The Deal With The Devil

Chapter 2: The Deal with the Devil

The room descended into chaos. Gasps of disbelief, murmurs, and outright accusations filled the air, crashing into me like a tidal wave. My world, once so certain, felt as though it were crumbling beneath my feet.

“Marry him?” Liam’s voice sliced through the noise, raw with anger and disbelief. He stepped forward, his face pale and tight with betrayal. “Sophia, what the hell is going on here?”

I turned to the screen, my stomach churning as the damning photos stared back at me. How could I explain something I didn’t even understand myself? I didn’t remember how I ended up in Lucas room that night. And now, my entire life was unraveling before my eyes.

“Liam, listen to me!” I begged, reaching for his hand, but he pulled away as though my touch

burned him. “This isn’t real! I don’t know how this happened, but I swear to you, I didn’t betray you believe me”

Liam’s jaw tightened, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “How could you do this to me, Sophia? How could you do this to us?”

“I didn’t,” I said, my voice breaking. “You know me, Liam. You know I’d never hurt you like this. Please, you have to believe me!”

“Believe you?” he said, his voice filled with anguish. “How can I, Sophia? How can I believe anything you say now?”

“Liam, please,” I began, my voice trembling. But what could I say? The photos plastered across the screen were damning—a cruel, elaborate trap.

Before I could find the words, Lucas moved closer, placing himself between us like a shield. His voice was calm, authoritative. “Sophia is innocent. This is my fault, not hers.”

“Your fault?” Liam shot back, his fists clenching. “What’s your angle, Lucas? You don’t even know her!”

“What the hell is this, Lucas?” Liam demanded, his anger now directed at Lucas. “Is this some sick joke to you? Some kind of power play?”

Luca's expression remained calm, almost cold. “I had nothing to do with the release of those photos,” he said smoothly. “But the fact remains, Sophia is innocent.”

“Innocent?” Liam laughed bitterly. “Are you kidding me?”

“Yes,” Lucas said, his tone steady. “This is a setup. And if you’re too blind to see that, then maybe you never deserved her.”

Liam bristled, his fists clenching at his sides. “You don’t get to talk about what Sophia and I deserve.”

“What are you doing?”

“Fixing this,” he replied simply, his gray eyes boring into mine.

“Fixing it?” Liam demanded, his voice breaking. “You call this fixing it? You humiliated her in front of everyone and ruined my engagement with her!”

“Enough,” Lucas said coldly, cutting him off. “This isn’t the time or place for theatrics. Sophia and I have made a decision.”

My heart thundered in my chest. What decision?

Then he said it: “Sophia will marry me.”

The room erupted again, but this time I couldn’t hear the voices over the roaring in my ears. My mother fainted dramatically, collapsing into the arms of a nearby guest. Liam staggered back, his face crumbling as though someone had punched him. And Angel? Angel stood in the corner, her lips curling into a triumphant smile.

Liam lunged at him, but security stepped in, pulling him back before he could reach Lucas. The room erupted into chaos, guests shouting and whispering, their faces a mixture of horror and amusement.

“Stop it!” I screamed, standing up shakily. “All of you, just stop!”

Liam turned to me, his face twisted with pain. “This is over, Sophia. Do you hear me? We’re done.”

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as tears streamed down my face. “Liam, please. Don’t do this. I’ll fix it. I’ll prove to you that this isn’t what it looks like.”

“You’ll prove it?” he repeated bitterly. “Good luck.” He shoved past me, storming out of the ballroom and leaving me standing there, broken.

As the doors slammed shut behind him, the weight of what had just happened crushed me. My mother pulled me into a standing position, her expression a mixture of anger and pity.

“Mum,” I whimpered, turning toward her like a child seeking refuge. “Mum, you have to believe me. I didn’t do this!”

“What have you done?” she demanded, her voice trembling. “What is this? Is this how you repay your family after everything we’ve done for you?”

“Mum, I didn’t do it!” I sobbed. “I swear, I don’t even remember—”

Angel stepped forward, her arms crossed and a smug look on her face. “Oh, come on, Sophia. You expect us to believe you ‘don’t remember’? Those pictures don’t look like you were under duress to me.”

“Angel, this isn’t helping,” Aunt Clara said, though her tone lacked sympathy.

“Helping?” Angel scoffed. “I’m just saying what everyone here is thinking. If Sophia didn’t want this to happen, she wouldn’t have been caught like that.”

“Shut up, Angel!” I snapped, my voice trembling with fury. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Enough!” my mother’s voice cracked like a whip. She turned back to me, her eyes blazing. “Sophia, tell me the truth. Are those photos real?”

“They’re real,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding in my ears. “But I didn’t do this, Mum. I don’t remember any of it. Someone must have—”

“Someone?” Liam’s bitter laugh cut through the room. “That’s your excuse? Someone made you sneak off with Lucas and pose for those pictures? How stupid do you think I am, Sophia?”

“We’re going home,” she said firmly. “Right now.”

I nodded numbly, my vision blurry with tears. As I followed her out of the room, Angel’s voice rang out behind me.

“Guess the princess isn’t so perfect after all,” she said, her tone dripping with mockery.

I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. All I could think about was the look on Liam’s face, the hatred in his eyes, and the burning question in my mind:

Who did this to me—and why?