The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

Before Javier could protest further, the man with the angelic face extended his palm forward. Darkness seeped out from his hand, covering his very being, before he brought it close to Javier’s heart.

A scream tore from Javier’s throat as his body convulsed violently.

Then, a white orb, shrouded in darkness, was pulled out from his chest and hovered above the man’s palm.

And Javier’s body went limp.

His piercing, icy blue eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as he examined the soul in his hand.

"So tainted," the man remarked before closing his fingers around it, the corrupted soul dissolved in his palms.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Javier’s lifeless body, now slumped in the armchair with his eyes and mouth frozen open in a hollow, soulless stare.

Without a word, he turned towards the young girl, who still stood there, frozen and exposed in her vulnerability.

With a simple snap of his fingers, a black cloth wrapped around her form and then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, he dissolved into the darkness, allowing time to resume its course once again.

....

Morning in Karden was cool and summery. The sun had just peeked over the horizon, gracing the world with the promise of another pleasant day.

On the city’s hillside, overlooking the deep blue sea and the ancient city below, stood a vast castle.

The castle had been transformed into an exclusive hotel called Mar Azura, a premier destination for elites to spend their leisure time while enjoying the preserved beauty of the coast.

In one of the elegant suites, a striking woman lay on a king-sized bed.

Her golden hair was sprawled over the white bedding, and she rested on her side facing the window, adorned in a white satin and lace nightgown.

Though she remained still, her light grey eyes were wide open, fixed on the sea spread out right before her window.

Her face appeared serene, yet her mind was anything but calm.

Her thoughts remained tangled in the events of the past week, which had consumed her even after she had arrived in Karden the night before.

She could still vividly recall the shaman, Ester, who had lain motionless on the table as if life had drained out of her.

However, when Ali had inched forward to check her pulse, the ghostly woman had jolted awake, pretending the horror they had witnessed was nothing but a trick of the mind.

Her expression soured as she remembered how the woman had then extended her hand, shamelessly demanding a thousand dollars for her services, leaving all three of them stunned.

Not wanting to argue or remain in that unsettling place a moment longer, Jade had abruptly pressed the money into the woman’s hand before dragging Ali out.

The entire ordeal had shaken not only Aliana, but Jade and Nigel as well.

Following that night, Aliana opted to work from home for a few days leading up to her conference in Spain.

She used that time to sort through her thoughts and mull over everything the shaman had told her.

Jade and Nigel stayed with her in the penthouse throughout the week, keeping watch for anything unusual while brainstorming the meaning behind the shaman’s riddles.

"The veil is torn, no needle can sew. You must watch the tides where they choose to flow. To close your eyes is to fight the sun. You seek an end to what has just begun."

After sifting through several ridiculous interpretations, the three of them could only settle on one conclusion. Whatever was happening to Aliana was not random; it was a sequence of events that was meant to happen, and Aliana could not stop it.

That thought alone was depressing enough, but she remained determined to find a solution to her misery.

Another thing that greatly troubled her was the shaman’s supernatural reaction when she had asked about the man with icy blue eyes.

That alone had left her shaken, and she could not help but feel goosebumps rise along her skin at the thought of why such an extreme reaction had occurred over a simple question.

After turning it over in her mind repeatedly, she could only reach one conclusion. Whoever he was, he was likely another ghost, perhaps... a more powerful one than she had ever encountered before.

On the night before she was to catch her flight to Spain, Nigel left for his house to pack, and Jade was called away by her parents for some work.

After reassuring them that she would be fine, Aliana sat alone in her living room, waiting for Rose Walters, the ghost from the third floor, to appear.

When the woman did not show up for the entire week, Aliana began to wonder if she was deliberately avoiding her.

Unable to sit still, Aliana closed her eyes and called the woman’s name, almost on a whim. But to her surprise, the woman appeared right in front of her, startling them both once again.

Recovering from the shock, this is how their interaction went...

"You again... did you just call me?" Rose asked, narrowing her pale eyes at Aliana.

Aliana cleared her throat. "I just wanted to try it. I didn’t think you would actually show up."

"Why? Did I not scare you enough last time? And just how were you able to summon me?" Rose questioned, remaining a cautious distance away from Aliana.

"Have you been avoiding me?" Aliana asked directly.

"Why? Did you miss me?" Rose scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. When Ali only met her words with a blank stare, Rose looked away, muttering under her breath, "I just didn’t want to get punched again."

Ignoring the comment, Aliana said, "I have some questions for you." She kept the holy water she had received from the pastor close at hand, just in case the woman tried to approach her like she had the last time.

"Oh? And what makes you think I’ll answer your questions?" Rose shot back.

"Please... I would appreciate your help," Aliana said softly.

Rose studied Aliana for a moment before she replied, "What can a ghost like me possibly help you with?"

"I know when you were alive, you must have heard about my accident," Aliana began.

"Yes, I saw it all over the news. So much so that the news of my own death was buried under the ridiculous conspiracy theories around your crash," Rose narrowed her eyes at Aliana accusingly, as if Ali had personally chosen to steal her limelight.

Aliana cleared her throat. "Well... as you know, that was out of my hands. I was unconscious for an entire month."

"Yes, I know, but imagine... a socialite like me didn’t get the coverage I deserved. Ah, my exit was truly tragic," Rose murmured, turning to stare out at the city view.

"I’m... sorry about that." Aliana didn’t know what else to say besides an apology. Even though she wasn’t at fault, she needed Rose to cooperate.

The apology seemed to work. The woman turned back, looking quite smug. "The great Aliana Vanderbilt is actually apologising to me. Ah, this would have made headlines for sure."

"I suppose," Aliana replied.

"So... what is it that you wanted to ask? Since you’ve apologised to me, I’d like to know what the great me can help you with?" Rose asked curiously.

"Right. As you know, I was in an accident and only woke up a couple of weeks ago. Since then... I... I’ve been able to see the dea- spirits, I mean," Aliana told her carefully.

The woman raised a brow at the information before she asked in a dry voice, "Well... look at that. Go on... I know there is more to it."

"Yes. So... since you are one of them, I believe you must be able to see, meet, and speak to others as well?" Aliana asked, choosing her words carefully once more, not wanting to upset the woman in any way.

Rose went quiet for a moment, making Aliana shift nervously in her seat.

As the silence pressed in, Aliana’s heartbeat spiked.

Just as Aliana parted her lips to speak in an attempt to salvage the situation, Rose answered. "Yes, I can. Since, as you said, I’m... one of them now. What about it?" Her voice was sharper than before.

’Sensitive subject,’ Aliana thought. She sighed inwardly, knowing it couldn’t be easy for Rose to come to terms with the fact that she was now among the dead.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. The reason I asked is because there is someone I need to find, and I was hoping you would be able to help me. I thought maybe... someone in your world might know him," Aliana explained quickly.