CHAPTER 36“You don't. But it's best if you accompany me. I can't afford to leave you alone in the cottage now,” he said sternly, his voice full of authority. Reluctantly, Katherine nodded, and Lucifer got down from the car, crossing to the other side and pulling the door open for her. She stepped out, gently raising her diamond-embedded red dress to keep it from dragging on the floor. The dainty necklace that rested on her neck complimented the dress perfectly, along with the dangle earrings. Lucifer fixed up the tie of his black suit, straightening the arms out before taking hold of her arm. Together, they walked through the back entrance of the club and took an elevator down to where the auction club was happening. The venue seemed to be dripping with elegance itself, with a spacious stage in the upper front and other fancy tables situated behind it. Guests turned their heads as soon as Lucifer and Katherine walked in, and little murmurs filled the venue. Katherine's face h
Chapter 37The crowd erupted in a series of gasps. “It’s going…” The auctioneer chanted, as each guest held their breath. Katherine glanced around, watching how they were all so intensely focused on this veiled girl before them, and most importantly, Lucifer. She seemed to pique his interest, and Katherine could tell by her aura, but she wanted to know why exactly.“And…sold!” The auctioneer said with a delighted smile, gesturing towards Lucifer. All eyes immediately turned to the man who could spend so much on an assassin. Some wondered why he wanted her so much to bid that high, while other's minds ventured to insidious plans that he could be plotting. After all, from now on, they’d have to be on their toes. From the other side of the room where he sat, Giovanni’s eyes narrowed, staring at Lucifer. There was something there, but he couldn’t place a finger on it---not yet. He cleared his throat uneasily, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.The auctioneer led the veiled lady down t
CHAPTER 38“I don’t understand,” Katherine said, so full of confusion, “She was just here.” She gestured toward the couch, where a particular area had been indented due to weight. It meant she had probably just slipped out. “She will be back.” He murmured, going to sit back on the couch. “Isla is missing, and you’re just going to kick back and relax?” She scoffed, eyeing him.“And?” He laughed, kicking his feet up on the table before him. “She won’t last minutes in these woods. Especially this late at night, she’ll be back soon, don’t worry.” He informed, so sure of himself. Wherever she went, she surely couldn’t be far. She smacked her lips together, flopping on the couch beside him, although, it didn’t take long before she slept off.~The next morning, they were returning to the estate, since it had been fixed up now, and his men had cleared it out. Still, the thought of one thing lingered on both their minds. “Isla still isn’t back, Lucifer,” Katherine said, tapping his should
CHAPTER 39There came that familiar dull ache between Katherine’s legs, as she slipped out of Lucifer’s bed. As usual, Lucifer wasn’t in bed. But, this time she didn’t just wake up peacefully—it was noise. The loud, thunderous voice of an incredibly angry man. She sighed, pulling her hair into a ponytail, before crossing to the bathroom and rinsing her face off. Her body felt heavier than usual, but she ignored the feeling. “Probably all the stress I’ve been putting myself through…” She murmured as she ran her hands under the tap. Within a few days, she’d gone from sunshine to moonlight, quite literally. Her hair was disheveled and looked extremely unhealthy, her eyes had deep, dark eye bags under them, and she was starting to lose a little weight. She looked underfed, which was funny because, in this estate, she ate like a queen, morning, afternoon, and night. Just a little hiccup though, nothing that good food and rest wouldn’t fix. She wiped her hands on the wash cloth carefully
CHAPTER 40Katherine remained frozen on the couch she had been seated on for the past ten minutes. The only thing she could do was retrace back to the conversation that she and Lucifer had earlier as she stared at the piping hot cup of coffee on the table in front of her.“Did I say something wrong?” She murmured under her breath, tossing her hair over her shoulder. It seldom made sense to her how quickly Lucifer could go from being neutral to cold. It happened all so fast that even she was still left reeling from the shock. It was nothing new, but right when she thought that they were getting somewhere, he just shut it all down. Scoffing with disbelief, she rose from the seat, picked up the coffee, and went to the kitchen to pour it down the drain. As she violently scrubbed at the cup, she wondered if he’d ever stop with his annoying mood swings. After all, she was to blame. She doubted she ever really meant anything to him. He was right. All she was was the daughter of a debtor—a
Chapter 41Lucifer paused, finally looking up. He clasped his hands together on the table, raising a brow. “Whether you have news for me or not, I expect you to inform me before you step into my house.” He said, his voice teetering on the edge of caution and annoyance. “Right. I apologize.” She stepped forward, clearing her throat. “You just…haven’t been around the club lately.” Her eyes scanned Lucifer, observing his countenance.“Whta’s that got to do with you?” He murmured, redirecting his gaze back to the papers on his table and scribbling his signature at the bottom.“It’s not about me. I heard some interesting things. People are starting to wonder. There's talk about you and your... attachments. You’ve been preoccupied with other things lately.” A sly smirk crept up on her face.He raised a brow, his patience already wearing thin. “Get to the point, Natalia. Before I have security drag you out.”“I just thought…” She placed her bag on his table, folding her hands behind her bac
CHAPTER 42“What exactly do you want?” Katherine grumbled, quickly slipping the foreign key into her pocket.“Well, can’t I check up on you anymore?” Natalia touched her shoulder lightly, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. Katherine scoffed, standing up from her chair and crossing her hands over her chest. She wasn’t in the mood for any of Natalia’s stupid antics. Besides, what was she doing in the house anyway?Katherine felt her heart rate quicken as she stared right at Natalia. Or maybe Lucifer had called her over to relieve himself of tension the way he always did. Yet, if that was the case, she looked very neat and Katherine knew that it most likely didn’t happen. A part of her was happy even, that Lucifer didn’t do it. But, another part was annoyed that she was back in the house. She couldn’t just leave Lucifer alone? She was just a wench that was obsessed with him, or maybe his money instead.“Check up on me?” Katherine shook her head, moving towards the stepstool and cl
CHAPTER 43Katherine rubbed her eyes sleepily, staring down at the bright screen. On it, the words, “You’re not who you think you are,” stared right back at her. “What is this?” She murmured under her breath, sitting up with the support of one hand. The other was shaky, unstable even as she stared down at the message, her eyes skimming over the foreign words over and over again. What was this and who sent this to her? She wondered if it had anything to do with being having been around Lucifer lately. No matter how many times her eyes trailed over the short sentence, she couldn’t seem to make any sense of it. Maybe it was just a prank being played on her from a random number or something. Maybe even Lucufer. She wouldn't put anything past that man. Maybe all he wanted to do was prove his point and stand on it. Did he have to really go this far? There was no need rubbing salt into the wound he'd already made. She gulped, clicking the glowing icon beside the chat window, and pressed
CHAPTER 92The wooden dining table creaked slightly as Amanda set another dish down. The aroma of chicken fried steak, cornbread pancakes and chuck wagon chili filled the air. Beside it was beef stew and chicken and dumplings.Katherine munched on the food greedily like someone who hadn't seen food in days. Maybe she hadn't.Ethan and Amanda shared a look as she scooped another spoonful, barely pausing for breath. The baby sat on Ethan’s lap, smacking her tiny hands against the table, entertained by the quick movements."You must’ve been really hungry," Ethan said, watching as she took another bite.Katherine swallowed, her cheeks puffed slightly before she covered her mouth and let out a quiet chuckle. "Guess I was."Amanda nudged another piece of meat toward her plate. "Eat up, there’s plenty more.”She smiled gratefully and ate up. Without hesitation. The hunger in her movements told a lot of things but they didn’t ask questions. Not yet.When the last piece was gone, Katherine lea
CHAPTER 91Katherine’s legs ached so hard she felt as though her limbs would dismantle and her lungs burned.Her breaths came in shallow pants as she stumbled over the rough ground, with the edges of the broken twigs piercing into her bare feet.She had been running for hours— maybe longer and every time she would look over her shoulders to see if she was being watched.Each step felt heavier than the last. It was as if her body was begging her to stop, to give in. But she couldn't. She wouldn't.She was far from Lucifer now. Far from the walls of his world and also far from safety. Here he couldn't find her and keep her tangled in his Web of lies. He wouldn't make her feel like he was doing everything for her. Like he was doing her a favour. She was better off without him. Always.Her stomach clenched painfully. She stopped in her tracks and rubbed at her belly. She could feel the hunger as it gnawed at her ribs. She needed food and water. She hadn't put anything in her mouth and gui
CHAPTER 90“Ayy boy! Check-up,” Cassius grinned and took a swig of his beer before greedily packing the money from the table and putting it in his pockets.“You're a cheat,” Wilson puffed, almost choking on his cigarette. “You cheated, old man.”“The cards were right before your eyes and you failed to see it,” Cassius scoffed. “You owe me two bottles of beer.”“Not while I'm still alive,” Wilson shrugged as he leaned back to reshuffle his cards. Just then, they heard a knock at the door. It was soft, almost mistaking. They paused.“Must've been the wind outside,” Wilson said and divided the cards into equals, placing some at the side as extras.Cassius shrugged and placed cards. “That door is more solid than you, son, not even a hurricane would move it but maybe a volcano eruption would.”“Check-up!” Wilson muttered, placing all his cards, with a sly smirk tugging at his lips.“That can't be right!” Cassius groaned.“See for yourself,” Wilson said. “Maybe next time you shouldn't be to
CHAPTER 89Everyone knew there was no truth outside the underworld. If you wanted truth you could resort to being a pope or a vicar. But the one thing stands; all men lie.Truth was a bait. It was the one thing that could build you and break you and it wasn't new to everyone. You had to know all these, experience all these before you become initiated into brotherhood. And if you are a leader, you are always the target. And if you can't be reached, your brother man would be the “eye for an eye”Lucifer exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t believe in coincidences. He believed in rats. There was a rat in the house and he wasn't going to wait for it to show itself.And when you found one? You burned down the nest.Isla cowered and scrambled back when she saw Lucifer walk in. Lucifer’s presence always meant something dreadful. “Lucifer.” Her voice was rough, hesitant. “Didn’t expect to see you.”“I want to speak with you and I need nothing but the truth,” he said, his voice cold
CHAPTER 88Lucifer stood in the dark, the glow of his cigarette casting shadows across his face. From up here he couldn't see the city, watch everything. He was careful. Always have. How couldn't he have known.He took a drag from his cigar, the only thing to keep his red hot anger at bay. He should have installed the darn tracker on her the instant it crossed his mind but of course he was too confident that nothing could ever happen to her. Not under his watch.At that instant, his door pushed open and his men stormed in, huffing and panting. Their mud stained boots leaving trails on his mahogany floorboards, stirred irk within him.Why were they here, so suddenly?His eyes shifted from each of them, searching for Katherine, perhaps she was behind them being stubborn. “Good or bad?” He asked finally, before setting his cigar on a tray.“Bad.”“Where is she?” he asked, the words leaving his mouth carefully.The men exchanged worried glances and bowed their head.“Mast—”“Did I stutte
CHAPTER 87“Where the fuck is she?”Lucifer’s voice cut through the mall like a gunshot as he stormed into the store, and the heavy glass doors slammed behind him.The sharp click of his shoes on the marble floor was the only sound as he moved forward. He was losing his cool but he had to be in charge.His men trailed behind him, all clad in black with their weapons aimed at everyone. At his presence, the cashier gasped, stumbling back into the counter. Someone near the entrance tripped over his own feet, scrambling away with eyes that were wide with fear. A mother clutching her toddler, dropped to the ground to shield her from him.No one dared to breathe.Lucifer didn’t even glance at them. They were nothing. His stare was deadly and locked onto the trembling guard standing stiff as a corpse.“You dare to repeat what you said on the phone, eh?” Lucifer spat, his voice dripping with irritation.The guard flinched, his hands shaking as he tried to speak. "S-Sir, she went to the restr
Chapter 86Katherine struggled to breathe as her sweaty hands' grip tightened on the plate that she held in her hands. She silently choked back her sobs as she stumbled away from the door, running to her room.Her head ached and her heart pounded so hard that her chest felt as if it could rip open at any more. Why did Lucifer always make her feel like shit? Was she just nothing to Lucifer? A pawn in his game?She quickly entered the room, locking the door behind her and sliding her back down against it. The bread that she had baked for him still sat on the plate, though cold now.In a fit of rage, she stood up and threw both the cake and plate into the trash bin, before she flopped on her bed. The world just kept spinning all around her and she could barely think straight anymore.The warmth and excitement that she had felt for the long-awaited gender reveal had turned into a feeling so hollow and bland. Everything that she’d heard today just dampened her mood. Now, who was she to be
Chapter 85“Turn around,” Lucifer ordered as he narrowed his eyes. The petite girl in front of him spun, flaunting her curvy, perfectly-shaped ass right in his face. Not as perfect as Katherine’s though.Even though this wasn’t for any sexual reasons, he couldn’t get the image of Katherine out of his head. “Closer.” He grunted and she complied, stepping closer to Lucifer. He scanned over her body, before directing her to the right side of the room with a swift motion of his fingers. She gave a small smile before following his order and sashaying. Time passed, and the girls seemed to bore him. There was no ounce of excitement aroused in him, which was fairly unusual, and at some point, he got so sleepy that he almost dozed off. With an annoyed grimace, he commanded Antonio to take the approved girls to the club to begin work immediately while the rejected grils were to leave. As they all started to file out, he retreated back to his study to round up the work for the day, but he was
Chapter 84"I am utterly surprised." Katherine gasped, dropping some fertiliser onto the soil bed."Why?" Lucifer paused, looking at her. "A man of the underworld...in the garden!" She laughed throwing her hands up in surprise. "I know a few things about it. Don't think I don't." He squinted his eyes, watering the flowers. "Yeah, sure. You're not even holding the watering can right." She pointed out sassily. "You don't even know what you're talking about." He murmured, standing up. "I'm sure I do. I literally used to grow all the veggies back at home, Lucifer! But thanks for helping." She beamed. "Mhm." He wiped his face with handkerchief, "I'm thirsty." "There's some lemonade on the table under the gazebo, help yourself." She said, "I'll be right there. Let me attend to these lilies."He strode over to the gazebo as quick as he could, sitting down and pouring a glass of lemonade, downing it so fast to quench his parched throat.A few minutes later, Katherine joined him, taking