The Devil's Sweetheart

Hours before in WD...

Starting at the vast window with no expression, except his vibrant voice that hummed occasionally, the room was dead silent that even a clock ticking sound could be heard.

A woman standing a little far away from him held her breath as she watched him talk with the specialists on the phone. After a few moments, the call got ended and he finally turned around to face her.

"This is the second time, Harley. There will be no third if we are not careful." Devin strolled to his chair as he spoke. "I have warned, not to allow that woman into the house."

"We couldn't stop her, Devin. We didn't realize, she would come back again to speak such harsh words until grandfather collapsed. Don't worry. He is very strong and he will be fine." Harley quickly explained.

"There is no next time for her and It's my order. Don't let her enter the house premises from now." Devin declared getting back to his work. He couldn't imagine the happy-go, healthy person, is in the hospital bed because of her and it has happened twice and both times, she was credible for it.

"Alright. I will warn everyone in the house." With a nod, Harley left the room.

..

Devin propped his head up on an elbow and gazed at the document, his other hand swiftly working on the laptop. He was already getting frustrated with the things turning out today. Even after he dropped a personal mail 'politely' requesting for her presence, there was no response from that heartless woman. Finally, his threats seem to work on her, there was an incoming mail he just from the Bliss which he received on the outlook.

Reading the content of the mail, he kicked the table underneath with his foot with a vanquishing smile.

"Finally I am going to see her after three long days," Devin confided. Without seeing and talking to her was a torture he has been facing since the day he left Seattle. He was running back from the office to the hospital to the point where he was not even having time to catch a nap and all in all, he wanted to give space to sort out her feelings. If his absence doesn't affect her, his presence should have never mattered to her.

Getting out of his thoughts, Devin called the extension of Daniel but he instantly ended the call when he remembered he is still on break. Unwillingly, he has to phone the monkey.

"What is so important that you can't wait until I finish my crucial work?" Harley questioned strolling into the office room again.

"I have finalized the model for the Korean project. She will be arriving tomorrow. Prepare to receive her." Devin notified, sending a copy of the mail to Harley which he got from Bliss. If Daniel was working, Devin wouldn't have thought to inform the monkey standing in front of him. Lately, she has been into some kind of pervert blogger woman and he was scared, she would swoop Leena into her trap. Then again, Devin did not have any choice except to go with Harley now.

"You have finalized already? Why wasn't I informed?" Harley asked in a stupor. She has to intervene even if a small discussion is administered in the office not to miss such a big project. It was a surprise to her that Devin did not care to notify the handy project which they were fretting about for a long time.

"You were on break at the time of the discussion and I forgot the matter eventually." Devin did not want to probe the topic further. "Anyway, you are going to receive her tomorrow. Period."

"Alright. What's her name?" Harley asked.

"Leena. Leena Hayes."

Hearing the familiar name, Harley was utterly stunned by the abrupt news.

"You are talking about the prime model Leena Hayes right?" Her voice had flooding excitement when she asked the question.

"Yes! She is the one you have to receive tomorrow. Do you want me to repeat it ag_"

Even before he could complete it, Harley whisked out of the room leaving Devin in confusion. It seems, she missed or forgot something to ask, she appeared in front of him again.

"I_I am leaving for the day. Consider it as a half-day emergency. I will assign my priority tasks to somebody else and I will receive my Godes_ "

She wanted to slap herself for almost clamoring the truth.

"Sorry!! I will receive Leena Hayes tomorrow prim and proper. " Having said that, Harley rushed out of the room not allowing Devin to speak further.

"She is behaving a little odd today. Unbelievable girl." Shaking his head, he got back to work without knowing the actual reason for her enthusiasm.

...

Taking a long breath, Harley recalled the words Devin told her.

"Leena is arriving at the office tomorrow." With a smile, she walked out of the office. Stepping into the car, she sped the accelerator and reached the desired destination.

[The Aria's Saloon]

She strolled into the salon to get ready for her big day.

..

After spending time with her mom, Leena left the room along with Reese when it was getting late in the night.

"Why do you think someone is after aunty. I don't find anything suspicious person here." Reese asked unable to understand Leena's suspicious acts in the hospital. She awakened the sleeping Sherlock holmes analyzing every person coming and going out of the room for the entire time they were in the hospital.

"Lately, I eavesdropped to Francy's conversation with uncle Caleb and the way, they were conversing, it seems mom's accident was more of a planned one. There is a high chance that the person might be keeping a track of mom and now that she is showing signs of improvement. I cannot let anything happen to her, Reese." Leena's tone and expression were laced with pain as she spoke. She hasn't experienced a mother's love and care and the worst pain was seeing her bedridden for two decades.

"Don't worry, Leena! She will be fine and it's getting late. Let's go home now." Reese reassured and with that, both left the hospital hallway. Out of blue, Leena's eyes flickered on to a kid running near the hospital premises. All though, she was a little distance away from him, Leena could sense the panic evident on his face.

"He must have lost the way, Reese. Let's help him find his parents." Leena edged her eyes for Reese to look in the kid's direction.

"Irony is that nobody is helping even after he is begging for help." Reese voiced out glancing at the people burying themselves into mobiles.

"Let's help him." Leena and Reese searched the area and finally found him on the hospital lawn. But the scene they witnessed was heart-wrenching.

A woman harshly shoved him away for bumping into her and she was not even listening to his sorry confession all thought he was telling that he did not bump into her deliberately.

"What an arrogant cow," Reese muttered in disbelief.

Hell broke loose for Leena when the woman was about to beat the kid. She surged from her place to prevent the slap before it would create damage to the little kid.

Gripping the hand that was almost ready to slap him, Leena browbeat the woman in front of her."He has accidentally bumped into you. Do you have to act rashly towards a small kid?"

"Don't worry, I will help you in finding your parents," Leena whispered pushing the woman's hand away and hugged the little kid when his body began trembling out of fear.

"Accidentally? Do you know the worth of the dress I am wearing and this annoying boy has even ruined my makeup. Lowly women like you would never understand." Her voice has a mocking edge to it when she spoke.

"How dare you insult my_" Before Reese could speak further, Leena silenced clasping her hand, and turned towards the woman.

"Looks like all your money is painted on your face. Maybe you should have eaten the thick makeup which you have used to dye your face so that you can be pretty from inside also, Miss nail-biter baggage." With a sarcastic smile, Leena stared at the woman's face which was turning ruddy out of anger. Leena can sense the negative vibrations around a person just by the way they present themselves even before she converses with them and she has got the exact negative oscillations from the woman standing in front of her. Now that she has the chance to look at her hand, she got the confirmation. She felt disgusted with the way the woman has chewed the flesh of her thumb until it turned brown.

"You dared to insult me, bitch!!" She was about to raise her hand but it was grabbed and twisted by Leena shoving onto the ground.

"Sometimes karma takes too long to take effect. I would rather beat the shit out of you right now than wait for it to happen so that you will think of me. I like to make imprint my beautiful face on bitches like you."

"BRAVO!! SAVAGE!!!" All of a sudden, they heard an aged yet very deep voice from a distance, and instantly all the three women including the little boy gazed in the direction where a man in a hospital gown was sitting on a wheelchair. Despite, he was aged, his face looked vibrant showing an authoritative aura