Devil's Business

Third Challenge

 “What’s that? Cheating?” Said inner-mind of Juno to the demon. Its threatening voice come along to the question afterwards,”You don’t have the clue, do you? half a million for a total mistake, that’s the hint for your mischief.”

Juno remembered of the issue that the demon mentioned as wrongful deceit. He considered the painting align with the ‘sustenance’ topic, all due to its moniker and the nuance therein. Its reign has different thoughts with his own, however, and squashed half of his entire cash in one night.

---

The day of announcement has come to his aid. Despite much effort to cleanse the whole savings, he could not done so with limitations disrupting his list. Juno’s staff have too much to eat, they keep burping in their work hours because of the load of foods that they have to chew. He even installed numerous vending machine to spring the money out as many as he can, but seemingly failed to fulfill straight away.

Due to the demon’s capacity to be the real guest of his mansion before, Juno is waiting ahead inside his lobby to welcome its appearance to his house since the early morning. He drinks a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper headline for today, in which explained the mysterious phenomenon of ‘the last supper’ disappearance.

“They could not track the painting after all this time, huh. The demon might have been there once.” Mumbled Juno.

“Juno! Why are you here? Did I told you to sit down inside your room?”

The demon’s voice suddenly emerged. Juno could not see him anywhere nearby or close to the corridor. He also checked the front yard with nothing as an outcome. He then move forward to his room on the second floor in accordance to the abrupt commotion within his inner self, and found the demon has been there all along.

“So, are you prepared for your third order of the month?” Asked the demon to Juno. He still can’t muster an eligible word to the unexpected location and stood silent for collecting information that he could retrieve from his mind.

“Hey! I am talking to you, puny mortal. You should be pleased, I suppose, for you to be mesmerized in bliss of my arrival.” The demon gloated,”I’m too busy to have a chit-chat, so please read these contract updates by yourself from now on. You’ll be informed of the next by those papers. Bye!”

(poof!)

The demon gone, vanished from Juno’s sight before he could even perceive of what’s going on inside his personal property. He quickly transcend to the contract paper, from which any ongoing contract notions would be summoned. As he unroll the manuscript, all he can see is demonic writings that somehow readable to his eye.

“For any purchase the ‘subject’ propose, the deposit shall be increased by two times multiplication of the goods’ worth.” He reads the novel clause embedded to the end of the whole text accordingly. Juno scrubbed his chin as he wondering of the term’s meaning.

“It should be like this, perhaps: if I buy a car with over 10 millions, my entire savings would be infused by two times, which means I could have 20 millions of money in return because of my purchase .” He rattled to himself while walking down the corner of his king-size spring bed,”Whoa, that’s insane! I wonder why he speaks of the ‘punishment’, though, but I think he doesn’t want me to stop playing the game at all before 3 years passed, huh.”

---

There are no boundaries of what he could buy, that’s the entire conclusion of what he has to do with the money left in his deposit. This is not a funny business, however, since what Juno wished to have is nowhere near the challenge. If he unloads too much, his bank would be flowing with money that he has to spend later on. On the other hand, the beast clearly wants him to allocate the cash as much as he can, or he could be considered cheating to his master with no chance to appeal.

Choice of life persevered, and he has to crunch his mind to crush the challenge for his own benefit. The deal has been activated when he touched the contract paper, but Juno is still laying on his bed and bending the brain for further strategy to the staggering month that he has to endure,“For once, I think I could not spare the deal as fluent as before. It’s just three months and I’m already dizzy because of all the request from that beast.” He muttered. In spite of how much he rolls upon the bed, the answers are not there to receive. It should be easy for him to brush away billions, but there could be one bigger challenges that occurred later on.

“I should have start to spend, not to beg for forgiveness to the beast. Resting my head would not help me to get out of this doom.” Said Juno yet again to console the issue that tickling him for long.

---

For the beginning of his expedition to flush the cash, Juno decides to browse upon the online media to brainstorming ideas of what should be bought in the following month. He tuck himself underneath the clutch of the blanket, the very first serene night that he could ever did with himself in desolation, with his laptop rested on top of the pillows upon his bed.

“I suppose for this time, I won’t be greedy. Too much money and I will be occupied with the baddies of hell for lifetime. “

Juno scrolled thoroughly upon the most expensive goods ever sold to the public, ranging from animals, exotic stones, electronics, and many more that he found intriguing and worthwhile to read. However, as a rich ego has to be, Juno considered to buy anything that were never been owned by his wealthy colleagues. For the top on the list for exotic stones, He has seen the blue diamond on one of Je-llo’s index finger, the one suggested as the hefty to the purse and valedictorian of the mighty nuggets.

“Ugh, why I do this again? I should more into searching the less-priced one first before thinking of the most.” He mumbled before opening new tabs for another league of search.

---

Juno had to stay awake overnight, all of the dusk for discerning best strategy to his third challenge of the month. He wants to defeat the demon, but rather convenient through the feasible one he could concoct. The magic power of the beast is condescending to the mere mortal like him, one who should not be faced up front, therefore override his mind to chiefly finished the task as soon as he can.

He quickly dispense the first output of his money to the vending machine of his mansion, for which he bought as a complementary attempt to stir away the cash of the previous challenge. He had installed various stocks of goods to be instilled within the automatic system of the vending machine that he exclusively ordered from Jufa. For these machinery to work, he has had contract with the factory to tweak the price much higher than what the standard has settled. Otherwise, they also acted as the operator of its stocks for daily consumption of the entire mansion.

One of his office staff appears to arrive early. She is the head secretary of his mansion, Melina Nanto, a concierge to his errands and meetings in daily basis. She has working with him for the exact two months right after he signed the demon-made pact. Juno himself has a little bit unwary of her personality, yet choose him based on personal taste, but he could fathom with her constant professional ethic that stands in-between their office relationship.

To the first-ever employee arrived on the scene, Juno greeted her with a warm smile,“Hi-“

On the other side, Melina herself is looking straight on the line, that she forgot to notice of her boss’ presence on her right side ahead of the bicycle vending machine. Juno felt bemused with her attitude, but can’t do much since she has perfectionist personality that he adored apart with her relatively small figure.

“Time for a ride, then. I’ll call her later.” Muttered Juno to brush away bad thoughts of her disinterested nature.

Two pedaling steps and he swings by Je-llo’s mansion for a morning tandem. This is a regular schedule for the two wealthy persons of the block. It is either him or Je-llo that started to ring the bell for each when they have awakened earlier than the other.

(Ring-Ring!)

Juno snoozed Je-llo’s doorphone and buzzing its button several times, then speaking to the available speaker up front,”Hoy, it’s Juno. Come on out and have a nice two laps for today.” However, the owner of the house has not answered it back at all. Juno chose to wait for his respond, since he could be in bathroom for his own ‘morning call like what usually happened at times.

None of the follow-ups or Je-llo himself showed up, contrarywise, and it brought himself to worry.

Seconds later, one of his personal assistant is coming out from the gate. A dent of sorrow masked her eyes alongside the pile of tears drowning down under. Her grief laid a speck of distress to Juno and uncertainty of Je-llo’s condition at the same time, made him feeling spooked by the issue.

“Anything happened, mrs. Spot?” Asked Juno to the assistant.

“Oh, nothing.” She then replied after wiping her tears,”Just a sport with 2 kilograms of onion. Mr. Riko Tejo would be outside soon, and he asked me to inform you about this issue.”