The Devil Who Claimed Me

Mila rushed to Faith and helped her up, her hands trembling. "I’m so sorry," she said immediately. "This happened because of me."

Faith tightened her grip on Mila’s hands and shook her head. "Don’t say that. This is on me. I was overconfident. I thought I wasn’t seen, but I was wrong."

A faint, bitter smile touched her lips. "My mistake got me caught. So don’t take the blame."

Mila’s eyes burned. She quickly blinked her tears away and glanced around.

The hall was empty. Dominic had already left, giving them a brief moment.

"You need to go," Mila urged quickly. "These people are dangerous. If they change their minds, they won’t allow you to leave."

"But what about you?" Faith asked, worry clouding her eyes. "That guy won’t go easy on you. And that woman—she clearly hates you. How are you going to survive here?"

Mila forced a faint smile.

"Don’t worry about me. I’ll manage."

Faith didn’t look convinced. "Mila, I feel so bad for you," she whispered. "I wish I could help you."

"Don’t," Mila cut her off immediately. "You saw what happened. Don’t entangle yourself in this. Get out of here and never think to look back."

Faith wanted to say something, but a voice cut in.

"Time is up." A man in a black suit approached them. "The car is ready. You need to leave."

Faith pulled Mila into a tight embrace.

"Take care," she whispered.

"You too..." Mila murmured back.

Faith pulled away, her eyes lingering on Mila for a moment longer. "I hope you find your way out," she said quietly. "Don’t lose hope."

Then she turned and walked away.

Mila stood there, watching her disappear. Her chest felt heavy.

"Time to go to your room." The guard’s voice snapped her back.

She glanced at him briefly before walking toward the room.

The moment the door shut behind her, she collapsed to the floor.

Tears burst out uncontrollably.

She was back in this room, trapped again. And this time, it was worse.

Marco had given her a mission. If she failed in her job, Lara would die. And if she was caught, she was doomed.

She had no way to run.

A hollow laugh escaped her lips. Her tears slowly stopped.

"I can’t make a mistake," she whispered, wiping her face. Something else took over. "I have to save Lara."

She stood up slowly. A faint, resolute expression crossed her face.

"If he wants a maid, I’ll be the perfect one."

This was the only way to get what she wanted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mila stepped into the clinic.

Remy, who had been sorting medicines, froze the moment he saw her.

"Mila?"

He quickly walked toward her, surprise evident on his face.

"You..."

His words trailed off as he noticed a guard entering behind her. Remy’s expression shifted instantly.

"Do you need something?" he asked, assuming the man was a patient’s escort.

"I’m here to keep an eye on Miss Mila," the guard replied bluntly.

Remy blinked.

"Keep an eye on her?" His gaze snapped back to Mila. "What’s going on?"

Mila sighed. "Dominic allowed me to work here," she explained. "But there is a condition." She gestured toward the guard. "He follows me everywhere."

Understanding dawned on Remy’s face. But he wouldn’t let anyone stare at them all the time while they were working.

"I see." He turned to the guard. "You don’t need to hover over us inside. You can wait outside."

The guard frowned. "Why can’t I sit here?"

Remy gestured casually around the small clinic. "We barely have space here. Two chairs for us. One stool for patients. Where are you going to sit? If you are comfortable standing in the corner all day, you are welcome to stay inside. Or you can sit and wait outside."

The guard hesitated for a moment. Standing all day didn’t sound appealing.

"Fine," he muttered. "I’ll wait outside."

Once he left, Remy immediately turned back to Mila. His hands came to her shoulders instinctively.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Did anyone hurt you?"

His eyes searched hers anxiously.

Mila gently removed his hands. "It’s nothing."

Remy looked down at his hands. Something stirred in his chest. He didn’t know when, but he started having this softness for her. And the thought that she might have suffered unsettled him.

"The punishment wasn’t severe," she added quickly, forcing a small smile. "He still let me come here."

"Yes, I can see that," he said. "A guard is following you."

Mila lowered her eyes.

"Why did you do that?" he asked. "I warned you not to act recklessly."

His tone carried disappointment but also concern.

"Everything was going just fine. Dominic trusted you and allowed you to attend that meeting. And by saving Mr. Lee’s son, you already won his favor. But the next moment, you ruined everything."

He let out a sigh of dismay. "I thought you were resting. How did you escape?"

Mila’s throat tightened.

"I..." She looked up at him, her eyes glistening. "I missed my friends, my job, my home..."

Her voice cracked. "And when I called my friend..." she continued, struggling to hold back tears, "I found out everyone thinks I’m dead."

Remy’s expression softened. He felt bad for her.

"My father even held my funeral."

"What?" His brows furrowed.

Mila laughed bitterly. "He didn’t do that out of grief. "He did it to take everything I have. The properties and shares Mom left for me."

He frowned, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face.

"I panicked. I wanted to stop him and asked my friend to help me. She sent someone who helped me escape. But..."

"You fell into enemies’ hands." He completed the sentence.

"Yes..." She didn’t tell him about what Marco had demanded. She couldn’t say anything about it to anyone. Or she was doomed.

"You really thought you could just walk out of this world?" His tone turned serious. "You don’t understand how dangerous it is out there."

"I was desperate," she choked out. "I wasn’t thinking properly."

His expression softened again, understanding her emotion. "I get why you did it. But you have to survive first."

He stepped closer slightly. "You might feel suffocated here. But this..."

He gestured around. "This is the safest place for you. Since you are here, you have to follow the rules. Or you will be dead."

Mila had already seen it. One wrong move would be enough to kill anyone.

"Dominic may seem harsh," he continued, "but he protects what’s his. So don’t try to get away from here because next time, you may not be this lucky."

Mila swallowed hard. She knew he was right. She had survived only because Marco wanted to use her against Dominic. Or she would have been dead by the time Dominic might have found her.

"If you have a problem, you tell him. He will fix it. But don’t try to get away from him. No matter where you run, Dominic will track you down."

Mila lowered her head. ’If only it were that simple...’

Time was ticking away. She only had a month. If she failed in her mission, Lara would be in trouble.

Knock-Knock...

They both turned.

The guard stepped inside again.

"What is it?" Remy asked.

"Mr. Russo wants Mila in his service. Now."