For her whole life, Lyra Suarez had been a good girl. That one girl who was too sweet, too nice, too helpful, too kind, too easy to manipulate, too easy to use, too easy to destroy. Being too pure and too caring sometimes has its bad side. And she knew that too well. At twenty-three, she was busy working her life away just to protect herself and keep her distance from her biological father, who never even claimed her. With just one laced drink, her trust in her only aunt disappeared. Everybody seemed to see her as a beautiful ticket to a fortune. She was sold to a filthy old man. While her poor soul cried for help, calling all the saints never seemed to work. And as her last prayer, in her most desperate state, she called for him... the Devil. Because a deal with the Devil is always better than living in hell. And sometimes, the Devil is not the one to fear.
View MoreIf I only knew who he was the first time I met him, I would have run... to him.
If I only knew who he was, I would have held his hand.
He is the devil. No other evil could match him.
He is the devil and he is on my side.
And I know now, I am the safest when he is behind me.
It was different, yes. It was unusual.
But the man, who I should have feared, became my only companion.
It all happened that Friday night. I still remember how my dearest aunt, Wendy, scolded me for not following her plan.
Well, she wanted me to be "resourceful" and use my "beauty" in order for us to earn money much faster. If she told me to try modelling or acting, I would have been flattered. However, she wanted me to start working on her night club as one of her goddesses, an entertainer. Which I learned to be the term she usually calls her sex workers. I could still feel that uncomfortable feeling I had in my tummy. I wanted to vomit and cry at the same time.
But how could I? She called it a suggestion for my own good.
I could still remember how disappointed she looked when I told her that I didn't want to.
"I think it's better for me to stay as a server," I told her.
She scrunched her nose. I could see her pain through her smile, and I don't know why, but I felt bad. Just the thought of it makes me sick. And to be honest, I couldn't believe that she asked me that.
"You're not using your beauty and your amazing figure," she said as she looked at me from head to toe. "What a waste."
That might have been the most disgusting compliment that I ever heard. However, I couldn't confront her. I can't even say that I was bothered. Because without her, I would not have a roof above my head.
I could still hear my own thought, "It's fine, Lyra. She's just thinking of it. At least she did not force you. "
I still grind my teeth whenever I remember.
Maybe at that moment, she forgot that I was in a committed relationship. Peter and I had been dating for at least six months at that time. And I know he would not appreciate it if his girlfriend suddenly turned into a stripper. Although it's still a job, it's not something that I can stomach.
He and I bonded a lot over the fact that we both grew up as church kids. Our dates usually involve visiting the church and helping out with the outreach programs headed by the religious organization that we both joined. It was awesome that way.
I knew that he would have been proud if I told him how I rejected my aunt. He's been telling me how I should learn how to say "no" more often.
That's why when he messaged me, inviting me to dinner that night, I got excited. I immediately informed my aunt that I would not be able to show up for my shift that night. And she easily agreed. Maybe she felt a tad bit guilty about what she told me. That's why.
I was so giddy, putting on my most favourite dress. It was a white summer dress, up to my knee. Peter always told me how pretty it was. I chose to buy it, even though it left my pocket empty, just because he told me how cute it would be on me.
It left me starving for two weeks, but considering how happy he was and how loved I felt with each compliment he gave, it was worth it.
I knew that I would get that same rush of serotonin that night. Maybe that was why I rushed. I was even on time, despite the fact that I knew he was always thirty minutes late for anything.
The place was a really fancy restaurant at a hotel. Just by looking at it, I can already tell that this entire dinner would cost more than my monthly salary at the club.
My mind was corrupted with all the thoughts of how that night would turn out. We have never gone into such luxurious places before. And now, he wanted to eat out there. It's crazy how my mind immediately went too far ahead.
Was he about to propose? What would I say? How am I supposed to react?
All my intrusive thoughts disappeared when I heard his familiar voice.
"Oh, you're here," he said. I turned to look at him, and he was dressed differently. He was wearing a suit and tie, looking respectable and serious. It is very far from what I usually see. He also had a special accessory on his arm.
"Oh my gosh, she really showed up," the unfamiliar woman said. She was grabbing on to Peter's arm as if she was glued to him or something.
Her hair is blonde, up to her shoulders. The dress she was wearing was a luxurious looking red tube-top dress. It was showing too much, but she carries it well. It suits her. And I guessed that she knew, since she smirked at me proudly.
"Peter... this is?"
He did not answer. The woman stepped closer to kiss me on the cheek and whisper a single line that broke me.
"Hi, I am Mina. I'm Peter's new girlfriend. "
"What?"
Of course, when I wanted an explanation, all he did was shrug.
"When did we break up?" I asked.
"I guess... now."
"But why would you-" I was baffled. "You did not even bother to talk to me beforehand? Why am I just hearing this now? "
Mina chuckled as she looked at me from head to toe.
"Sorry, it was my fault. I was curious and I wanted to see you up close. He was right; you're too plain and boring. "
Those words stung. I felt my whole body ache. I needed to yell, but I couldn't. I want to hurt them, but my body won't move.
"Look at me, Lyra. You will move on faster once you realize why he chose me over you, okay? " She twirled to show me how different we both are. The clacking of her stilettos made my teeth hurt. "Maybe next time, be more ambitious and work harder. Don't expect your boyfriend to be the only one providing for you, okay? Try being more independent and improve yourself. You're already twenty-three years old, and the best you can do is work in a fucking nightclub?Disgusting."
"Is that what he told you?" Peter avoided my gaze.
He knew how my father punished me by blocking all my applications for other jobs. He knew how my own biological father wanted me to marry an old man so that he could secure a new business partner, when my whole life, he never even claimed me to be his own daughter.
I saw in his eyes that he would not explain anything. And I knew that at any second, my tears would betray me.
"I see. I really hope you two have a nice night. "
Have a nice night? Really?
I should have made them feel guilty or ashamed. But why was I the one who left, bawling my eyes out? Why were the people at the restaurant looking at me as if I was the one who needed to be judged?
Everything has been a blur since then. Until I found myself drinking at the back of the counter in my aunt's bar.
"I thought you would be-oh my goodness, Lyra! What happened to you?" She saw me bawling my eyes out on the floor.
My first instinct was to hug her and say, "Peter broke up with me."
"Who cares? Go fix your hair, and wipe your face!" She pulled me up to hand me a glass of water. "Quick, drink this."
"Thank you, auntie."
"Do you know Mr. Galvez?" I tried to think of that name, confused as to why she brought it up.
"The patron?"
"Yes, him. Go to room five and deliver his drinks. "
I almost choked, "Me?" I never sent drinks to the VIP rooms. Usually, the goddesses were the ones who handled those.
"Look, Raine was not here today, and all our girls were busy with their own clients. All you have to do is bring the drinks and leave. That's it. Easy peasy. "
"But-"
"Quick! We can't afford to annoy him. "
I was left with the drinks, not able to do anything else but obey.
And there I was, heading upstairs. I could still feel my legs trembling as I knocked at the door.
I thought I was too drunk, but I only had one drink. I thought it was because I literally bawled my eyes out. But it felt different.
As the doors opened, I saw the older man, maybe in his fifties, with his hair all gray, grinning from ear to ear in his bathrobe. The room was empty, there was no goddess on the bed. It made me feel afraid. It felt weird.
I extended my arms out to give him the tray without entering, but I watched the liquor spill on the floor. My arms went weak. I felt numb, and I could no longer lift my feet.
I felt his cold hands grab me by the waist. He held onto me and dragged me to the bed.
The room spun. My vision was blurry. I couldn't even say a word. All I could hear was his disgusting chuckles. His hands touched the bare skin on my neck, and I felt the rush of warm liquid fall down my cheeks.
The soft linen on my back felt like quicksand. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move and push him away.
He went on top of me and trapped me in between his legs. It felt like an out of body experience where I could see myself being tainted with his touch, but there was nothing to do.
I have never felt so helpless before. My mind automatically called each and every saint I recall. I prayed and prayed. I begged for a miracle, just to stop it all. I desperately wished for it to end. I wanted to disappear, from that hell so badly that I even called for him.
As I felt his slimy hands brush up my thigh, I begged for the Devil to come and save me. I tried yelling, but it was muffled into loud sobs. I called for him again, begging him to put me out of my misery.
Then it happened.
The door swung open.
Although it was a bit hazy, I saw him. A tall man, wearing all black attire.
He was strong. He was able to grab the old toad off of me and throw him like a piece of crumpled paper.
He then grabbed my hand.
I remember... it was warm.
And before I completely lost consciousness, I heard his deep voice.
"I am here now," he said. "You can stop crying."
"It’s already seven; where is she?""I swear, Zin, they told me that they would be home immediately; they were just in the restaurant; what would take them so long? They can walk from there to here and it will only take an hour.""I think we should have followed Miss Lyra around as well," Zin replied to Dame. "It is much more difficult for us to take good care of her when we are still focused on the office job. It’s going to risk her life even more. We made a really bad decision; I am already calling it." Zin bit his lips and sat back down on the couch, looking out of the window to see the exact moment that the security people and Lyra would arrive back home. "I think it’s better if we just tell her exactly whats happening. It could really be the best option, but we ignored it like a psycho and chose the risky approach.""I know that trusting other people for Miss Lyra’s safety is a little bad for us to do, but it’s a matter that should be stopped by humans, right?" Dame stated. "If s
"It’s been fine," Lyra happily smiled as she spoke with her friend, Rhian. "I know that you two might think that I am lying, but I swear, I am doing a lot better this week. I am trying my best to have my best life.""I know you are really worried because of your relationship with Derrick; Zin has already told me that," Raine joined in as she placed two huge bowls of shaved ice dessert on the table. "He had told me that the two of you had a really bad fight. He asked us to be extra nice to you because you are really sad about it.""Yeah," Lyra lied. "But we were able to talk it out.""Of course, nothing will be resolved when you put time and effort into communicating your real feelings and your true emotions. It’s really great to hear!"Lyra nodded once again. She was not able to tell her friends that everything they were talking about right now were thoughts and pieces of information that appeared out of nowhere. Dame and Zin had informed Lyra one week ago that there was a rumor roami
"Dame!" Zin rushed inside the mansion with sweat dripping from his forehead. He saw how Dame’s eyes grew big in surprise, and before he could even say anything to him, Zin had already snatched his cold beer and chugged it right in front of him. "What happened to you?" Dame looked around, checking whether there was someone chasing after Zin. However, aside from the beautiful and calm view of the pool behind him, there was nothing. "Why do you look like that?" Is there someone chasing after you? Are you in trouble?" "I don’t think I was being chased," Zin said. Dame rolled his eyes when he answered. "Then why do you have to come in here as if you were about to die or something? You stressed me out within the few seconds that you arrived." He grabbed the bottle of beer from Zin’s hand and took a sip from it as if claiming what was his. "What’s wrong with you then? Were you able to visit Master?" "I did," Zin answered, sitting beside Dame. "I actually did a lot more than that, and I r
As Zin soared higher in the darkened sky, he marveled at the view before him. The borders of hell and earth were marked by a jagged line of jagged rocks that extended as far as the eye could see. The air was thick with the stench of sulfur, and the sky was a deep shade of crimson that seemed to bleed into the horizon. In the distance, he could see the dark silhouettes of mountains rising up against the fiery sky and the occasional flicker of flames dancing in the abyss. It was a desolate and terrifying landscape, but one that Zin had grown accustomed to over the years. As a demon of hell, he had traveled to the borders many times, but this time felt different, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. Going closer to the edge, he felt tightness in his chest. It's always been this way whenever he flew closer to crossing the borders. He could already feel the breeze coming from the land of the living, but his gut feeling seemed to have won that tim
Elvis sat in his grand office, surrounded by opulence and extravagance. The room was adorned with expensive paintings and rare collectibles, but the air was thick with tension. Wendy, his best partner in crime, sat across from him, her face set in a deep frown. The only sound in the room was the soft ticking of a gold-plated clock on the mantle. Despite the grandeur of the room, there was a sense of foreboding that seemed to permeate every inch of the space. Both knew that they were treading dangerous waters with their plan to bring down Lyra, and the tension between them was palpable.Elvis sat across from Wendy in his office, his eyes locked on hers as he pitched his latest plan."Wendy, I need you on this one," he said, his voice low and urgent."What's the plan, Elvis?" Wendy asked, crossing her arms."We need to bring Lyra down," he said, leaning forward in his seat. "Something that we always do, but this time it's going to work out!"Wendy listened to Elvis with a sense of appre
Dame was surprised to find Lyra sitting alone in the dark living room with no lights on. He had brought lots of food back to the mansion, hoping to lift her spirits, but seeing her like this made him worried. It was really bad timing that Zin decided to try and go back down to hell that night. Dame could tell, just by the vibes that had hit him straight on, that he wouldn't know how to deal with Lyra like that."Miss Lyra, are you okay?" he asked, placing the bags of food on the coffee table in front of her. He wanted to kick himself in the face. The look in her eyes is the perfect tell that she is not doing alright, but he still chose to ask, just to make her feel bad that it shows. "You know what, let me just get the lights; don’t even bother," he whispered before walking directly to the switch.Lyra looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "You are already back?" she asked, confused as she watched the leaves outside the window dance. "It’s already dark outside," she sa
A black bird flew into Derrick's shoulder as he was calmly watching over the newly appointed demons in his realm. As soon as he was able to look into its eyes, his mouth fell wide open, and his jaw hit the floor beneath him. He won't be able to forget those eyes, and he would never forget how Zin looks when he's in his real form.Immediately, Derrick stood up to snap his fingers in the air, and without waiting for another second, they were inside a dark room. Derrick's own little space whenever he wanted to stay out of everyone's sight. His only hiding spot from all the demons that would often try to bombard him with a bunch of questions or sometimes the yells of those souls who were being punished."What are you doing here?" he immediately asked. Right before his eyes, he watched as Zin transformed into his human form to hug him. "Zin, is there something going on? Why are you back here? You crossed the borders again?""Master, it doesn't matter right now," he said, still clinging on
Derrick paced back and forth on his desolate throne in hell, tormented by the images and thoughts invading his mind. He kept seeing Lyra, his beloved wife, surrounded by sinister figures and cloaked in shadows. The more he tried to push the visions away, the more they persisted. Even if he knew that he'd only bring chaos into Lyra's life, he found out that he wouldn't be able to give it up that quickly. Especially after he spent an entire month's worth of time in hell reminiscing about the moments they had together."My dear, please be safe out there," he whispered, wishing that it was only the thoughts in his head that kept on messing him up and not real visions or premonitions of what was happening or what was supposed to come for Lyra in the land of the living. If that was the case and he's stuck down in the depths of nothingness, he will for sure not be able to move forward. He is afraid of what he might end up doing just to stop that."I do not need much," he stated. "I only need
Lyra sat at the breakfast table, pushing her food around with her fork as Zin and Dame bid her farewell. "We'll be back as soon as we can, Miss Lyra," Zin said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Take care of yourself," Dame added, placing a hand on Lyra's shoulder. "If you need anything, just call us." Lyra forced a small smile. "Thanks, guys. I'll be fine. I just need some rest, that's all." Zin and Dame exchanged a worried glance before Zin spoke up. "Are you sure you don't want us to stay? We can handle the hotel issues later." Lyra shook her head. "No, it's fine. You guys go ahead. I'll take care of myself." As they gathered their things and made their way out of the mansion, Lyra was left alone with her thoughts. She couldn't shake the conversation she had with Lucifer out of her head, and the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. "I can't believe he would do something like that," she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why would he want to
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