Chapter 2: Him

"She's pretty, right?" A boy who looked like he was in his early twenties whispered. The man sitting beside him sat on the bench, expressionless.

"I mean, wow, she looked like a deity. Are you sure she's not?" he continued to ask before he puffed his cheeks and pouted.

"Shut it, Zin."

His voice was raspy. It sounded like he was a villain that came right out of an anime. And with his looks, it's not even surprising if he really did. He's a different breed, a perfect one.

"What? It is true, though," Zin replied. "Was that the reason why you rushed up here and helped her? Are you finally feeling the thing called love?"

The man sighed. With annoyance in his eyes, he adjusted his collar then turned to stare at Zin, who slightly looked down.

"There was a different reason why I helped her. Can't you tell? "

"Why?" Zin looked at him like he was tripping or something and shook his head. "To be fucking honest, I have no idea."

The tall man in black sat back and darted his eyes over to the apartment building across the street, "She has a pure soul."

Zin seemed a bit surprised with the statement, "I knew it!" he exclaimed. "She has a white aura around her—oh, then how did you locate her?"

"I don't know," he responded. "I just heard her desperately calling for me. She was the very first human being that ever prayed for my help. "

"That can't be true." His right hand man, Zin, couldn't believe it. "So, you're telling me, a pure soul prayed and begged for the Devil?"

"Yeah," he said, with a smirk on his lips. "She asked me to take her and save her from hell."

Zin laughed so hard, a black feather popped out of his hair. "Oh, oops," he said as he pulled it out and threw it behind him. "Goodness, she is different, huh? It would be easy for you to turn her evil. Imagine how much power you could get from a pure soul turning evil."

The Devil took a deep breath and said, "Yeah. She is a special case."

"Why do you not seem as excited as I am?"

"It seems difficult to turn her around, I mean." Again, he checked on the tall building. "Every single person she trusted had left, or betrayed her. And yet, she still cares for them and is easily ready to forgive them anytime. "

"Even better! This means more power, more power, oh, what? " Zin was interrupted when the Devil stood up all of a sudden. "Why? What's wrong?"

"She's awake," he responded. His eyebrows furrowed, as he focused on the window in her room. "She's crying again."

Lyra woke up in a familiar room. She was in her own bed,in the same fluffy sheets that embraced her for comfort.

But that time, she felt a change. She woke up afraid and anxious. Immediately, she checked her clothes, her arms, and legs. A pajama. She's wearing one. Surprisingly, it was not what she remembered wearing.

"What the hell happened?" She rushed to check her phone by the nightstand, but it was not there. Her confusion doubled when she saw that her bag was staring at her from the door. It was just plopped there. She did not leave it there, she knew.

The memories that rushed through her brain were not clear at all. But she tried her best to push it all away. From her extremely awkward talk with Wendy, to her break-up with Peter, and that terrible night.

"What a bad dream."

Tears started falling down her cheeks as she tried to do mental cartwheels just to make herself believe otherwise. She turned around to check the time, and it was one in the morning. She knew well enough that three hours later, she would feel the ringing in her ears again, caused by Wendy. She would get a scolding because she successfully escaped the assault.

Lyra sobbed louder once she remembered how the water that Wendy gave her tasted funny. That was it. That was how it happened. Her own aunt tried to use her body for money. It made her feel so small and dirty.

The poor woman ran to the bathroom and turned her shower on. She just sat on the tiles, feeling the cold drops of water hit the top of her head as she silently wept.

She was trapped.

Lyra was born due to an affair. Her mother was a maid, and she was seduced and manipulated by Lyra's father, Elvis Watson. He is one of the biggest businessmen in the country of Azanes. The biggest hotel chain in the nation. But there she was, sobbing and contemplating how she should handle the situation. Even though she knew how bad her current place was, she also knew that she had nowhere to go. This is the best for her right now.

Her own father has been bugging her for years. When she turned twenty and her mother died, the old man tried to claim her. After two decades of forgetting her existence, he wants her back. Since he did not have any other children, he wanted Lyra to be his successor.

However, before she could even live comfortably, Watson wants her to marry someone who could contribute to the hotel's future. He just wants to use her as a ticket to having more money.

To make sure that he'd succeed, Watson made sure that Lyra could never get a job. He made sure that she had a tough life. That was when she had no other choice but to work for her aunt. She thought that she was the only one left beside her, so she tried her best to do whatever Wendy wanted.

Now, what?

"What am I supposed to do?"

As she thought about ways to escape, a forgotten thought passed by her. A tall, mysterious man. She was sure, she saw someone.

There was a man... he must have been the one that helped her out. She quickly stood up, with her soaking wet clothes, and ran towards her room. Her whole plan was to run to her bag and ask her co-workers. But when she was immediately stopped.

Sitting on her bed, was the same mysterious man. She finally saw his face clearly.

His deep brown eyes, focused on her face. What surprised Lyra was not him being there. She was more shocked at how calm she felt. Looking into his eyes, she somehow felt peace.

"I told you to stop crying, didn't I?"

It really was him. She could remember the same deep voice.

"Your body would get sick if you stayed that wet," he said casually as he walked to her closet.He opened it and asked, "Which one would you want to wear?"

"Who are you? And how did you get in here?"

She watched him grin while picking out a comfortable outfit for her.

"How?" He touched his chin before he turned to face her. "You were the one who begged for me to come. You wanted my help."

"I-I did?"

The man pulled out a huge sweater for her to wear. "Here, put this on."

Their eyes met as he walked closer. And she could remember one vivid memory of him carrying her in his arms. It made her feel safe. And right now, she could feel the same thing. But she still has no idea who this man was.

"Who are you?"

"Call me De-" he halted. "How about you call me Derrick? Hmm. " It took him a few seconds to come up with a name. "Derrick Vilerio."

"Derrick Vilerio? And you're telling me that I begged for you to come here?"

"Yeah," he smirked before he tapped the top of her head. As she looked up, Derrick lowered his head to match her eye level. "Will you believe me if I tell you that I am from hell?"

"Which kind?"

That answer must have intrigued him. Derrick looked at her, amused.

"The kind that's below heaven and earth."

"So, you're claiming to be the devil?"

He gasped in awe. "I did not expect you to be this relaxed about it-"

"So, am I dead?" she interrupted.

"What-no! Oh, no. "

"Why not?"

Derrick sighed, "I guarantee you, if you die, you won't be in my kingdom."

Lyra chuckled and got up to head back to the bathroom and change. She was disoriented. She kept on thinking how she should be afraid and worried right now, but she just couldn't.

"Stop thinking that you died." That was the first thing he said right after she changed.

"If you are really the devil, wouldn't it be easy to just take me? Extract my soul or something, eat my energy source or whatever."

"I am the devil, yes. Am I supposed to kill a human? Am I a grim reaper? No."

The woman sighed, "Then, what else could you do?"

"Are you sure that you're ready to know?" Derrick held her hand to pull her closer.

His eyes were hypnotizing. She found herself not being able to look away. His warmth was different. Their noses were touching, but the heat traveled all the way to her cheeks.

"Have you thought about the dangers of trusting the Devil?"

Lyra thought about it for a second. "I feel like I've been doing that a lot," she replied.

"How about signing a deal with the devil?" He inched a bit closer.

"What's the deal?"

He pulled her closer, hugging her by the waist, saying, "Be my wife, and I will make sure that you'll get whatever it is that you want. I will give you the best revenge. "