Chapter three - "You again."
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***Sapphire***
Very early the next day, Sapphire woke up with determination.
Her mind was made up. This was the only way she could get back at Lucifer for what he had done to her.
She took her bath, got dressed, and headed to the hospital to collect her appointment papers. By 8:30 a.m., she was already seated in her MD's office, waiting patiently to be attended to.
The office felt unusually cold. Or perhaps it was just her.
She knew exactly what she was walking into, and she was willing to risk it.
"Here are your papers." The MD handed the documents to her.
Sapphire took them and signed each page before confidently handing them back.
"You will leave by 4:00 p.m. Make sure you get ready before then. The hospital car will drive you to your destination."
The MD rose from her seat and walked out of the office.
Sapphire remained seated for a moment, staring at the door.
She was really going back. Back to the Moretti clan. Back to Lucifer. And this time, she wasn't going back helpless.
*** The Valdez Clan***
Luca paced back and forth inside his well-furnished room. The missing documents had given him sleepless nights, but that particular morning was worse.
He refused to talk to anyone, eat, or even leave his room.
Lucia, his sister, had tried her best to get him out, but nothing worked.
Finally, Luca picked up his phone and made a call.
The call went straight to the clan's board office.
"Call a meeting immediately."
He ended the call without giving the officer a chance to respond.
Less than thirty minutes later, the meeting room was filled.
The occupants sat in silence, waiting for Luca to arrive.
Not long after, Luca entered the room with his twin. Neither of them wore a trace of happiness.
Luca took his place at the head of the table.
"Lucifer has dared us."
His eyes swept across the room, examining everyone's expressions.
He needed to know who was with him. He wouldn't tolerate betrayal.
"We made this deal peacefully, and it's obvious he doesn't want it that way."
He paused.
"Since he wants to have the estate all to himself, we'll take it back. And we need to act fast before he signs the papers."
"But Boss," Tony one of his recruits finally spoke.
"We all know how dangerous Lucifer is. If we attack without a proper strategy, he'll take us down before we even reach the estate."
Luca's expression hardened.
"Do you think I don't know that?"
He reached for the documents on the table, then stopped.
The documents.
That was the real problem.
Lucifer had taken them, or at least that's what Luca believed. And until he got them back, there was no way to protect the Valdez clan's claim to the estate.
"I'm not asking you to underestimate Lucifer," Luca said coldly. "I'm asking you to prepare for war."
Tony lowered his gaze.
"Yes, Boss."
Luca looked around the room.
"Lucifer wants to turn this peaceful deal into a war. Fine."
His jaw tightened.
"We'll give him one."
Lucia slowly rose from her seat.
"Then we'll invade the Moretti clan tomorrow evening."
An uneasy silence settled over the room.
Luca's eyes remained fixed on the table.
***The Moretti Clan***
The telephone mounted on the wall outside Lucifer's room rang three times.
Lucifer opened the door just as it rang again.
His brows arched as he picked up the receiver.
"Alright."
He hung up and hurried toward the training ground.
When he arrived, he walked over to his chief of army and whispered something into his ear.
"Alright, Master."
The chief nodded before turning toward the recruits.
"We just received information that the Valdez clan is planning an attack on us tomorrow evening."
The recruits immediately straightened.
"We need to be prepared for war!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Their voices echoed across the training ground.
Lucifer headed toward the ammunition room.
The entire clan was already on alert. Everyone moved with urgency, knowing better than to give Lucifer another reason to be angry.
As Lucifer walked back toward his room, his phone rang.
He stopped.
The name on the screen made his expression harden.
Luca.
He answered and continued walking.
"You don't want to do this."
"You took those documents. You made us sworn enemies the moment you did."
Lucifer's jaw tightened.
"I don't have the documents. Don't make me think it was you who took them and you're putting on this act of aggression to cover your tracks." He paused.
"Don't let me find out it was you, Luca. You know how much I enjoy making my enemies suffer."
"Those might be your last words, Lucifer."
The call disconnected.
Lucifer stared at the phone for a moment before slipping it back into his pocket.
A knock came at his door the moment he lay down on the bed. Asher, his personal assistant, entered.
"Master, the new nurse has arrived."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed slightly.
The new nurse.
He sat up.
"Alright. Take her to the interview room. I'll be there shortly."
***Sapphire***
The hospital bus rolled to a slow stop outside the towering iron gates of the Moretti estate.
Sapphire stared through the window, her fingers tightening around the strap of her handbag.
She had been here before. But this time, everything felt different.
The massive gates opened slowly, revealing the familiar estate beyond them. The sight of the gigantic building in the distance sent a strange chill through her body.
Memories she'd desperately tried to bury came rushing back. She quickly looked away.
No.
She wasn't going to let this place break her.
Not again.
The bus moved through the gates and followed the long driveway toward the main building. Guards stood at every corner, their watchful eyes following the vehicle as it passed.
Sapphire kept her face expressionless. To them, she was simply the new nurse.
They didn't know why she had agreed to return.
They didn't know what she was planning.
And most importantly, they didn't know she wanted revenge.
The bus finally stopped in front of the estate.
Sapphire took a slow breath before reaching for the door. As she stepped down, the cool evening breeze brushed against her face.
She looked up at the enormous building.
This was the same place she had desperately escaped from.
And now, she had willingly returned.
Her heart pounded against her chest, but she refused to show fear.
"I can do this."
She adjusted her bag and walked toward the entrance.
A guard opened the massive door for her without saying a word.
Sapphire stepped inside. The familiar marble floors, towering walls, and cold atmosphere welcomed her back like a nightmare she had never truly escaped.
A man in a dark suit approached her.
"Miss Brooks?"
"Yes."
"I'm Asher. Master's personal assistant." Her stomach tightened at the mention of his name.
Master... Lucifer.
She swallowed and forced herself to remain calm.
"Master is waiting for you in the interview room. Follow me."
Sapphire nodded.
She followed him down the long corridor, each step taking her closer to the man she had sworn never to face again.
Her fingers curled into fists.She remembered her promise. She wasn't here to forgive him. She wasn't here to forget.
She was here because she had made a decision.
Lucifer was going to pay.
Asher stopped in front of a large wooden door.
"He's inside."
He opened the door.
Sapphire stepped into the interview room. The door closed behind her.
For a moment, she stood alone. Then she heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the room.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She lifted her chin. Whatever happened next, she wouldn't run.
She had come back to the Moretti clan.
And this time, she had a plan. The door cracked open, and her interviewer stepped inside.
Sapphire froze.
Her legs trembled as she stared at the face of the man who had forced her back into this hellhole.
Lucifer.
He closed the door behind him and walked toward his seat with an unsettling calmness.
"Sapphire..." he called.
A faint smile crossed his face.
Sapphire's mouth fell open.
He knew her name.
Of course he did.
How could she have forgotten?
This was the man she had sworn to destroy.
The man she had spent every waking moment trying to forget.
And now, he was sitting across from her as though nothing had happened.
She clenched her fists beneath the table, forcing herself to remain calm.
She couldn't lose control.
Not now.
She had come here with a purpose.
Revenge.
Lucifer leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on her.
"Take a seat, Nurse Sapphire."
She slowly lowered herself into the chair opposite him.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Lucifer's faint smile disappeared.
"Let's begin."
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