
He moved closer to me, the scent of rain and expensive cologne wrapping around me like smoke. Because tonight was just the beginning. You and I have something to finish.
We don't have anything to finish on I fabricated a lie.
That lethal smile again. There's everything between us. You just don't want to accept it
The air shifted.
That pulse is again stronger now making my skin prickle. My gaze caught on his wrist as his sleeve slipped just enough to reveal a faint, glowing symbol.
It wasn't a tattoo.
It moved.
What was that? I breathed.
He took a quick and unforgiving step. A reminder. Every pledge has a price, Isla. And every vow is binding.
He went back toward his car. You will hear from me.
And then he left, leaving me in the entrance, rain soaking through silk, heart pounding like it knew something my mind refused to admit:
This wasn't over.
It had only just begun.
- Writer
