The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

Winston immediately straightened under her probing gaze. Releasing a quiet inward sigh, the butler decided to tattle shamelessly. After all, he had been worried sick about his master as well.

"Madam, it has actually been three days since Master last consumed even a bite of food. Although demons can go several days without food, they are in a much better state when they eat regularly... especially after the strain of the full moon."

Gavriel’s sharp gaze snapped towards his loyal butler, who had just betrayed him with the ease of a man who had already accepted his fate.

Meanwhile, Winston immediately looked away, suddenly finding the chandelier the most captivating thing he had ever seen.

Before Gavriel could speak, a sudden sound of cutlery pulled his focus back to the table. He turned to find a fork raised right before his lips, bearing a piece of steak.

He tracked past the silver to Aliana, who returned his gaze with a stern look. "Eat," she commanded, "or I won’t either."

Winston watched the exchange in stunned silence. Over the years, he had never seen a single being dare to speak to his master with such authority, let alone order him around. He braced himself, his heart hammering against his ribs as he prayed Gavriel wouldn’t snap.

Instead, to his complete astonishment, the formidable devil simply leaned forward, parted his lips, and quietly accepted the bite.

A soft smile bloomed on Aliana’s lips as he swallowed. She speared another tender piece of steak, lifting it to his mouth, and once again, Gavriel accepted it just as willingly.

Warmth spread through Winston’s chest as he watched his master finally have someone who cared for him so deeply. After witnessing Gavriel endure countless nights of solitude and suffering, seeing him receive such simple affection felt almost surreal.

A fond smile touched the butler’s lips before he quietly withdrew from the dining room, choosing to give the couple some privacy as they continued feeding each other.

While one couple enjoyed a peaceful dinner on one side of the estate after weathering a storm, things were taking a far more dramatic turn on the other side of town.

....

Back at the high-end restaurant...

What had started as a quiet, official dinner between Jade and Cillian had quickly devolved into a therapy session.

By her third glass of wine, the floodgates opened, and Jade poured out every horrifying detail of what she had witnessed at the Vanderbilt estate. She confessed that she had been cooped up in her private apartment ever since, refusing to take a single call from her family.

Yet, her phone refused to stay silent. The persistent buzzing against the tablecloth was beginning to drive her insane.

She didn’t bother looking at the screen, already knowing her parents were demanding she return home to explain herself. The memory of their harsh words and the sight of her father raising a hand against her stung far worse than their weak justifications for serving a cult. To numb the sting, she kept reaching for her glass, barely touching her food as a light buzz began to settle over her.

Cillian had noticed her restlessness from the start, and the constant vibration of her phone was beginning to test his patience too.

"Good grief," he finally muttered, swirling his drink. "Either answer it and give them a piece of your mind, or let me toss the damn thing."

Jade let out a frustrated huff. "I’m not picking up because I know it’s my parents trying to summon me home again, just like they did with that devil."

Cillian leaned back, watching her intently. "So you blame him for this mess?"

"Of course not! It’s... my parents’ choice." She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "They took a shortcut to power, and now they expect me to pick up the tab and carry on their legacy."

"And would you?" Cillian asked, a quiet intrigue in his voice.

"Never! They can keep dreaming," Jade snapped, gritting her teeth.

Interrupting the tense moment, their waiter stepped up to the table with the check, naturally reaching toward Cillian’s side.

"Excuse me," Jade interjected, her tone clipped. "I’ll be taking care of that."

Realising his mistake, the waiter bowed politely. "Forgive me, Miss." He handed the leather folder to her instead.

Jade pulled out her card and handed it over.

The waiter swiped it through the card reader, but an error beeped sharply, drawing both Jade and Cillian’s focus.

"What’s wrong?" Jade asked, her brow furrowing.

The waiter cleared his throat nervously. "It seems to have been declined, Miss."

The frown deepened on Jade’s forehead. "That must be a mistake. Try again."

"Of course, Miss." The waiter swiped the card a second time, only for the machine to reject it with the exact same harsh tone.

"Let me see it," Jade muttered, taking the card back to check for any damage.

Not thinking much of it, she pulled out a secondary card from her wallet. "Maybe there’s an issue with that specific card. Try this one."

The waiter swiped the second card.

When the machine emitted the exact same refusal, a cold coil of dread tightened in the pit of her stomach. She stared at the machine in disbelief, unable to understand why neither card was working.

The waiter looked at her with growing skepticism and the silence at the table turned uncomfortable. Before he could press for an alternative payment method, Cillian intervened with quiet grace.

"It’s likely a network issue with the bank," he said smoothly, reaching for his wallet. "Allow me to take care of the bill. After all, I selected the venue."

Jade looked up, meeting his calm gaze. Seeing the gentle, reassuring smile on his face, she reluctantly accepted, "Alright. Thank you."

While Cillian settled the bill, Jade finally unlocked her phone to see if there were any outage reports. The moment her home screen loaded, a single notification popped up.

It was a text from her father, and it read...

’Since you have chosen to be an ungrateful child and turn your back on the very being who blessed your family, let us see how you manage without the life we built for you. Return home tonight and accept your duty, and your defiance will be forgiven. Otherwise, prepare to face the consequences.’

Jade sucked in a sharp breath as the truth hit her. He had frozen her accounts!

"Fuck!" she cursed sharply.

Her outburst startled the waiter, who had just turned to leave. Seeing the stunning redhead’s expression grow more furious by the second, he quickly excused himself and scampered off as if a killer were chasing him.

Cillian, who had already pieced the puzzle together, leaned back. "So he played his card."

Jade tore her eyes from the screen, her gaze practically burning into Cillian. "I can’t believe how petty he is! He didn’t just freeze the company account, he locked my personal savings too!"

"He moved rather fast," Cillian commented, taking a final sip of his drink. "Let me guess... he’s ordering you back home, isn’t he?"

"Yes! He told me to come home tonight or bear the consequences!" Jade was fuming so intensely that Cillian could practically feel the fumes radiating off her. "Does he honestly think he can starve me into submission?"

Cautiously, he asked, "So... what do you plan to do?"

"I’m not going back, of course! If he thinks freezing my money will force me to bow down, he can think again!" She downed the rest of her drink and pushed up from her seat, prompting Cillian to stand as well.

But the moment she took a step forward, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her, and her balance gave out.

Before her knees could touch the floor, Cillian’s arms wrapped around her, catching her firmly against him before she could fall.

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