THE DEVIL’S HEART
The Devil’s Heart – Chapter 27
(Her possessive devil)
©Goodness Okoye
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Hazard didn’t answer.
Wayne’s smile grew colder.
“I just offered Mr. Edwards a job.”
Hazard froze.
Pispa’s father.
Wayne opened the door.
“And he’s thinking about it.”
Then he left.
The door closed quietly behind him.
Hazard stood alone in the office.
For the first time since Wayne arrived…
This wasn’t just about Pispa anymore.
Wayne had just turned the entire academy into a battlefield.
**
The next morning, Pispa had made up her mind.
She was tired.
Tired of Wayne’s offers.
Tired of everyone making decisions around her.
So she went to see him.
Wayne’s new building—the one he planned to turn into a cooking academy—was already buzzing with workers. Construction sounds echoed through the hall.
Pispa walked straight past them.
She found Wayne inside one of the empty offices, calmly studying a blueprint on the table.
He looked up when he heard the door open.
For a second, surprise crossed his face.
Then he smiled.
“Well… this is unexpected.”
Pispa walked toward him, her face serious.
“We need to talk.”
Wayne leaned casually against the table.
“I was hoping you’d come.”
Pispa frowned.
“Stop acting like everything is a game.”
Wayne raised an eyebrow.
“Isn’t it?”
Pispa shook her head.
“You offered my father a job.”
Wayne didn’t deny it.
“Yes.”
“Why?” Pispa demanded.
Wayne’s voice was calm.
“Because he’s a good chef.”
Pispa’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re lying.”
Wayne chuckled softly.
“You’re very direct.”
Pispa stepped closer.
“You’re doing this to hurt Hazard.”
Wayne tilted his head slightly.
“Partly.”
Pispa crossed her arms.
“And the other part?”
Wayne looked straight into her eyes.
“You.”
Pispa felt anger rise again.
“I’m not leaving with you.”
Wayne sighed lightly.
“You always jump to that conclusion.”
Pispa stared at him.
“Then explain.”
Wayne walked around the table slowly.
“I’m giving you options.”
Pispa shook her head.
“No. You’re creating problems so I’ll run to you.”
Wayne smiled faintly.
“Smart.”
Pispa’s voice became firm.
“Let my father stay out of this.”
Wayne studied her carefully.
“You care about him a lot.”
Pispa’s expression softened for a moment.
“He sacrificed everything for me.”
Wayne nodded slowly.
“That’s exactly why I offered him the job.”
Pispa frowned.
“I don’t understand.”
Wayne leaned closer.
“If Hazard’s academy collapses…”
He paused.
“…your father will still have work.”
Pispa stared at him in disbelief.
“So you’re destroying Hazard just to prove a point?”
Wayne shrugged.
“I prefer to call it competition.”
Pispa shook her head.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Wayne looked at her quietly.
“You came all this way just to yell at me?”
Pispa didn’t hesitate.
“I came to warn you.”
Wayne’s smile returned.
“Oh?”
Pispa’s voice was steady.
“I’m not afraid of you.”
Wayne stepped closer.
“You should be.”
Pispa didn’t move.
“If you try to use my father again…”
Her eyes hardened.
“…I’ll fight you myself.”
For a moment, Wayne simply looked at her.
Then he laughed softly.
“You really are different.”
Pispa turned to leave.
But Wayne spoke again.
“You know something, Pispa?”
She stopped at the door.
Wayne’s voice was quieter now.
“This isn’t over.”
Pispa looked back at him.
“I know.”
And then she walked out.
Wayne watched the door close.
His smile slowly faded.
Because one thing was becoming clear.
Pispa wasn’t someone he could easily control.
And that only made him want to win even more.
**
The rain outside the mansion grew heavier.
Inside the hallway, Hazard stood silently by the tall window.
Something in his chest felt… wrong.
Like a storm was coming.
Behind him, small footsteps approached.
It was Nam.
The little boy rubbed his sleepy eyes.
“Hazard…”
Hazard turned slightly.
“What are you doing awake?”
Nam yawned.
“I had a bad dream.”
Hazard crouched down so their eyes were level.
“What kind of dream?”
Nam sniffed softly.
“That lady… Pispa.”
Hazard’s expression tightened.
“What about her?”
Nam looked confused.
“I think she hates me.”
Hazard paused for a moment.
Then he sighed quietly.
“She doesn’t hate you.”
Nam blinked.
“Really?”
Hazard nodded once.
“You just need to stop provoking her.”
Nam scratched his head awkwardly.
“Okay…”
Hazard ruffled the boy’s hair slightly.
“Go back to bed.”
Nam nodded and ran down the hallway.
Hazard watched him go.
Nam was just a child.
Too young to understand the dangerous world around him.
But someone else did.
And that someone was already moving pieces on the board.
THE WAREHOUSE
August stood frozen. He couldn’t believe Wayne brought him back to the warehouse?
His father knelt on the floor, weak and shaking.
His mother sat tied to the chair.
And standing calmly in front of them was Wayne.
August’s voice trembled.
“What do you want from me?”
Wayne smiled slightly.
“Nothing complicated.”
He walked slowly across the warehouse.
“You see, August…”
Wayne stopped and turned toward him.
“This isn’t really about your family.”
August frowned.
“Then why kidnap them?!”
Wayne chuckled softly.
“To send a message.”
“To who?” August demanded.
Wayne’s eyes darkened.
“To Hazard.”
August’s heart skipped.
Wayne continued calmly.
“Hurt someone close to a man…”
“…and you’ll watch him bleed without touching him.”
August clenched his fists.
“You’re insane.”
Wayne ignored the insult.
Instead, he pulled a photograph from his coat pocket.
He tossed it onto a metal table.
August looked down.
His eyes widened.
It was a photo of Pispa.
Cooking in Hazard’s kitchen.
August looked up angrily.
“What does she have to do with this?!”
Wayne’s smile grew.
“She’s the real prize.”
August was confused.
“A chef?”
Wayne’s voice turned colder.
“She’s not just a chef.”
“She’s a genius.”
Wayne tapped the photograph.
“And I want her.”
August stared at him.
“You kidnapped my parents… for a cook?”
Wayne shook his head.
“No.”
“For leverage.”
He leaned closer to August.
“Hazard values loyalty.”
Wayne’s smile sharpened.
“And he’s starting to value that girl too.”
August’s eyes widened slightly.
Wayne continued.
“So if I take her…”
“…I take something from him.”
Victor laughed quietly in the background.
Wayne’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“And nothing hurts a devil more…”
“…than losing what he secretly cares about.”
August felt a chill run down his spine.
Wayne straightened.
“Here’s your task.”
He gestured toward the city.
“Bring Pispa to me.”
August’s jaw tightened.
“And if I refuse?”
Wayne’s expression turned ice cold.
Then he slowly pointed to August’s parents.
“They die.”
The warehouse fell silent.
August’s chest rose and fell heavily.
He was trapped.
Completely trapped.
BACK AT THE MANSION
Pispa stood alone in the kitchen again.
She was chopping vegetables angrily.
“Stupid rich people…”
“Stupid house…”
“Stupid Hazard…”
Just then—
The kitchen door opened.
Hazard stepped in.
Their eyes met.
Silence filled the room.
Then Hazard said quietly,
“You’re still angry.”
Pispa scoffed.
“Of course I am.”
Hazard walked closer.
“You shouldn’t stay alone tonight.”
Pispa frowned.
“Why?”
Hazard’s eyes darkened slightly.
“Because something bad is coming.”
Pispa laughed sarcastically.
“In this house? That’s not surprising.”
Hazard didn’t smile.
Instead he said something that made her pause.
“If anything happens…”
“…stay behind me.”
Pispa blinked.
“What?”
Hazard looked directly at her.
His voice low.
“I won’t let anyone take you.”
And for the first time…
Pispa felt something strange in her chest.
Because she realized something.
Hazard wasn’t just warning her.
He was protecting her.
And somewhere in the city…
Wayne was already planning how to break that protection.
**
Night had fallen over the city.
The lights of the tall hotel glowed against the dark sky.
Inside one of the quiet lounges, Pispa stepped in carefully, looking around.
Her heart was beating a little fast.
A few hours earlier she had received a call from August.
His voice sounded strange.
Serious.
“Can we meet? Outside the mansion… please.”
And now she was here.
Near the window, someone stood waiting.
August.
He looked tired, leaning against the glass with his arms folded.
When he saw her, he straightened immediately.
“Pispa.”
She walked toward him quickly.
“What’s going on? You sounded weird on the phone.”
August forced a smile.
“Nothing serious.”
Pispa frowned.
“You dragged me all the way to a hotel just for nothing serious?”
August rubbed the back of his neck.
“I just needed to talk.”
Pispa studied his face.
Something felt… off.
“You’re hiding something,” she said quietly.
August looked away.
For a moment, he couldn’t speak.
Wayne’s threat echoed in his mind.
Bring her to me.
Or your parents die.
He clenched his fists slightly.
Then he turned back to her.
“I told you about that chef opportunity.”
Pispa sighed.
“Yeah, but Hazard already said no.”
At the mention of Hazard, August’s jaw tightened.
“That guy doesn’t own you.”
Pispa crossed her arms.
“He kind of does.”
August frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Pispa hesitated.
Then she muttered quietly,
“He… claimed me.”
August’s eyes widened in anger.
“That psycho thinks he can just take people?”
Pispa shrugged uneasily.
“You don’t understand how things work there.”
August stepped closer.
“You shouldn’t stay in that mansion.”
Pispa looked at him carefully.
“Why are you pushing this so hard?”
August froze.
For a second he almost told her the truth.
About Wayne.
About his parents.
About the trap.
But he couldn’t.
Instead he said softly,
“Because I want a better life for you.”
Pispa’s expression softened.
“You always say that.”
August smiled weakly.
“I mean it.”
He leaned closer to the table between them.
“The chef job I mentioned…”
Pispa tilted her head.
“What about it?”
August swallowed.
“The owner wants to meet you.”
Pispa looked unsure.
“Where?”
August hesitated.
Then he answered.
“Tomorrow night.”
Pispa stared at him for a moment.
“August… why does this feel strange?”
His heart skipped.
“What do you mean?”
She sighed.
“I don’t know. Something about tonight just feels… wrong.”
Before August could answer—
A loud thunder cracked outside.
Rain began pouring heavily.
Pispa turned toward the window.
“This storm came out of nowhere.”
August forced a small laugh.
“Yeah…”
But inside, his chest felt heavier with every second.
Because if Pispa agreed to meet Wayne tomorrow…
Everything would change.
Suddenly—
A cold voice spoke behind them.
“Interesting meeting.”
Both of them froze.
Pispa turned slowly.
Standing near the entrance of the lounge was a tall figure.
His dark eyes were burning with quiet fury.
Hazard.
Pispa’s eyes widened.
“H-Hazard?!”
August’s stomach dropped.
Hazard stepped closer.
Slow.
Dangerous.
Rainwater dripped from his coat.
His gaze moved between them.
“You leave my house without permission…”
His eyes locked on August.
“…to meet him in a hotel?”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.
Pispa panicked slightly.
“It’s not what you think!”
Hazard’s expression didn’t change.
“Oh?”
His voice became colder.
“Then explain.”
August stood up slowly.
His eyes met Hazard’s.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Two men.
One hiding a lie.
The other already sensing it.
And somewhere in the shadows of the city…
Wayne was waiting for the trap to close.
TBC…
