The Devil's Sweetheart

All Heather could hear was her own heartbeat. Tears coursed down her cheeks uncontrollably. Questions whirled in her brain with neither an answer nor a clue. Why is Rosalie targeting my daughter? Why does she want Leena dead? She had hardly known Rosalie for a month. All Heather thought about her was a simple and kindhearted woman. She even gifted her a plant. Now that Heather thinks of it, she doubted Rosalie's intentions. Is that the reason she asked about Leena's likes and dislikes? To poison the banana juice she drinks after every meal?

Never Rosalie gave her the slightest chance to figure out she is a snake hidden in the grass. Heather wanted to tear that woman's face right at this moment, but her daughter's life is at stake. She is the only one who knows about the truth, and only she can protect her. Wiping her tears, Heather turned around. Holding her heels tightly in one hand, she moved at a snail's pace not to let Rosalie knows she has eavesdropped until she ambled into the blazing lights, a farther distance away from Rosalie.

Before the man named Willaim reached Leena, Heather wanted to do something that could stop her daughter from drinking the juice. Her scrambled brain was not in the right senses to fish out an idea. Taking a deep breath a couple of times, she composedly thought, and her brain yelled at her to call Leena right away.

Her hands trembled as she attempted to dial Leena's number. The cold air hissed, screwing with her hair. Neither she cared. 

''Pick up, Leena.'' Her words were barely comprehensible through the chattered teeth. The second the call connected, loud music drummed into her ears before her daughter's voice chimed in. ''Yes, mom.'' 

''Leena, listen to me!'' Heather shouted at the top of her lungs. ''Don't drink any juice or eat anything until I come_''

''I can't hear anything! Can you repeat it?'' The boisterous music sporting in the arena completely deadened Heather's voice.

 ''Can you hear me now?'' Heather ran as fast as her legs could carry her. ''Don't drink the juice_''

''I can't hear you, mom! The music here is too loud. Come to the amphitheater. We can talk here.''

The call ended before Heather break in to recite her words again. As she brisk walked, Heather called Francis and Devin, but neither of them lifted the call.

''What do I do now!'' She muttered helplessly. Composing a quick text, Heather hit the sent button, hoping that her daughter would see it. But her heart was restless, thinking of the worst possibilities. ''What if Leena drinks before I reach her...no...no..she can't..'' Determined to protect Leena, Heather ran for a marathon. By the time she found herself at the party, the damage was already done. 

Tears raced down her cheeks, seeing the half-emptied glass juice at the tip of her lips. ''Leena!'' Heather screamed, shoved across her way, and reached the table where Leena was chatting with her friends.

 ''Mom.'' Leena gasped, staring at Heather's messy hair and perspiring face. Sweat trickled down her face despite the cool breeze. ''What happened to your_''

Her words never finished, the glass in her hand crashed to the ground. 

''I sent you a text. Why didn't you see?'' Heather shouted, not caring that everyone's focus was on her. ''Why did you drink the banana juice_''

''It's not banana, mom.''

''What?''

''Didn't you see the color of the juice I was holding? It's orange juice.'' Replied Leena and opened the message notifications. Indeed there was a text stating not to drink the juice. Strangely mother is the second one to object not to drink. First was her husband. ''Devin didnot let me drink it because...'' She paused and sighed. ''I don't know...Sometimes he is unpredictable. He gave me a silly reason and ordered orange juice at the last second.'' Leena gloomily stared at the shattered glass pieces on the ground. My poor orange juice. Speaking of that idiot, where did he go? That idiot is missing along with the banana smoothie for a long time.

.....

A smirk played across Rosalie's lips as he stared at the text message. [William: Leena did drink the juice. I saw with my own eyes. Come, and meet me at the usual spot]

''Enjoy while you can, Leena! The poison will soon numb your senses, paralyze your body, and at last, death.'' Rosalie grinned, making her way to the spot where she agreed to meet William.

As she slowly edged near the tree, a sense of dread settled in her stomach. She has come here twice tonight, but something about this place sent a shiver down her spine.

She quickly looked around her surroundings. Except for the swaying trees and the darkness, she could practically hear or see nothing here.

On second thought, why would someone come here leaving the diligent party? Shaking her head, Rosalie moved forward. In her haste to find William, she didnot sense an object resting in her path until she hit the object and stumbled. She was thrown off guard as she lost her balance.

''Argh!'' Rosalie hastily picked herself up and focused her mobile flashlight on the object. 

''Who the hell put_'' Color drained out of her face upon noticing it was the Daisy bonsai that she gifted Heather. ''H_ow did..'' Her voice choked in fear. A couple of hours ago, she herself gifted this plant to Heather. How did it appear here?

Not before her brain processed this, a loud thud echoed from behind the tree. The flashlight on her hand automatically focused there. A man's body lay on the ground motionless.

Without a doubt, she knew it's William. ''William.'' Throwing the plant aside, Rosalie rushed to him. ''What happened to you?'' She shook his arms, but he lay there motionless.

She was on the verge of breaking when the rugged footsteps echoed into her ears from a distance. Terror thundered down on her.. Fear engulfed her like a condemned prisoner as her eyes focused on the formidable man emerging from the shadows, pouring his brightness over the darkness.