Chapter 1: The Devil's Debt

"Heirs to great fortunes are often heirs to hidden enemies."

Sheets of rain slammed against the glass windows of "Valmont & Co. Book Café, blurring the city lights into streaks of gold and crimson. Outside, luxury sedans crawled through flooded streets while distant sirens echoed between towering skyscrapers.

The rain had always sounded different in Blackridge City.

It neither gentle nor comforting. It came down like a form of punishment.

To most people, it was just another stormy Friday night. To Seraphine Valmont, it was another reminder that storms always found their way home.

She glanced at the antique clock hanging above the café counter.

9:47 p.m.

Only thirteen minutes until closing.

With practiced hands, she stacked porcelain cups onto the shelf before wiping the espresso machine clean. The warm scent of coffee and old books lingered in the air—a comforting contrast to the cold city beyond the windows.

Then....

A middle-aged couple approached the counter, glancing outside at the steady rain.

"Sera, would it be alright if we stayed a little longer until the rain lets up?" the woman asked.

Sera smiled warmly. "Of course. Take your time."

A familiar teenage customer hurried over, clutching a copy of Off Campus against her chest.

"Pretty Sera, can you please not lend this book to anyone else tomorrow? I want to continue reading it."

Sera raised an amused eyebrow.

"And why would I do that?"

The girl pouted dramatically, earning a soft laugh from Sera.

"Alright, alright," Sera relented, reaching for the book. "Give it to me. I'll keep it aside for you."

The teenager's face lit up.

"Thank you, Sera! You're the best!"

She wrapped Sera in a quick hug before happily returning the book.

A few moments later, another regular customer waved from the entrance.

"Bye, Sera! See you again tomorrow. I'll be bringing you something." Sera chuckled.

"You really know how to make me happy, don't you?" She smiled and waved back. "Bye. Take care on your way home."

This little café had belonged to her grandmother for over forty five years.

It was quiet.

Safe.

Simply Ordinary.

Exactly the kind of life Sera wanted.

"Don't forget to lock the back entrance and unplug all electronic equipment," her grandmother, Evelyn, called from the kitchen.

"I won't, Grandma."

"And don't exhaust yourself by working too much."

Sera laughed softly.

"You've said that three times today."

"I'll keep saying it until you listen."

She smiled.

There was something comforting about routines.

Morning deliveries.

Customers asking for recommendations and best sellers.

Students buried in novels.

Couples sharing coffee by the window.

No headlines.

No violence.

No blood.

No Valmont family scandals.

Exactly the life she had fought to build.

Because twenty-three years ago, the Valmont name had meant something very different.

It was in the limelight.

It had been whispered in fear.

Mentioned in police investigations.

Linked to powerful men who disappeared overnight.

Sera had been too young to remember much, but she remembered enough.

The shouting.

The gunshoots.

The shattered glass.

The flashing police lights.

Her mother's tears.

Then...

Silence.

Her parents were gone before she had turned six.

The news called it an "unresolved incident."

Her grandmother called it what it truly was.

A brutal massacre.

No one had ever been arrested.

No one had ever spoken about it again.

Especially not Evelyn.

"There are questions," her grandmother often said, "that keep people alive by remaining unanswered."

Sera stopped asking.

Years later, the Valmont fortune had disappeared, leaving behind only debts, old rumors, and a family name most people pretended not to recognize.

She preferred it that way.

She wanted nothing to do with whatever darkness had devoured her parents.

Nothing.

The bell above the café door chimed.

Sera slowly looked up.

A man stepped inside, rainwater dripping from the brim of his charcoal-gray cap. His black coat concealed most of his figure, but something about him felt unsettling to her.

He wasn't here for coffee. He seems to be searching for something or someone.

He scanned the room before his gazed landed on her.

"You're closing?" he asked.

His voice was deep and low.

Measured.

Almost rehearsed.

"In about ten minutes." She brazenly replied.

"I'll only take a minute."

He approached the counter.

"Black coffee."

"No sugar?"

He nodded.

"What else do you like?"

"Nothing. I'm good"

While preparing his drink, Sera noticed details she couldn't ignore.

Scarred knuckles. A faded tattoo disappearing beneath his sleeve.

Fresh bruises along his jaw.

Not the kind someone got from an accident but looked like he'd walked straight out of a fight.

When she placed the cup before him, he didn't drink. He didn't even glance.

Instead, he slid a folded envelope across the counter, saying - "For your grandmother."

Sera frowned.

"I'm sorry?"

"Are you deaf?"... "Give it to Evelyn Valmont." He firmly stated.

The use of her grandmother's full name sent a chill through her.

"You know my grandmother?"

He ignored the question.

"Tell her..." He hesitated. "...that time is running out."

Before Sera could respond, the man walked back into the storm.

She stared at the envelope.

No stamp.

No address.

Only one word written in elegant handwriting.

Evelyn.

Her stomach tightened. She stood still with inexplicable emotions.

"Is she in debt or something", Sera muttered.

"Grandma?" she called.

Evelyn emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray.

"What is it?"

Sera handed her the envelope.

The color drained from the older woman's face.

For a brief second...

Fear. Pure, unmistakable fear.

She quickly tucked the envelope into her apron.

"Who gave you this?"

"A customer." She blurted without hinting that she somehow knew it was connected to their dark past.

"What did he say?"

"He said..." Sera swallowed. "...time is running out."

Evelyn closed her eyes.

Just for a moment.

When she opened them again, she forced a smile.

"Lock the doors."

"Grandma—"

"Now."

There was no room for argument.

Half an hour later...

The café lights went dark.

Sera stepped outside beneath a black umbrella.

The rain had eased into a steady drizzle, leaving the streets glistening beneath rows of streetlights.

Her apartment was only ten minutes away.

She enjoyed the walk.

It helped calm her mind and clear her thoughts.

Blackridge at night was a city of contradictions.

Elegant hotels stood beside abandoned warehouses.

Luxury boutiques overlooked narrow alleyways where secrets changed hands.

Power wore expensive suits. Crime wore them better.

It's Cacophonous.

But tonight...

Something felt eerie.

The city seemed quieter than usual.

Too quiet.

She noticed the same black SUV parked across the street.

Engine running.

Headlights off.

When she looked again...

It was gone.

Probably just an illusion.

She kept walking.

Sera adjusted her coat against the cold.

Her phone buzzed.

Grandma ❤️

"Come straight home."

"Don't stop anywhere." "Please."

That single word— Please.

Her grandmother never said please.

Unease settled deeper in her chest.

As she crossed the bridge overlooking the Raven River, another sound cut through the rain.

Tires screeching.

Metal crashing.

Then — A gunshot.

Her heart froze.

The sound had come from the alley below.

Every instinct screamed at her to run. To call the police. To pretend she hadn't heard anything.

Instead...

Curiosity betrayed common sense.

She hurried down the stone steps leading beneath the bridge. As if she is a superwoman.

The alley was dimly lit.

A black luxury sedan sat sideways after crashing into a brick wall. One headlight flickered weakly.

Smoke billowed from the hood.

The driver's door stood open.

No one inside.

Then she heard — A strained breath.

Someone was there.

Hidden behind a stack of rusted shipping containers.

"S-someone there?" she called.

Silence.

She took another cautious step.

Rainwater dripped from broken pipes overhead.

The metallic scent of blood mixed with gasoline fills the air.

She rounded the corner — and nearly gasped.

A man leaned against the wall, one hand pressed firmly over a gunshot wound in his side.

His white dress shirt was soaked with blood.

Dark hair clung to his forehead from the rain.

Even injured, there was something commanding about him. He had a domineering aura.

His sharp features were carved into an expression of controlled pain, while piercing gray eyes locked onto hers with striking vehemence.

He held a pistol loosely in his other hand.

Not pointing it at her.

Yet.

"Go," he ordered.

His voice was calm.

Cold.

"You don't wish to be involved here." "Leave before it's too late".

Sera should have listened.

Every rational part of her mind begged her to leave.

Instead, the nurse in her saw only one thing.

A patient losing blood.

"You've been shot."

"I know."

"You need help."

"I don't."

His breathing became labored. He was lying.

Without thinking, Sera removed the scarf wrapped around her neck.

"I'm going to stop the bleeding."

He stared at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Are you always this reckless?"

"Only when someone's dying."

Something flickered across his face.

Not gratitude.

Not amusement.

Surprise.

She knelt beside him despite the puddles soaking her knees.

"Hold this."

He didn't move.

"I said hold it."

To her astonishment...

He obeyed.

Carefully, she wrapped the scarf around the wound and tightened it enough to slow the bleeding.

He winced but remained silent.

"You'll need stitches," she murmured.

"I'm aware."

"Hospital."

"No."

"You could die."

"So could you"

The words were spoken so quietly they almost disappeared beneath the rain.

She looked up.

"What?"

His gaze shifted past her shoulder. He froze instantly.

Footsteps echoed from the mouth of the alley.

Several pairs.

Getting closer.

The stranger's hand tightened around his pistol.

"Sera..."

She blinked. "...How do you know my name?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, his eyes fixed on the approaching shadows.

"They found us."

A cold shiver raced down her spine.

Us?

She had never seen this man before tonight.

So why did it suddenly feel as though fate had just introduced her to the most dangerous person she would ever meet?

The footsteps drew nearer.

Voices murmured in the darkness.

The stranger slowly rose despite his injury, placing himself between Sera and the alley entrance.

Blood continued to drip onto the rain-soaked pavement.

His jaw tightened.

"Whatever happens next..." His voice was barely above a whisper. "...don't look back."