The Devil Who Claimed Me

It was almost dinner time. Mila had been waiting for Dominic to return, but there was still no sign of him.

A faint uneasiness crept into her heart. She thought of checking on him.

When she came out of the room, she was expecting to see the guard. To her surprise, he wasn’t there.

’Strange. Where did he go?’ she wondered. ’Did Dominic dismiss him?’

Frowning slightly, she walked down the hallway toward the study, hoping to find him there. But the door was locked from the outside.

She took the big lock in her hand, her brows pinching. ’Where is he if he is not here? Has he gone out?’

"Miss Mila..." A voice from behind pulled her out of her thoughts.

She turned to see her bodyguard approaching. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Do you need anything?" he asked.

"Yes...I was looking for Dominic. Where has he gone?"

"He has gone out for some work in the afternoon," the guard said. "He has not come back yet. You should go back to your room and rest."

Mila hesitated for a moment. Then she turned to go back to her room. Just then, she spotted Remy walking down the hallway.

"Remy?" she smiled. "I didn’t expect to see you at this hour. What brings you here?"

He slowed his steps and stopped in front of her. "I got a call from the mansion, saying Miss Serene wasn’t feeling well. I came to check on her."

"Oh..." At the mention of Serene, Mila’s smile faded as she remembered incidents of that night. Her skin pricked with goosebumps when she remembered those men hitting her.

It was a murder attempt. Her fingers curled at her sides, resentment rising.

"What happened to her?" she asked. There was no warmth in her voice.

"It’s nothing serious," Remy replied. "Just anxiety. I gave her some medication. She’ll be fine. Tell me about yourself. How are you feeling now?"

Mila’s smile resumed. "I’m much better now."

His eyes lingered on her. Seeing her smile, he curled his lips upward. "Would you... come have dinner with me?" he asked suddenly.

His heart raced. His fingers crossed behind his back as he waited for her response.

"Uh..." Mila hesitated.

Fearing she would turn him down, he added quickly, "I wanted to treat you to a meal for a long time for helping me at work. I never got the chance. Tonight... I just couldn’t stop myself from asking. Think of it as a welcome dinner. Please..."

It wasn’t entirely the truth.

He had indeed thought of taking her out on a date, but he knew it would make Dominic furious. So, he had never dared to ask her out. But tonight was different.

Serene had not called him just to check on her. She had a purpose behind summoning him. She had told him that she had seen him coming out of Mila’s room in the morning, that she had known he had feelings for her.

At first, Remy had denied it. But when Serene offered him her help, he paused to reconsider.

If he could get out of this world and have a peaceful life with Mila, why wouldn’t he accept it?

He knew the danger associated with it, but he wanted to try it. He wanted to get close to Mila and win her heart.

"I insist," he added softly. "I’ll take you to that restaurant you went to with Dominic before. The food is really good."

Mila thought for a while and then smiled. "Fine," she agreed at last.

Remy’s face lit up, excitement coursing through his veins. "Let’s go."

As they headed toward the main door, he noticed the guard following behind them. He paused and looked at him, then flicked his gaze to Mila.

"Is he coming with us?"

Mila nodded. "Yes. He goes wherever I go."

Remy glanced back at the guard. He had hoped for some time alone with her. He had not expected a guard following them.

Disappointment hit him. But he could do nothing. It was Dominic’s arrangement.

"Alright." He reluctantly accepted the situation.

They stepped out of the mansion, the guard following them. None of them noticed someone sneakily taking their photographs.

Not far away, Valentina lowered her phone with a satisfied smirk. She had taken from such an angle that only Remy and Mila came into the frame, excluding the guard.

Valentina smirked as she looked at the photo on her phone.

"They look quite close," she murmured. "But this is not enough. If Dominic sees them dining together, he’ll lose his mind."

She followed them quietly.

They reached the restaurant within minutes and took a seat at an empty table.

"Thank you so much for coming with me," Remy said. His fingers were shaking under the table, his heart trembling. He wanted to say so many things to her, but words failed him.

Mila looked around, impressed. "This place is huge. It’s no less than a luxury restaurant in the city. I didn’t expect something like this here."

She laughed softly. "I initially thought it was an underdeveloped place. But I was wrong. This place is no less than any developed city."

"It wasn’t like this five years ago," Remy explained. "Dominic transformed everything. That’s one of the reasons Alejandro chose him as his successor."

Mila’s eyes sparkled with interest. "Tell me more about him," she said eagerly.

"Dominic is very different from Marco," he began. "Marco was arrogant, controlling, and violent. He ruled through fear and power. He didn’t care about people. He only thought about expanding his influence."

Mila leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand as she listened intently.

"But Dominic..." Remy continued. "He stayed among his people. He not only fought enemies, but he also listened to his people, understood their problems, and solved them. That’s why his men respect him so much."

He went on, speaking about Dominic—his leadership, his decisions, his strength. By the time the waiter arrived with their food, Remy suddenly realized something.

He had spent the entire time talking about Dominic, praising him. He had forgotten to ask anything about her. This was not the conversation he wanted to have with her.

He was a bit disappointed.

Unaware of his thoughts, Mila pulled her bowl of salad closer and began eating slowly.

Remy, seated across from her, watched her for a moment without saying anything. It was only at that point he noticed how little she was eating.

"That’s all you are having?" he asked gently.

Mila glanced up and gave a small smile. "I’m still recovering. I want to have something light. Salad is better."

He nodded understandingly. "Alright. But you can have some soup."

"No, no... I’m fine. This is enough for me."

Remy frowned slightly. Then he pushed his plate toward her.

"Try some of this," he said. "Steamed vegetables. No oil, no spice. It won’t upset your stomach."

Mila hesitated. "But that’s yours..."

"The steak is enough for me," he replied. "You need it more than I do."

There was no insistence in his tone, just quiet care.

Mila looked at the plate again, then slowly reached out and took a small portion. "Thank you."

Remy nodded, his eyes lingering on her longer than necessary. Watching her eat, sitting across from her like this, gave him a strange sense of peace.

This was not enough to win her heart, but it was the beginning. He started eating, completely unaware of the fact that someone was watching them from the corner, recording every moment.