The Devil Chose Me

Chapter3

The Devil's Mansion

I had never been inside a car that expensive before, but I couldn't bring myself to admire it. The leather seats were soft beneath me, the air smelled faintly of cedarwood, and the engine purred so quietly that it barely felt like we were moving. None of it mattered. My hands were clenched so tightly in my lap that my nails dug painfully into my palms, and I kept glancing at the tinted window, hoping I'd recognize a street or a landmark that would tell me where they were taking me.

No one spoke.

Lucien sat across from me, his legs crossed, one arm resting on the door while the other lazily held my phone. He hadn't looked at it once. Instead, he stared out the window as if I wasn't even there, his expression unreadable beneath the dim interior lights. I wanted to ask him a hundred questions. Who are you? Why me? What are you going to do with me? But every time I looked at him, the words died in my throat.

The silence became unbearable.

"Are are you going to kill me?"

My voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear it myself.

No one answered.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to look at him again.

"I asked you a question."

This time, his eyes shifted to mine. There wasn't a hint of irritation on his face, only that same calm expression that somehow frightened me more than anger ever could.

"If I wanted you dead"

He paused.

"you wouldn't be sitting here."

As he said a small smile appeared at the corner of his lips. A chill ran down my spine. He wasn't threatening me. He was stating a fact. I looked away first, wrapping my arms around myself as the reality of my situation settled deeper into my chest. I wasn't free. I wasn't going home. I was in a car with dangerous men who could decide my fate with a single sentence.

My grandmother

She must be worried sick by now.

Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them away before anyone could notice. Crying wouldn't help. It wouldn't magically open the door or make them change their minds. If I wanted to survive, I needed to stay calm and look for a way out. The journey felt endless.

The city lights gradually disappeared, replaced by quieter roads lined with towering trees. Rain continued to fall against the windows, turning everything outside into a blur of gray and gold. Eventually, massive black iron gates appeared ahead of us, guarded by men dressed in black suits with rifles hanging from their shoulders.

One of them stepped forward as our SUV approached. The gates opened without a word. I stared through the window, my heart sinking.

Beyond the gates stood an enormous estate surrounded by acres of land. The mansion itself looked less like a home and more like a fortress, its dark stone walls rising against the stormy sky while warm lights glowed from countless windows. Security cameras covered every corner, and several more armed guards patrolled the grounds.

Whoever Lucien Moretti was he wasn't just rich but also powerful.

The SUV rolled to a stop beneath a grand entrance, and before I could gather my thoughts, someone opened my door.

I hesitated.

"Out."

The guard's voice wasn't rude, but it wasn't kind either.

I climbed out slowly, as I looked around. The mansion was beautiful in a haunting way, elegant enough to belong in a magazine yet intimidating enough to make me feel like I had walked into the lion's den.

Lucien stepped out behind me, buttoning his coat as though this were just another ordinary evening. Several people standing near the entrance immediately lowered their heads the moment they saw him.

"Good evening, Boss."

He acknowledged them with the slightest nod before walking inside.

I remained steadily to the spot.

One of the guards looked at me.

"Move."

I forced my legs forward, following them into the mansion.

The warmth inside hit me instantly, but it did nothing to ease the knot in my stomach. Marble floors stretched beneath my feet, crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, and expensive paintings lined the walls. Everything screamed wealth, power, and perfection.

Yet despite its beauty...

The mansion felt cold.

Empty.

As if no one living there truly called it home.

A middle-aged woman dressed in a neat black uniform approached us. Her silver hair was tied into a low bun, and although her expression remained composed, there was kindness in her eyes that I hadn't seen since this nightmare began.

She looked at Lucien.

"Should I prepare the guest room, sir?"

Guest room?

The words caught me off guard.

Lucien removed his gloves one finger at a time before answering.

"Yes."

The woman nodded.

"Right away sir"

I frowned. Guest room?

Not a basement. Not a cell. Nothing about this made sense. Lucien turned toward me, his gaze steady.

"You'll stay here."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"You can't keep me here."

"I can"

"I have a life."

"I know"

"My grandmother is waiting for me."

"I know."

"I have school."

"I know."

Frustration flared inside me.

"If you know all of that, then let me leave!"

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes. Not anger. Not amusement. Resolve.

"No."

The single word landed like a stone in my chest.

"Why?"

He looked at me for a long moment before answering.

"Because the moment you walked into that parking garage"

His voice remained calm, but every syllable carried undeniable weight.

"your life stopped being yours to handle."

Before I could respond, he turned and walked away, disappearing up the sweeping staircase without another glance.

I stood frozen in the middle of the grand entrance hall, surrounded by strangers, staring after the man who had stolen my freedom so effortlessly.

I still didn't know why he had spared me.

But deep down.

I had the terrifying feeling that meeting Lucien Moretti wasn't

an accident.

It was the beginning of something I would never escape from.