The Devil's Sweetheart

A large private room was dead silent that even an echo could be heeded. There was no expression in the person's eyes as he scrolled the pictures on his mobile, his eyes fully focused on the happy face of the girl that has clogged his brain. He did not tend to his broken hand even when blood was dribbling from his arm which got wounded when he smashed a glass table. His instincts kicked in when he watched the press meet.

Just like the glass table, his heart also got shattered today. His thoughts pummelled to the past once again. But soon it broke when the door was pushed open and a friend, Flynn entered.

"Have you watched the press conference, Ethan?" Flynn worriedly asked. It's been five long years since they have met each other and he didn't think their encounter would be under such a circumstance.

"You knew about their relationship from the start?" Ethan quizzed, his voice was laced with pain. He couldn't tolerate seeing Leena happily with some other man other than him. His heart was in pain as if it was stabbed with a hundred needles. She has never shown such a possessive side when she was dating him.

"I recently discovered when I went to Austin and Leah's wedding but I haven't thought they were together already." Flynn quickly explained. He wanted to inform Ethan about Leena on the day he bumped into Leena but then again, a part of him did not want to, after seeing Leena's animosity towards Ethan.

"Are you okay, Ethan?" He asked with concern. He knew how much Ethan cared for Leena but she did not see past his love. For four years she made Ethan do the chase and after accepting, she disappeared in three months without even bidding a goodbye leaving Ethan in shambles.

"Why must be him?" Ethan's voice imbued as if he was wailing over the dead. From childhood, he always competed with Devin in everything but not even once he got an upper hand. Now he even lost his love to him. Why is fate playing a cruel joke on me? It has ripped the rug from beneath the bed and mocking at him after he has fallen on his hind legs.

"I am going home." Ethan got up and walked out before Flynn would bombard him with questions. His head is already spinning due to a lack of sleep for a long time.

When he reached the home, it was dead silent. None of his family members were in the home except the maids. His father must be on a business trip and he occasionally comes home unable to tolerate her mother's blowups and his mother must in one of the high-end clubs with her friends. There has been no color in this family. He wondered if ever that day would come. Brushing of the thoughts, he was about to enter his room, a woman called up.

"You are back, Ethan?" A woman came out of the kitchen. "Why aren't you in the office?"

"I am a little tired today, aunt Malia. I am going to rest for a while." He added. "If Casey comes looking for me, please don't send her to my room."

"Alright child." Malia nodded her head. Both were acting so lovey-dovey in the past but everything change after she left Ethan. With a sigh, she went into the kitchen to prepare lunch before that barbarian woman comes and blast at her.

Ethan took a sleeping pill from the drawer when he couldn't sleep despite the exhaustion. Not before he closed his eyes for ten minutes, his mother barged into the room throwing a file onto the ground.

"I heard we missed the Plonet contract. You failed miserably this time, Ethan." With the audacity of the voice, Ethan woke up with a start. The sleeping pills were not doing any job in keeping him asleep.

"I can't help it, mom. Putting a tender is only in my hands." Ethan replied getting up from the bed.

"How could you leave it so carelessly. That is one of the big projects. Our company could get ample benefits." Lauren, his mother barked at his son. "That's why I always tell you, work smart like Devin."

Hearing his name again for the nth time, Ethan picked up a vase and tossed it across the room, the glass vase broke and shattered into pieces.

"What's wrong with you nowadays? Your temper is talked about by every employee in the office. Why can't you keep it in check like Devin?"

"Devin! Devin! Devin! Aren't you tired of comparing with him always?" He yelled. "Have you ever considered your son's feelings at least for once?" He couldn't keep his frustration in check anymore. Once, twice he can tolerate but he has reached the saturation point now.

"Watch your words, Ethan. I am only doing everything for your sake." Lauren shrieked. "What's wrong in comparing with him. He excels in everything unlike you. He is your cousin, after all.

"Everything for my sake? Or is it because he is someone's son and you still couldn't forget_"

PAK

A tight slap landed on his face.

"You are just like your dad." Lauren spat out for bringing the memories which she buried underneath.

"At least he doesn't beat a grown man unlike you." He muttered. Ethan did not care if she slapped him, for he was used to it. It is just another slap that he lost count of.

"As if I care about him. Casey told me that you are not speaking with her." She asked ignoring his remarks. "You are getting married soon. Spend a little time with her."

"You can't control me in everything."

"Are you still not over that shrewd girl?" She shouted.

"If you speak wrongly about her again, trust me, I don't even consider you are my mother." Ethan's threat was silent but it was deep. He doesn't understand why her mom doesn't like Leena. The first time he has taken her on a lunch date, she saw her and made a ruckus in the hotel itself.

"How can you_"

"Get out of my room." He pushed her out of the room forcefully and locked it.

With a sigh, he slumped on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Like a robot, he has followed his mother's commands from childhood. Sometimes he wondered why he was born on this earth.

He was compared with Devin in everything and to excel him, he started competing with him. His ego lifted at some point in time and they would always end up in fights. But everything changed when he was brought back to Seattle. He was happy when Casey came into his life until she left. But then Leena appeared adding colors to his life and that was also short-lived. Sometimes, he wondered if he was a jinx born with bad luck.

He got up and left for the office. It's better to be working than hearing his mom's shrilled voice.

...

Devin was all joyous watching the videos and scrolling the comments online. He was surprised to see such a huge response from all his fans. Now they can happily roam everywhere.

"Leevin." He muttered. Such an incredible name. Should I name our firstborn, Leevin? No. It's Leena's choice. But instantly he crossed the idea of giving her an option. What if she names banana again.

"I will take responsibility." Devin, in a happy mood, smiled and went back to scroll the comments when his door was pushed open and someone barged into his office.

"Vincy, you dare to ignore my calls?" Drew barked.

"You keep calling me at the wrong times, Drew." Devin put the mobile phone aside and looked up.

"What do you want to know?" He asked knowing of his next question.

"I watched the press meet and I got to know that Jurassic is Wilbur's sister," Drew explained.

"Her name is Leena. If you ever call with that name, trust me I am going to break your head." Devin yelled. Even Leena would have forgotten that name, but Drew is still hanging on it.

Ignoring his warnings, Drew dashed towards his friend. "Why didn't you tell me about it when I was in Seattle?"

"You never asked," Devin said. All in honest, even Devin found about her identity after three days.

Drew gritted his teeth when he remembered even Jasper knows before him.

He was utterly shocked when he heard that she is from Hayes's family and instantly he called Wilbur to confirm and indeed she is his sister as he expected.

Wilbur used to complain about how his sister used to bully him when they were in school. When he goes to his home, Cutie asks him to Google search on how to torture her father's sister since she doesn't know how to read and write properly. He always wondered who was that crazy girl torturing her niece. Now he understood.. It can be none other than Leena.