TheDevil'sOffer
1043 Words
“Say yes, Aria. Don’t make this harder than it already Is.”
I looked at Ethan with wide eyes. Behind him, the tall man blocked the glass windows. The sun in the morning made his shape look like a cold and beautiful devil. My nails dug into my palm as I gripped the leather chair so tightly.
He said again and again, "Say yes, Aria." "Don't turn this into even more work."
My chest hurt as I forced words out of my lips that were shaking. "Why do you want me to lie to everyone and stand next to you like a puppet? Your good name?"
His eyes got a little narrower, and those sharp blues hurt me. "For work."
It was a broken and bitter laugh. "Work." Okay. For you, everything is about business.
He put his hands on the table and leaned forward, putting his face just inches away from mine. He whispered in a dark voice.
"Ms. Monroe, don't act like you're too good for this world. "You're not."
When I jerked, tears blurred my vision. "Why me?" Why not a model or actor who wants your money and attention badly?
A brief shadow crossed his eyes, and it was gone before I could read it.
He just said, "Because I don't trust them."
"You believe me?" I spit.
He smiled with his mouth, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "No." But I believe in your strength.
I held back a sob and shook my head furiously. "No." I'm not going to do this. "I'm not for sale."
He slowly stood up, and his face turned back to ice. "You believe you have a choice."
"I do," I said in a whisper.
"Do you?" He took out his phone and casually scrolled through it before throwing it down on the table in front of me.
My heart stopped.
Pictures were on the screen. Leaving the hospital drugstore with painkillers for my grandmother. Last week, I cried by myself at the train station. I was at the store buying rice and eggs and counting torn dollar bills.
I was going to throw up.
"Are you following me?" My voice was high with fear and shame as I choked out.
He did a beautiful shrug of the shoulder. "I do a lot of research on my investments."
When I spoke, my teeth were clenched. "I'm not your investment."
As he lowered himself so that our faces were almost touching, his eyes got darker. His voice was low and very quiet.
"You are now."
I could feel tears running down my face. "Please don't do that."
He put out his hand and used his thumb to wipe away a tear. The touch was so soft that it drove my heart crazy with fear.
"Five hundred thousand dollars up front," he said in a low voice. "Another 500,000 when the deal ends at the end of the gala season."
I quickly blinked. "That's more than a million dollars."
He gave one nod. "Enough to pay for your grandmother's surgery and care afterward, as well as your dad's debts unless you want to see them suffer because you're proud."
My chest hurt as it twisted. "You're bad."
He tilted his head a little and looked at me with those cold, opaque eyes. "Maybe." Aria, but bad people run this world. "Learn that before it breaks you."
My chair fell back with a loud thud when I stood up too quickly. "No." I'm not going to do it. “Find someone else.”
He didn't change his face as he watched me shake as I picked up my bag.
He said in a calm voice, "You'll come back."
My eyes were filled with tears as I turned to glare at him. "Don't put your money on it."
When I got to the door, his voice stopped me in my tracks.
"You have until tonight at midnight."
I didn't go back. I was unable. I knew that if I did, I would finally break down.
I was so sleepy that I hardly felt my feet hit the marble floors as I walked through the hallway. I couldn't stop shaking even though the cold February wind hit my face.
He's so rude. He shouldn't be able to use my pain against me. The life of my grandmother wasn't a trading chip. It wasn't mine either.
Real life hit me like a falling building as I sat on the busy train with my bag close to my chest.
The rent was late. My grandma had to have surgery soon, or her kidneys would stop working totally. I couldn't pay off my dad's bills fast enough.
Tears ran silently down my face as my eyes hurt.
Five hundred thousand dollars right away.
It wasn't right. Not moral. Making fun of.
It was freedom, too.
That night, I got home late. The flat was dark, only the kitchen light was on and off. Grandma was sound asleep in her room. When I heard her soft gasping breaths, tears came back to my eyes.
I went over to her bedside and gently brushed her silver hair off her face.
I told her in a whisper, "I'll figure it out." "I promise I will."
A loud banging sound came from the front door all of a sudden. My heart jumped into my throat.
"Who is it?" I called and tried not to shake my voice.
Nothing. The hitting kept going, this time harder, shaking the frame.
"Who is it?" I yelled again.
"Open up!" yelled a rough-sounding man. "We know you're inside."
Fear snaked around in my stomach. I went to the door and put my ear against it.
I asked, "Who are you?"
"Your dad owes money," said a rough voice. "Let's build it up first."
Fear made my body freeze. Dad. What did he do next?
"I..." "I don't have anything," I whispered through tears.
The first man growled, "Too bad." "Because tonight someone is paying."
My phone buzzed in my hand, which was shaking. The name Ethan popped across the screen like a scary promise.
The men outside kept banging, and my tears made the letters look fuzzy.
Do you now understand what you can do, Ms. Monroe?
- Writer
