All Chapters of OWING THE DEVIL: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I half expected no one to show up to dad's funeral. But to my annoyance and surprise, a dozen people sat scattered around the little church auditorium with unmasked boredom while the preacher hummed a sermon meant to make us cry a river and think of where we'd end up after we die.I knew where Dad would end up. In hell. We all did.He'd be best buddies with the devil! They'd have hot choco and gossip like little bitches.He'd saved himself a seat there when he'd started getting drunk and hitting my mom and I."...Mr Monroe was a good Man, a friend to many and an enemy to none. He was a good husband, a loving father, a caring brother and an amazing uncle. He was loved by many and would be greatly missed..."The fuck?I couldn't stop the disgusted snort that eagerly escaped me.either everyone here became delirious or just stupid.Because why were they nodding like that paid preacher who didn't know Jack about my dad was right?And why the hell was mom crying like he didn't punch her fo

Really?!!!Not white tigers but white bears.That gangster wannabe's tattoo was the answer all along.It was literally right in front of me.The website redirected to another site with a white and gold layout.I scrolled down to find any information but there was nothing, just an endless loop of white and gold marble layout.Whoever created this whole thing loved to play games and they'd met their match.I kept on scrolling for minutes, almost about to give up when a bold write-up emerged.If you owe white Bear, you don’t go to them. They find you.Unless you’re stupid.Or brave.Then you try the bar.No address. Just a description.South side.No sign.Engines louder than the music.I copied it down.My eyes scanned the cafe. Unaware.I closed the laptop slowly.My reflection stared back at me in the dark screen. Tired but determined. I'd made progress.I had a lead.-Who was stupid enough to go looking for the bear's den?Me. Matilda Monroe who was much more scared of losing her h

GIDEON VALEThe elevator hummed silently.It's enclosed walls offering the silence I treasured.I stood alone, mind not able to shut off.She was all I could think about.The girl whose house you took is hard to ignore Who does she think she is?Giving me a message. A threat.Audacity like that usually got people hurt, quickly.She walked into my den without my permission.Asked for me. Then somehow walked out alive.The urge to put her in her place clawed at me.I didn't like people who refused to cower when they were supposed to.I especially didn’t like the fact that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since.The doors slid open cutting off my train of thought. A Lady made to come in before stopping in shock.I was used to ladies being surprised to see me, it was a bore.What I wasn't expecting was the disdain that replaced the shock.She stuck her hand to stop the doors from closing before taking her time getting in.We stood in silence for a few seconds."You haven't p

MATILDA'S POV The air outside his house felt too clean to be real.It should've probably stank of all the hearts and hopes he'd crushed.I stood in front of the gates at 6AM exactly, bag strap cutting into my shoulder, eyes slightly burning from lack of sleep. The night had been a mess of tossing and turning.Gideon Vale’s words did that, he's surely the devil.Don’t be late.My jaw tightened at the memory. Like I was already late for something I didn’t even understand. Something I feared I might regret.The gates opened without sound.Of course they did.Everything about him refused noise unless he allowed it.I stepped inside, my hands curled tightly around the strap.The driveway stretched too long, black stone polished enough to reflect the sky in a dull, lifeless way. The house at the end was honestly scary. It looked like it was over a hundred years old. Grand and intimidating. Pine snaked around the mansion, its leaves adding to the eerieness of it all.I hated that my chest t

MATILDA’S POVThe second morning didn’t feel like a morning.It felt like death.Like I had sold my soul to the devil and he had finally circled back to collect his debt.I stood outside the gates again, the same way I had yesterday, but it didn’t feel the same. Yesterday, I was scared but highly determined.. Today was quieter.Quieter in a dangerous way.Like my brain had finally stopped arguing with the situation and started… adjusting.And that scared me more than anything.The gates opened before I could press the bell.Of course they did.Of course nothing here waited for permission.I stepped in slowly, my boots crunching softly against the gravel before the sound disappeared into the kind of silence that didn’t feel natural. The kind of silence that made you aware of yourself. Your breathing. Your heartbeat. The way your shoulders held tension like they didn’t trust the air.I hated this place.I hated that I was back.I hated that I didn’t turn around.The walk up the driveway