CHAPTER 1

The Devil’s Bargain

The cold rain of December felt like needles against Liora White’s skin. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in her chest.

She lay paralyzed in the wreckage of her white sedan, the scent of leaking gasoline mixing with the metallic tang of her own blood. Her legs were pinned, her vision blurring, but she could still hear them. The two people she had loved and trusted more than her own life.

"Is she still breathing?"

A woman’s voice sweet, melodic, and sickeningly familiar. It was Sarah White, Liora’s younger stepsister. The same girl Liora had raised like her own daughter after their mother died.

"Barely," a man replied. Marcus. Liora’s fiancé. The man who had proposed to her just last week with a ring that, she now realized, must have been bought with her own money.

"The impact was perfect. The police will rule it as a drunk driving accident. The brake fluid was drained exactly as planned."

Liora tried to scream, but only a gurgle of blood escaped her lips.

Why? her mind wailed. I gave you everything. I gave the White family my inheritance, my youth, my designs... why?

Sarah stepped closer, her expensive heels clicking on the wet asphalt. She leaned down, a cruel smile twisting her beautiful face. "Don't look so surprised, big sister. Did you really think Marcus could love a boring workaholic like you? He only wanted your shares in the Thorne Group contract. And now that you've signed the power of attorney over to him... you're just a nuisance."

Marcus checked his watch, his face devoid of any remorse. "Let's go, Sarah. The car will ignite soon. We need to be at the gala for our alibi."

"Wait," Sarah giggled, reaching into the wreck to grab the jade pendant hanging from Liora’s neck. It was the only memento left by Liora’s biological mother. "I'll take this. It'll look better on a living person anyway."

As they walked away, Marcus didn't even look back. A moment later, a spark hit the fuel.

BOOM.

The world turned into a searing white heat. Liora felt her flesh sear, her soul being ripped apart by the flames. In those final seconds of excruciating pain, a roar of pure, unadulterated rage erupted in her heart.

If there is a God... if there is a Devil... give me one more chance! I will drag them to the deepest pits of hell myself!

"Wake up. Or are you planning to play dead all night?"

The voice was deep, cold, and carried an authority that made the air in the room feel heavy.

Liora’s eyes snapped open. She gasped for air, her hands instinctively clutching her chest. The fire... the pain...

But there was no fire.

She wasn't in a car wreck. She was lying on an oversized bed with 1,000-thread-count silk sheets. The room was dimly lit, smelling of expensive sandalwood and aged whiskey.

Liora looked at her hands. They were smooth, pale, and unburned. She quickly checked her phone on the nightstand.

July 14th, 2024.

Her heart nearly stopped. Five years ago.

This was the night of the Thorne Charity Gala. The night Sarah had drugged her drink and set her up to be found in a compromising position with a random thug to ruin her reputation. In her past life, Liora had panicked and fled, only to fall right into their trap.

But something was different.

She turned her head and saw a man sitting in a leather armchair in the corner of the room. He was shrouded in shadows, but the glow of his cigarette illuminated a jawline so sharp it could draw blood. His eyes were like two pieces of obsidian, cold and predatory.

Mavric Thorne.

The 'God of Finance.' The man who controlled the city's heartbeat. And the man Sarah had actually intended to drug, but Liora had accidentally stumbled into his room instead.

In her past life, she had screamed and run away, offending him deeply. This time, Liora felt a strange calmness wash over her. The rage from her death was still simmering under her skin, giving her a courage she never knew she possessed.

"Mr. Thorne," Liora said. Her voice was raspy but steady.

Mavric leaned forward, the light hitting his face. He was devastatingly handsome, with a face that seemed carved by a master sculptor, but his expression was one of pure disdain. "You have thirty seconds to explain why you climbed into my bed before I have my security throw you off the balcony."

Liora sat up, ignoring the slight dizziness from the drug still in her system. She didn't pull the covers up to hide herself. Instead, she looked him dead in the eye.

"I didn't climb into your bed to seduce you, Mr. Thorne. I climbed in because it's the only place in this hotel my enemies won't dare to enter."

Mavric’s eyebrows shot up. He hadn't expected this kind of response. Most women either trembled in fear or tried to act cute in front of him. This girl looked like she had just walked out of a war zone.

"Your enemies?" Mavric sneered. "The White family’s neglected daughter has enemies? I thought you were just a quiet little mouse."

"The mouse died tonight," Liora replied, her voice turning cold. "And the woman standing before you is someone who can help you."

Mavric let out a short, mocking laugh. "Help me? I am Mavric Thorne. There is nothing in this world I need help with, especially not from a girl who can't even protect herself from a simple sedative."

Liora leaned in, her eyes glowing with a ferocity that actually made Mavric pause. "Really? Then you don't need to know about the 'Project Icarus' leak that’s happening in exactly forty-eight hours? The one that will wipe 15% off your stock value and send your Chief Technology Officer to your rival, the Blackwood Group?"

The air in the room suddenly turned freezing. Mavric stood up, his towering figure casting a shadow that swallowed the bed. In two steps, he was at the bedside, his hand shooting out to grip Liora’s chin.

"How do you know that name?" he hissed. Project Icarus was a top-secret military-grade AI his company was developing. Only five people in the world knew about it.

Liora didn't blink. "I know a lot of things, Mr. Thorne. I know that your 'loyal' CTO has been gambling away his fortune in Macau. I know he owes the Blackwood family thirty million dollars. And I know that the only person who can stop the back-door virus he planted is... me."

Mavric squeezed her chin harder, his eyes searching hers for any sign of a lie. He found none. Only a chilling, bottomless void of someone who had already seen death.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm the woman who is going to save your empire," Liora whispered. "And in exchange, I want a shield. I want you to marry me."

Mavric stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "Marriage? You think a piece of information no matter how valuable is worth a Thorne marriage license? You're delusional."

"It's not just a marriage, Mavric. It's a contract," Liora countered. "One year. To the world, I am your hidden wife. Behind closed doors, we are strangers. I will handle your technical security and help you crush your rivals. In return, you provide me with the absolute protection of the Thorne name. No one touches a Thorne. Not even the White family."

Mavric let go of her chin, pacing the room like a restless tiger. This was insane. But the way she mentioned Icarus... the way she looked at him with zero lust and 100% calculation...

"Why me?" he asked, stopping his pace.

"Because," Liora said, a dark smile playing on her lips. "You're the only devil in this city powerful enough to keep the other demons away while I sharpen my knife."

Mavric looked at her for a long time. Silence stretched between them, heavy and thick. Finally, he walked over to the desk, pulled out a fountain pen and a sheet of hotel stationery. He scribbled a few lines and tossed it onto the bed.

"One year," Mavric said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "But let's be clear, Liora White. If I find out you're a spy, or if you fail to stop that leak... I won't just divorce you. I will make sure you disappear so completely that not even your soul will find its way back."

Liora picked up the paper. It was a crude but binding temporary agreement. She didn't hesitate for a second. She bit her lip until it bled, then pressed her bloody thumbprint onto the paper next to his signature.

"Deal," she said.

At that moment, a loud banging erupted at the door.

"Liora? Are you in there?" Sarah’s voice rang out, filled with fake concern. "Oh dear, I saw her go in with a strange man! We must save her!"

Liora looked at Mavric. He looked at the door, then back at his new 'wife.'

"Your family?" he asked.

"My prey," she corrected.

Mavric smirked, a look of genuine interest finally appearing on his face. He walked to the door and turned the lock, but didn't open it yet. He looked back at Liora, who was now standing, her posture regal despite her disheveled state.

"Welcome to the Thorne family, Liora. Let's see if you survive the night."

Liora didn't reply. She just watched the door. The hunt had finally begun.

END OF CHAPTER 1...