CHAPTER 11: A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
677 Words
The contract lay open on my worktable, the numbers staring back at me like a dare.
Seven figures.
A dream come true.
An illusion.
I paced my tiny apartment, heart hammering.
Salvador was making it clear—he wasn’t just offering me an opportunity. He was closing the doors to every other path, making sure the only way forward was through him.
It should have thrilled me.
Instead, it felt like a noose tightening around my neck.
A Call from the Past
My phone rang, jolting me from my thoughts.
Andrew.
I hesitated before answering.
“What?” I asked, trying to sound indifferent.
His voice was tight. “Did he contact you?”
I glanced at the contract. “Why would you think that?”
“Because that’s how he works,” Andrew muttered. He tests people. And when they don’t bend, he buys them.”
I swallowed. “It’s not like that.”
Silence.
Then:
“He gave you something, didn’t he?”
I exhaled. “He made an offer.”
Andrew cursed under his breath. “Paloma, listen to me—whatever he promised you, it’s not what it seems.”
I clenched my jaw. “You keep saying that, but you won’t tell me why.”
“Because if I tell you, I put you in danger,” he snapped.
Anger flared in my chest. “I’m already in danger, Andrew! Or did you think I didn’t notice the way people looked at me at that party? Like I already belonged to him?”
He was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then, finally, he spoke.
“Meet me.”
I frowned. “What?”
“I need to show you something,” he said, voice tight. Meet me in thirty minutes. And don’t tell anyone.”
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone, pulse racing.
I should have ignored him.
I should have thrown the contract away, locked my doors, and gone back to my work like none of this was happening.
But instead—
I grabbed my coat and left.
The Truth Unveiled
Andrew was waiting for me outside an old diner, his car parked just out of sight.
The moment I stepped inside, he pulled me into a booth and leaned in.
“You’re not going to like this,” he warned.
I folded my arms. “Then why am I here?”
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
Then he slid a folder across the table.
I hesitated before opening it.
Inside were photos. Documents. Bank records.
And at the center of it all—Salvador.
I flipped through them, my stomach twisting with each new image.
There were pictures of women—models, designers, business partners. Some of them were familiar, their faces splashed across magazines.
All of them had one thing in common.
They had all worked with Salvador.
And then—
They had all disappeared.
My blood ran cold.
I lifted my gaze towards Andrew.
“What is this?” I whispered.
His expression was grim. “Proof.”
I shook my head. “This—this doesn’t mean anything.”
Andrew’s jaw clenched. “It means everything, Paloma. These women thought they were getting a break. Instead, they got trapped. Some of them signed contracts just like yours.”
I looked down at the papers again, my hands trembling.
It wasn’t just business.
It was ownership.
Salvador didn’t just open the doors—he locked them behind him.
And once you were inside, there was no way out.
I shoved the papers away, nausea rolling through me.
“I—I need to think.”
Andrew’s gaze softened. “Paloma—”
I stood abruptly. “I just need time, okay?”
He watched me for a long moment, then nodded.
“Just don’t sign anything,” he said.
I turned and walked out, the weight of the truth pressing down on me.
I wanted a way forward.
But now, I wasn’t sure if I was walking into a future—
Or a trap.
- Writer
