The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

The sun shone brightly above her in the mid-afternoon sky, but it was the cool sea breeze that made Aliana want to stay.

She took in the vastness of the bright blue water before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, filling her lungs with the salt-heavy scent of the ocean before letting out a contented exhale.

’Ah... this is nice,’ she mused.

The rhythmic thunder of the waves beating against the rocky shore was like a lullaby, and for a fleeting second, she felt the urge to simply dive in and let the water take her.

’Maybe later,’ a small smile played on her lips.

She continued to stay there, savouring the peace, until a sudden, bone-chilling weight settled behind her. It was an eerie, suffocating presence she had felt once before... a darkness that didn’t belong in the sunlight.

Her lashes fluttered, then snapped open, and she whirled around, only to have her breath die in her throat.

A woman stood there.... her eyes were nothing but hollow, bottomless pits, and her lips were pulled back in a grotesque grin that revealed rows of needle-like teeth.

"F*ck!" A curse ripped from Aliana’s throat as cold dread clawed at her chest. The woman began to let out a rasping, distorted cackle that sounded like dry leaves scraping against a grave.

She staggered a step back, her heart slamming violently against her ribs, knowing fully well now that this entity was not like Rose... it was an evil spirit.

The woman began taking slow, limping steps towards Aliana, her hand outstretched, her long, blackened nails reaching like talons.

Aliana shook her head slowly as she backed away, her heels clicking sharply against the tiles until she hit the cold stone railing.

With the woman closing in, Aliana felt the solid weight of the stone press against her lower back. With nowhere left to run, she gripped the rough edge of the railing for support, terrified that one wrong move would send her plummeting to her death on the rocky shore below.

Her nerves didn’t help either; her heart hammered against her ribs, cold sweat trickling down her spine as the ghostly figure inched closer, its movements jerky and unnatural.

"No... s-stay back," Aliana whispered, her lips trembling while her eyes scanned the balcony, but there was no one in sight, making her curse herself inwardly for stepping out here alone.

When the woman continued to limp forward, Aliana asked, "W-what do you want from me?"

"R-release me..." the woman whispered ominously as she drew closer.

"I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just... leave me alone!" Aliana pleaded, her voice trembling.

"Release meee!" the woman screamed and suddenly lunged at her.

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[Music recommendation: Andrea Vanzo - Snowflakes]

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The moment the ghost touched her, a powerful force slammed into Aliana. Her grip on the railing gave way, and before she could react, her body tipped backwards over the edge.

A startled gasp tore from her lips as her head fell back, the vast blue sea coming into view beneath her.

In that split second, she knew.

This could be the end.

From that height, falling headfirst onto the rocky shore below could mean only one thing... death.

Then, all at once, a sharp gust of wind tore through the air. Her blonde hair whipped around her face, and just as gravity threatened to claim her, strong arms closed around her waist, pulling her back against something warm and impossibly solid.

And everything came to a standstill.

Her heart still thundered wildly against her chest, her face pressed against a hard frame as if anchoring her back to reality.

As her senses slowly returned, she drew in a shaky breath, only to be met with that same scent, expensive, fresh, laced with mint and the coolness of rain, wrapping around her like a blanket.

Time seemed to stretch.

Seconds, or perhaps longer, passed as she remained there, held securely within those arms while her body slowly remembered how to breathe.

And when she finally did lift her face, her eyes met his mesmerising, icy blue ones. Holding her in place with a quiet and dangerous intensity that stole the words from her lips once more.

Her grey eyes widened, gleaming like jewels under the sun as she stared at the man. With the golden rays falling across his face, he looked nothing short of godly.

She remained still, caught in the closeness, her gaze tracing his flawless features. Then she felt it, his long fingers lifting towards her face before gently tucking a stray lock of her windblown hair behind her ear. His touch lingered for a brief second, sending a fresh wave of heat coursing through her, and she nearly leaned into it... until he spoke.

"I wasn’t aware the Vanderbilt heiress had a habit of throwing herself off cliffs so eagerly," he said, his voice low and smooth, making her pulse flicker.

And just like that, the spell shattered.

Her expression darkened into a sharp scowl.

Finally finding her voice, she shot back, "What did you just say?"

"I said, do you enjoy jumping from high places? Places that can only lead to one thing... death."

"Do you really think I planned that, or did you consider the possibility that I was falling, not jumping?" Aliana replied, clearly offended.

"How could I? I was far too busy rushing to catch a woman who seemed remarkably eager to take an afternoon dip," he replied flatly. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not, it did happen," Aliana shot back, her voice sharp despite her situation.

"Hm. And how exactly did it happen? Must be the heels again, right?" His lips twitched, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"I..." Aliana opened her mouth, only to realise she had absolutely nothing reasonable to say. Explaining that a screaming ghost had shoved her off the balcony did not exactly sound like a strong argument.

"Funny, how your heels always lead you into my arms," he added.

It was then that she realised she was being held far too intimately in a stranger’s arms. Not only that, but her own hands were clutching his tailored suit so tightly that she felt she might have crushed the fabric entirely.

As a flush quickly climbed her cheeks, Aliana pressed her hands against his strong chest, and Gavriel finally loosened his grip to step back.

While Aliana ran her fingers through her long, messy locks to regain some dignity, she didn’t notice the way his hands twitched at his sides, as if fighting an urge.

Silence reigned between them until Aliana straightened her blazer and cleared her throat. "Thank you....for saving me."

Before he could respond, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Taking it out, he tore his gaze away from her and looked at the screen, the faint amusement in his expression vanishing as he raised it to his ear.

"Gavriel, where are you? The conference is about to resume." Cillian’s voice came through, making Gavriel pull the phone slightly away, a faint crease forming on his otherwise flawless expression.

Without bothering to reply, he ended the call. He gave Aliana one last, unreadable look before turning to leave.

Just as he took a step toward the doors leading back inside, "Wait," Aliana called out from behind him, causing him to pause in his tracks.

She then asked, "Have we met before?"

Gavriel turned to look over his shoulder. His lips parted as he gave a single, blunt answer. "No."

With that, he was gone, leaving Aliana once again staring at his retreating back.

She let out a heavy sigh before her eyes darted around, suddenly remembering the evil spirit. When she saw that the balcony was empty, she looked toward the door where the elusive man had just disappeared. "I wonder how he got here so fast," she murmured to herself.

She pursed her lips, but her own phone buzzed before she could dwell on it further.

It was Nigel.

Knowing he was likely calling to tell her the conference was resuming, she quickly answered the call and headed inside to join her peers.

Unknown to her, the woman who had nearly pushed her off the cliff appeared on the balcony once more.

She watched Aliana walk away, but this time, the grotesque grin was gone. Her face was twisted with pure, unadulterated terror.