The Devils Claim

Chapter 9 Atonement in Chains

Auntie was completely terrified, her body trembling as she disappeared, the evidence of her fear trailing down her legs.

A pair of polished leather shoes clicked against the ground. Long, slender legs wrapped in a tailored Armani suit stepped into view. Chiseled features held a look of cold disdain, and piercing blue eyes gleamed like sharpened blades.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Katherine turned around. And there he was — the face she had seen countless times in newspapers, on television… and on her sister's phone.

She let out a mocking laugh, curling her lips. "The perfect man my sister spoke so highly of… turns out to be nothing but a demon. Haha..."

Leon's face remained expressionless, his voice devoid of warmth. "Anyone else has the right to say that—except you."

Katherine's heart clenched. She understood the meaning behind his words. In his eyes, she was responsible for her sister's death. She was guilty, and he was here to make her atone.

Tears blurred her vision, spilling freely down her face. A bone-deep chill spread through her body. Wrapping her arms around herself, she trembled, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I didn't know… I didn't know my actions would lead to her death… I didn't… I'm so sorry…"

A flicker of pain crossed Leon's otherwise hardened features. He tilted his head back, staring up at the vast blue sky. His jaw tightened, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed his anguish. Then his voice thundered, filled with raw emotion.

"What use is there to say sorry? Will it bring her back? It won't!"

His rage crashed over Katherine like a tidal wave. Her knees buckled, but she forced herself forward. "Then kill me. Just kill me."

Leon's gaze darkened as he met her eyes. Without warning, his hand struck her cheek with a force that sent her staggering. "Kill you? Do you think you deserve such an easy escape? Not a chance of that. You will live to atone for your sins. You will live in her place!"

"No… I can't replace her. My sister was perfect… I could never replace her!" Katherine clutched her throbbing head, the weight of her grief threatening to crush her.

Leon didn't waver. Instead, he threw a contract at her feet. "Sign it. Do what you're supposed to and then get out of my sight."

With shaking hands, Katherine picked up the contract, her tears blurring the words. She read through it briefly, though it hardly mattered. Without hesitation, she scrawled her name across the paper, her voice barely a whisper. "I know my sister loved children… I will make it up to her. I will."

A single tear splashed onto the crisp white paper, spreading like an inkblot. The name "Katherine" stood out, hastily written, a mark of her surrender.

Leon snatched the contract, barely sparing it a glance. Without another word, he turned to leave.

But before he could take another step, Katherine's voice rang out, desperate and pleading. "Wait! Can you take me to see my sister?"

Leon didn’t respond. He didn't even turn around. Fear gripped Katherine, and she ran to him, clinging to his leg as she begged. "Brother-in-law, please! I beg you! I want to see my sister. Dad wouldn't let me. I don't even know where she is. I just want to talk to her… please…"

Katherine's perfect fairy-tale life had ended that fateful afternoon—the day her sister passed away. Her father, who had never truly loved her, cast her aside entirely. And the sister who had once doted on her was gone.

Everything she had… was gone.

In a fit of rebellion, she had left home. But one night of drunken recklessness at a bar had cost her everything. She had lost the innocence she had protected for twenty years—to a stranger she couldn't even remember.

She could no longer return to school. She had no home to go back to. Yet she forced herself to smile, moving to a poor neighborhood and working tirelessly… only to end up here.

As she sat in the car, her thoughts spun wildly. How was she supposed to face her sister? How could she ever atone for her mistakes?

No amount of apologies would ever be enough.

Lost in her turmoil, she barely noticed the car pulling to a stop. Leon stepped out first. Ah En, the chauffeur, opened the door for her, but she hesitated, frozen in place.

Impatiently, Leon grabbed her arm, yanking her out of the vehicle. "What are you hesitating for?" he snapped.

Katherine pulled away, lowering her head as she silently climbed the steps. She said nothing, but her tears fell freely, one after another, like silent confessions of her sorrow.