I couldn’t believe it! Here? Now? Of all places and times?
My jaw felt like it was cast in iron as I gave that impeccable face of his the once-over. He looked as if he'd struck a deal with Lucifer himself to get a mug like that.His hair, black and short, was always slick as the silk pillow I buried my face in every night. His eyes, dark as an insomniac night, twinkled like stars making light of the moon's absence. And that jawline... oh, that jawline..."Reina?""Damn!" I cursed, louder than I intended."What?""Nothing!" A little too quickly, I collected myself."Are you okay?"Of course I wasn't. The CEO of the company I worked for – the stingy, insufferable, unrecyclable piece of trash – was the VIP guest. How could I be okay?"Absolutely! Why wouldn't I be?" I forced the corners of my mouth to curl up in a smile, while my right eye twitched like it was sending Morse code for 'SOS.'"Good! I need you for your A-game today."Easy for her to say. Her boss wasn't sitting right across from her, looking like a Greek God in Armani."Count on me! I won't disappoint!" I summoned my best fake smile – one of my proudest achievements in this lifetime."Good. Now go introduce yourself." She shoved me forward, as if a gentle push was all I needed to plunge into this social abyss."Just you wait till I hit the jackpot." I muttered, adjusting my dress."You must be-""Queen Leita." I arched an eyebrow and stretched my lips into the most humanly possible smile."Pleasure to meet you, I'm Aryan." His hand reached out, ready for a shake.'Oh, I know who you are...' I thought, maintaining the Cheshire Cat smile, while my teeth gritted against each other like tectonic plates. 'You're the reason I'm in this godforsaken place.'"Nice to meet you, Aryan." I took his hand and shook it, pretending I wasn't imagining tossing him into the Mariana Trench."Please, have a seat. Let's get to know each other."'Oh, how charming! Aren't you supposed to be working overtime, Mr. CEO?' I thought, while sarcasm was dripping from my every word."Of course, I apologize for my rudeness." I took the seat across him, crossing my legs and taking in the full view of the devil in a three-piece suit."So, Reina, how long have you been working here?"His outfit was no different than his usual office attire: a nude-colored jacket with matching pants, dark shoes, a cloud-white shirt spotless as a teenager's search history, and a black tie that I'd love to use as a garrote someday..."I know you were in need of money, but I didn't know you were this desperate."His words were washing over me like a monotonous tide. My mind was too occupied with his hair, always looking like they were combed by the wind. His sense of style seemed to be a homage to the 1890s, yet he managed to make it look more alive than any trend you'd find on a Paris runway."As I was saying, perhaps you would be interested in signing a contract with me...?"His words flew in one ear and out the other, like a bored pigeon on a sightseeing tour. I had zero interest in the babble of this maleficent creature."Reina, are you listening to me?""What? Oh, yes! I'm sorry!" His voice yanked me back to reality."So, as I was saying, maybe you would like to sign a contract with me?""A contract? What contract?" I leaned back, my eyebrows knitted together in confusion."Reina, were you even paying attention?" His voice inched up a notch.Hold on a sec! Reina? 'How does he know?' I thought, my eyes bulged out like a cartoon character."How did you know?" I slapped the table with both my hands, causing a minor seismic disturbance in the room.The room filled with murmurs, and all eyes turned our way. The music was loud, but my talent for making a scene was louder.A short laugh escaped from his lips, a snort more like, echoing of mockery. He leaned back, nonchalantly placing a dark cigar from a golden plate into his mouth, puffing it like he was auditioning for a gangster movie."You'd be better off asking what I don't know..." he finally replied, his words suddenly hanging heavy in the air.I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly felt drier than a desert at noon. His black eyes felt like they were boring holes into my soul and extracting it through my nostrils. No!"I won't repeat myself, how did you know?"Ignoring me yet again, he began to speak his cryptic language."I have a contract for you..." He placed the cigar back onto the golden plate and clasped his hands together, pointing them at me like a preacher mid-sermon."What contract?" My lips twisted in distaste. 'What in the world is this man blabbering about now?'"I know about your mother's health... ahem, she'll soon be crossing the Styx if you don't settle the hospital bills..."His words knocked the wind out of me, 'how does he know about my mom???'"But I could help." He suggested, "I mean, the contract I offer could help."He leaned back again, making himself comfortable while placing his arm on the armrest."What contract???""I believe if you sign it, you could achieve anything you desire, and I would get what I want as well. It's a win-win situation, darling."This didn't sound like a win-win to me. More like a scam email from a Nigerian prince.I couldn't back down here, "And what exactly is it that you want, Mr. CEO?""What I want wouldn't interest you, but what you would get in return... it could chase away all your worries in life..." he paused, then looked around, "and perhaps help you escape this dreadful place?"He wasn't completely wrong about the place, but the people here were at least bearable."What are the conditions?" I leaned in closer.I saw the corners of his lips lift slightly, "Well, there's just one..."“Aren’t you looking good?” Devi’s voice was filled with excitement when she saw Aryan. Aryan, letting out a long sigh, responded with a question, “Devi, why are you here?” Devi chuckled as she was getting closer to Aryan. “Don’t you miss us? Aren’t you lonely in the human world?” “Devi, go back.” She pushed her red long curls down from her shoulders, and stared at him with her red eyes, “Why should I? I’m here now. Why should I go back?” “Can you just not get on my nerves tonight?” Devi rolled her eyes and put her hand on his right shoulder, placing her chin on it, she looked at sleeping Reina. “Is this your dinner? You know how much I love human blood, can I join you?” “She’s not my dinner, and you can’t join me. Unless…you would like me to tear you apart?” Aryan smiled sinisterly. Devi’s laughter echoed softly through the room, her red eyes felt like they were dancing. "Oh, Aryan, always the charming one, aren't you? Such a shame you can't appreciate the finer things in l
Aryan’s POV: “Please, wake up!” Shit!” Aryan clenched his jaw while trying to make Reina wake up from her sudden sleep. He needed the human blood to breathe properly, and he thought that hers would be just like any other normal blood, but he was wrong. The blood he drank from Reina was sensational, not only was it pure and delicious, but he couldn’t stop drinking it. ‘What have I done?’ He bit his lip when lifting Reina in his arms. He looked at her small nose that looked like a child’s, then turned to look at her eyelashes that seemed to be longer than a river. Her perfectly shaped heart lips were now dry and out of colour. “Please, please! Reina!” He tapped on her cheek, trying to wake her up but it didn’t work. Aryan's heart rushed as he held Reina's sleeping form, realizing the grave mistake he had made. “Fuck!” The allure of her blood had been too strong, and now he faced the consequences of his actions. “Reina! Reina!” Desperation filled him as he continued to call
“Why do we have to go there, and who was the person that died?” I asked him.He wasn’t someone to burst out with answers immediately, as a weird devil, he liked to keep himself closed.“Someone you don’t know, but I need you to recognise this person for me…”“Aryan, am I your servant?”“No, but we have a contract together, so you must obey me.”I breathed in and breathed out, slowly turning to him, “like…was it written on the contract that I will be your slave?”“No, but it was written that you must obey me.”As we looked at each other, I saw how his eyes twisted weirdly. His brown eyes had a crimson shine in it, and his forehead was slowly turning red.“Are you okay?” I asked.“I am, now get ready…”He didn’t look okay and was like a minute away from falling apart. “Aryan…you’re falling!” My eyes widened as he started to fall slowly and dramatically.He looked like a princess that wanted to be saved. I quickly adjusted my grip as Aryan fell into my arms, his normally composed pose
As Jake hung up the phone, a sense of guilt sank inside of him. He knew that he was playing a dangerous game, one that could hurt Reina in the end. But he also had his reasons, reasons that were tied to a web of pain and secrets that he couldn't easily share.He leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. His feelings for Reina were genuine, but they were also complicated by his hidden agenda. He had to protect her, even if it meant manipulating the situation. It was a fine line he was walking, and he hoped that in the end, it would all make sense.As he thought about the bouquet of flowers he had sent to Reina, he couldn't help but wonder how she would react. Would she be angry? Confused? Intrigued? It was all part of his plan to stir up emotions and create chaos, but he couldn't predict how she would respond.Jake knew that he had a long road ahead of him, filled with deception and uncertainty. But he was determined to see it through, to protect Reina at all costs, even if it meant be
“Did you not hear what I just said? I want to go home!” My voice cracked a little, but who cared right now.“Is it because of him? It’s because of him, you don’t want me to take you anywhere special?”Jake clearly had lost his mind right now, “not because of him…” I breathed out.“What’s so special about him? Wasn’t he your rude boss and the one you hated the most? And what with this devilish thing anyway?!”He was right…What was about him anyway, why was I so angry and what made me feel this dizzy when I saw him coming?Was it his charm? The long black eyelashes and those black eyes that drag you like the universe inside. His short hair that is always looked well after, his tense hands that are always warm whenever he touches you. The sarcastic, yet gentle smile that makes you forget about the reasons why you were even mad at him, and the danger he puts you in…Oh…That adrenaline that makes you inhale every possible piece of air, gag on it and then swallow it like a good girl, ‘wha
The standoff continued, the atmosphere in the bar grew increasingly heavy. Aryan and Jake locked eyes, both of them were unwilling to back down. I felt a small drop on my cheek, ‘oh?’ I touched it to wipe it down, ‘is this sweat?’ I was boiling so much, I didn’t even notice my own sweaty forehead. Being torned between the almighty Aryan and my loyal friend seemed like a mission impossible right now.But just when it seemed like the situation was about to reach a breaking point, a loud, annoying voice cut through the tension. "What's going on here? A lover's spat?"We all turned to see a third person, an obnoxious guy with disheveled hair and a wide grin on his face was staring at us. He stumbled closer, clearly drunk, and poked Aryan's chest. "Hey, big guy, I think she's had enough of you."Aryan's grip on my wrist loosened slightly as he turned his attention to the intruder. "Get lost, you fool," he muttered, clearly annoyed by the interruption.But the annoying guy didn't seem t