Chapter Five: MEETING CARDO: A Deal with the Devil

I was about to stab myself with the knife when a message popped on my phone. I stared at the message to see it was sent by an anonymous, with only four words content: 

"You are a diamond."

The knife subconsciously fell from my hand.

"I’m diamond..." I muttered as well and fell to the ground.

But who was the sender?

My stomach rumbled, and I groaned.

"I can’t possibly think when my stomach is still growling," I thought. The kitchen door opened, and Pinky entered.

"Oh, bestie!"  She muttered. 

"I went out to get some foodstuffs as you were fast asleep, and I didn’t want to disturb you," she said.

"I should prepare breakfast; you must be hungry." She added. 

I lazily stood up, and that was when she noticed the knife on the floor.

"Careless me. I might have left it when I hurried out," she uttered as she picked it up.

I said nothing. I grabbed my phone and left.

- - - - -

A month later

- - - - - 

I was home all alone. Pinky left earlier, saying she has a meeting with her dad.

Pinky is a billionaire CEO’s daughter, but she chose not to depend on her parent' wealth and just build her world.

She had dropped off her card for me to buy lunch since she didn’t cook. I couldn’t believe I still had a friend to rely on.

She left without a trace two years ago. I thought I had lost a friend, but she surfaced and helped me just when I needed it most.

Ever since I rescued her in school, I guessed she took it upon herself to look after me.

I bit my lip as I unclad myself and found my way to the bathroom.

I returned with a towel around my body. I went to Pinky’s small closet and started rummaging through it for clothes to wear.

I chose a grey gown and put it on. It reached my mid-thighs. I took one of her low, flat black shoes and put it on. I combed my long brunette hair and looked in the mirror. 

My eyes weren’t red anymore, but they still looked like I was going through hell. I sighed, put some powder on my face, and put a little pigment of the lip into my lips.

I stared at the mirror, and I look a bit okay now. I sighed again and grabbed a bag before leaving.

My feet stumbled on the floor as I kept walking. My gaze never left the floor. I was nervous and oblivious to where I was going as well.

I didn’t notice the old Jeep that was already close to me.

"Argh!!!" 

I screamed out the next minute. The Jeep came to a halt just when it was about to hit me.

The driver alighted from the car and was surprised to see it was me. Wait a minute. Did he know me?

- - - - -

The wind kept blowing. And our hair cascaded along with it, and it felt surreal how calm the situation was now. He was gaping at my bottled green eyes. I gazed back at his hazelnut-brown eyes.

The man right in front of me was a demi-god. He looks like some sort of good-looking devil. like those  I read in books.

Over his head was his black hair gelled straight to the left side with some strands sticking out of it in perfect ringlets. 

The strands fell dos into an exceptionally rounded profile that's smooth and beautifully carved. 

A socket, housing enticing muddy-color orbs that have such cute lashes flapping over them.

His nose was another piece of perfection, inches away from his heart-shaped pink lips.

Lining on both sides of his profile was a thin beard that ran down the surface of his chin, colliding at his jaw area. 

The scruffy pieces of hair moved up from his jaw, around his mouth, and beneath his nose as a thinly lined mustache that suits his manly look. This all accounts for his flawless, handsome, and breathtaking face.

My eyes crawled over to his broad shoulders and chest, which clashed with a white ruffled shirt that wasn’t fully buttoned and left his upper trunk slightly visible.

From where I sat, she could catch sight of how fit he is, from his thick arms to his large torso muscles against the shirt he wore.

Gosh! This man here is every lady’s dream. He looks like a Greek god, literally. I could tell that not only his face was godly, but his body was more than that.

I immediately looked away, but like a compelled being, my eyes came back, returning to look at him. His eyes never left mine either, and it seems we were engaging in a staring competition.

There was silence between us. We could be seen in one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. 

He took me here as his 'treat' for almost hitting me with his Jeep.

Gazing at him, I can tell how wealthy he looks. His aura smelled of power and money. He's already ordered food, but none of us seems to be interested in the food. 

My stomach rumbled for the umpteenth time. I groaned and slowly took the glass of red wine and sipped from it.

The wind blew again and, 

"Let’s get married," he said, and I choked on the drink. I coughed, clutching onto my chest.

I stared at this man. He’s too good-looking to be a psycho.

"Let’s get married. I’ve searched everywhere for you, diamond." He repeated, and my eyebrows knitted.

How the hell did this stranger know my name? Who is he?

"Hmm," I thought. His face was still expressionless. He knows I look troubled. I had millions of questions buzzing inside my head.

"You don't belong to high society; you’re ordinary. You’re not royalty; they say" he muttered, and I was forced to look at him. I coerced a smile. 

 

I'm not going to argue, nor am I going to fight. He’s right. I’m just ordinary. The daughter of a prostitute

"But there's one thing they all seem to forget: A diamond is just like an ordinary stone; it just needs a polisher to gloss it and tell its worth."

He said this, leaning his back slightly on his seat. My eyes were delighted. No one has said these words to me.

I felt the urge for him to hug me and console me. Who was he? How come he knows me too well?

"Life couldn't have treated you any better. Just by giving you the name Diamond, I knew for sure you weren’t going to end soon. 

You’re a diamond. You just need the lucky one to shine you into effulgence. That lucky one is right beside you," he said, and my eyes twitched.

 

'Do I need a burnish? Am I going to get one to get back at those who have stabbed me in the back?' I thought looking confused. 

"let's make a deal and I will grant you all the power you need for your revenge." His words were calm, but they sent shivers down my spine.

"But what makes you think I’ll agree to this?" I asked, my voice a bit lower than expected. 

Was this Greek god affecting me?

"You look smarter than I expected," he said, finally taking his glass of red wine.

He gulped it all in one go before facing me again.

"I don’t have a habit of making deals that will only benefit myself, you know," he smirked.

"We both know you need my help. You’re just the exact woman I need. We are strong, fearless, and we both desire one thing:  revenge," he said, ememphasizinghe the word 'revenge'.

I was lost in thought. Is this right?

Did I need to make a deal with this man just to get my revenge?

"What did you think?" His hoarse voice asked, and I jolted from my trance. I was a little nervous as I stared at him again, but it faded as I concluded my response.

"Alright then, what's the deal?" I asked.