The devil

The grand Rufus ball spurred boredom to take over Lucifer Camphell. His onyx eyes distressingly observed groups of aristocracies conversing and gossiping. Half of the women's gaze strictly fixed on his godly features.      

He stood out from the crowd without even having to try. He one of the most powerful people in the country after all. 

His alabaster skin along with his contrasting ebony hair emitted a divine aura, his herculean body beckoned women to swoon over him. His red wine had been untouched as if being cautious of it. 

He gestured to a man standing in the shadows making him disappear immediately at his command. Lucifer silently walked away from the ogling crowd making sure he went unnoticed.

Lucifer strutted towards the Emerald garden situated at the back of the ballroom. His men had made sure not a single soul could reach with the site. 

Because things were going to get ugly soon. 

Two of his men forcefully held on to a man; His white suit stank of blood sweat merged with the fragrance of the roses bloomed in the garden, the fresh red and purple bruises gave the evidence that he had been beaten up. His eyes were blinded by a black piece of cloth. 

"You thought hiding in a petty ball will save your life?" Lucifer mocked. His inky eyes glinted murderously at the man. The man fell on his knees, his head banging on the tiled floor with a thud. 

"Please forgive me Mr Camphell!" 

Lucifer clicked his tongue at the rat squirming beneath him.

"You should have asked it before you were thinking of betraying me. Andreas D' Angelo," Lucifer pulled out a gold plated pistol. He poked the barrel on the man's head. 

"I will ask you one last time. Why did you sign the deal with Alejandro De Lucas?" Lucifer's impatience chocked Andreas. If he answered honestly he will be shot dead. What would happen to his wife and daughter? God forbid. 

Andres gulped the lump that had formed in his throat and said. "H-he threatened me that he will destroy my f-family if I didn't." 

Lucifer's gaze darkened maliciously as if he already knew this man's lie. 

"Were you not lured into it then?" Lucifer inquired, acting dense. 

"Haha, o-of course not! I wouldn't dream of offending you Mr Camphell," Andreas stated enthusiastically. 

"I see..." Lucifer trailed off. He turned to one of his men and said. "Play it, Andrew" 

"Yes, sire," Andrew opened the Laptop and played a video.

In the video, Andreas was sitting in his office while Alejandro is sitting opposite him.

"You need not worry Mr Lucas. I won't be signing the deal with the Camphell's. You can rest assured." Andreas sat there with the enthusiasm he had shown seconds ago. 

Andreas paled and sweated profusely from the nape of his neck. He was glad he didn't have to look at Lucifer's brutal eyes that were enough to make him kill himself.  

"The rifles should be exported in three days, or else the deal is cancelled along with the lives of your wife and daughter," Alejandro threatened, manoeuvring a malicious smirk. 

"I will certainly get the job done but please don't touch my family," Andreas pleaded. Working with the mafia is a devil's gamble.

If you perform well you will be rewarded handsomely and if you fail you put your loved ones at stake. 

One of Alejandro's men placed a bag of money containing ten million USD on his work desk.  The greed in Andras's eyes shone like gold. He was almost seeing so much money all in one place. Neatly stack one above the other. 

The smell of freshly printed paper money seemed to intoxicate his greed even more. Andrew closed the laptop making the video stop.

Andreas hung his head low. No one could save him. Not even god. Because he is already under the clutches of the devil.  

"Let's play a game Adreas. Since you are an old friend I am willing to let go..." Andreas looked up at the owner of the voice. His mouth hung low in disbelief. 

"What game?" Andreas asked cautiously.  

"The game is pretty simple. I'll give you a gun and you have to shoot me. If I am shot you live and if I am not you die," Lucifer stated indifferently. All of his men including his loyal right-hand man Andrew looked at him as if he had gone senile. 

Boss is going to let a rat shoot him?!  

Andreas began to shake. This must be some sort of sick joke!

"I-I can't!" Andreas barked, struggling like a chained up rabid dog.

"Then we'll have to say goodbye to your beloved daughter and wife," Lucifer threatened, plastering a sickly smiled on his lips. 

"No! Anything but that, please! Not my family!" Andreas begged without a stop even surpassing those real beggars in the street. 

Andreas begrudgingly agreed to play the wicked game. Andrew handed him the gun looking unsure. His boss wouldn't agree to this if he hadn't planned anything. 

The black-tie masked Andreas's vision but he could sense where Lucifer was standing. He was a professional shooter after all. 

"Shoot me, dog," Lucifer commanded. Andreas aimed for the head. He had wanted Lucifer to die an ugly death. Lucifer remained unfazed by this. 

But even so, Andrew did not hesitate to let his guard up. 

BANG!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" A painful cry resounded the garden. The cries pierced the air like a cutting sword. Three fingers stained fell on the floor, drenched in warmblood along with the blood-stained metal gun.  

"Seems like you failed to shoot me, Andreas," Lucifer coldly remarked at the man who is now wailing like a distressed beast. 

The gun had backfired costing three of Andreas's fingers. He should have killed himself with the gun. 

His men weren't expecting such an unrelenting trap from Lucifer. 

"Nevertheless, I can give you one more chance," Lucifer's orbs danced wickedly around the man's dire state. As if torturing him like this wasn't enough.

"We can ever give you a better gun," Lucifer pulled out another gun from his coat and threw it to him. 

"Here, Take this and shoot me," Lucifer commanded again. Andreas crawled on the ground like a filthy worm.

"Please I beg-" 

"Or I could destroy your family into shambles," Lucifer kicked the man away from him making Adreas wail in excruciating pain. It was his fault. He wanted more money than what Lucifer had offered him so he ended up signing a contract with another devil. 

He had not thought about his family then. If only he had not done it!

He picked up the gun and pointed at the devil in front of him.

BANG! 

A whiff of smoke rose from the hole of his head; his immobile body collapsed on the floor. Andreas's lifeless eyes looking at up the sky. 

Lucifer knelt down at the dead body. "You had a chance," Lucifer spat harshly. This time he had given Andreas an authentic gun. 

Silence engulfed the atmosphere, the cold breeze cooling their sweaty bodies. Even breathing seemed like a crime for his men.

This is Lucifer Camphell, the devil of NYC.