1. Intruder

Roseline's POV

I was making a ponytail of Lovey, who was chirping and giggling in my lap, when suddenly I heard loud voices coming from outside that shattered the otherwise peaceful and happy environment of the orphanage. 

The smile vanished from my lips and I couldn't stop myself from running out when I heard screams. 

"Stay out! It is our home." 

I saw a few kids pushing away the intruder, who was none other than Vincenzo De Luca himself, a business tycoon who comes among the first three richest people in the country. 

I gasped when the scene unfolding in front of me started making sense. 

He is the man who brought this land and now he wants to demolish this orphanage so that he can build a mall here. 

My palms curled into fists to my side, my jaw clenched tightly and blood rushed to my head when I saw his minions pushing away the kids as if they were made of rubber. 

"Ahhh!" they screamed in pain. 

Adrenaline rushed into me as an instinct reaction. I was about to lash out at them when I felt a hand on my shoulder, which stopped me. It was Liam and Emma, my childhood friends, who were taking care of this orphanage just like me. 

"Please leave the kids; I beg you." 

Sister Mary, the pillar of this orphanage, the one who has raised us, begged in front of the devil, who seemed unmoved by her pleas or the tears of the kids. 

She brought me here when I was 10 or 12 years old, and since then, Radiant Smilt Orphanage has become the only haven I have ever known.

"I warned you to empty the orphanage before I came with the bulldozer."

His voice was so thick and cold that it chilled the environment. The aura of this man was one of danger; his personality was screaming that he was not someone to mess up with.

"I assure you that we will pay you the money; just give us some time," Sister Mary requested, her voice shaking slightly.

"Forget about it! You won't be able to collect such a huge amount even if you sell every single kid in this orphanage."

His words astonished me and filled me with so much anger that this time I couldn't restrain myself from interrupting him without thinking about the consequences.

"You can't do that!"

A pin-drop silence followed my words, and his eyes flicked at me and suddenly he started walking towards me. Every step he took was deliberate and calculative, excelling in power and control as if he owned the place.

His broad shoulders and chiseled physique screamed strength and athleticism. From his suit to his shoes, everything was screaming for money. His face was chiseled, with piercing eyes and an intense gaze that was penetrating my soul. His sharp jawline was accentuated by a perfectly trimmed beard that added a touch of rugged masculinity. 

I blinked twice and took hold of myself when he was standing at a hand distance from me. My 5'2 tall frame felt small in front of his 6-foot-tall personality.

His silence was chilling, his eyes taking in every detail of me, but his face remained stoic, showing no sign of what was going on in his head. He was closely inspecting my face as if it resembled someone.

Have we met before?

I again tried to focus on his face and I was sure that we hadn't met before.

"How dare you interrupt me!" His words broke the silence.

If his silence was cold as ice, then his words were hot as fire.

"Is this how you welcome guests? Huh?" He asked, turning his head slightly towards Sister Mary but his eyes did not leave my face even for a second.

Sister Mary came running to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. 

"Go and bring a cup of coffee," she told me. 

"But Sister..." I tried to protest

"Shh, just do as I am saying." 

I could feel frustration welling up inside me. I know he is powerful but that doesn't mean that he would crush so many lives under his feet. 

I was still staring at him with fury when Sister Mary pushed me, "Go!" 

Left with no other option I went to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. 

I poured the coffee into a mug when it was ready and by the time I came out, I found the devil sitting on a chair talking to Sister Mary. 

His eyes flicked at me as soon as I entered the small room in which they were having the conversation. Without saying anything, I just placed the coffee mug in front of him and for a fleeting second, it seemed like I found him staring at my cleavage. 

"I have never seen this kitten here," he said, tilting his head towards me.

Kitten? 

I felt utterly humiliated by the term he used to refer to me and it only added fuel to the fire that was burning inside me. 

"Nevertheless," he shrugged when Sister Mary didn't reply, "I am still on my decision. I need you to empty this orphanage within three days or I will not mind killing anyone who comes in between me and my dream project," he stated coldly. 

"Just for the sake of money, you could take the lives of so many kids?" 

It was enough of me listening to him and I can no longer keep my mouth shut, even if Sister Mary wants me to. His eyes moved back to me and instead of sympathy, I saw amusement in them. 

"This is not a mere orphanage. It is our home and our family. The kids here have already faced unbearable losses, and this place is the only solace they know." I tried my best to stay fearless in front of him, but still, my voice trembled, and my heart sank in the pit of my stomach.

I couldn't imagine what would happen to those little souls if he did as he was planning. We don't have enough funds to provide a roof for them. 

"Life is tough but sentimentality has no place in business," he declared as he took a sip of coffee. "The world doesn't bend for the unfortunate. They will have to adapt, just like everyone else, my dear," he retorted dismissively 

The way he said 'My dear' sent chills down my spine. His voice was low, but it was cold and menacing.

"But I must say that I am impressed by you," he said, licking his lips, and I couldn't tell if he was licking away the coffee or if it meant something else. 

Suddenly, he stood up and walked to me. He leaned so close that now we were practically breathing the same air. 

"What's your name?" His voice was low but it was threateningly cold. 

"Leave her, sir; she is innocent. I apologize on her behalf." Liam jumped in between somewhere. 

The devil raised his hand, not liking him interrupting us.

When I returned my gaze to him, he was staring deep into my eyes, expecting an answer. 

"Roseline," I replied with confidence, raising my chin high. 

As soon as I said my name, his eyes widened slightly, and for the first time, I noticed something passing through his eyes. I caught it because our faces were too close, but he blinked and returned to his cold self, his face stoic as before.

He stepped back and stood straight, widening the gap. The way his eyes were reading me, I felt like an open book in front of him.

"Hmm, Roseline, so you love this orphanage, right?" He asked me. 

"Of course, I do!" I replied within a second. 

"And what could you do to save this orphanage?" He asked. 

My lips parted to answer him when Sister Mary interrupted from behind, as if she understood where the conversation was leading. 

"Si..." 

"I am talking to her." His voice came out so thick and cold that it froze everyone in their place, including me. 

"I asked you something, kitten." 

I gulped and blinked. My heart thumped in my chest as he closed the distance between us. Our noses almost brushed and my head became blank of any thoughts. 

"What could you do to save this orphanage?" He asked again, this time emphasizing every word. 

"Any..." I mentally slapped myself for stuttering. 

I saw his eyes turning dark for a second as a very small sinister smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he heard me. 

"Great!" 

He moved back, and his next words stunned me so much that I forgot to breathe for a second. 

"Come to my place tonight." 

~~~~~~

Kindly add the story to your library; you won't be disappointed.