Devil's Eve

Breaking News!

"Chairman Austin Dawson of Dawson Group is dead!"

That was the headline that jolted the citizens of S Country awake that morning.

Austin Dawson-founder and chairman of Dawson Group was no ordinary businessman. His company was one of the top ten pillars of S Country's economy. In just six years, Dawson Group had climbed from number ten to number six on the list of national corporate giants.

In the center of the city in a luxurious apartment, a young woman stood under a hot shower, humming softly. Her long auburn hair clung to her petite frame, swaying gently with each motion.

Then she heard the news.

Freeze.

That was her first reaction.

Then she bolted out of the bathroom, water dripping down her half-washed body. She didn't even towel off. Instead, she yanked her wardrobe open, grabbed the nearest clothes without looking, threw them on haphazardly, and ran out to her car.

One hand gripping the steering wheel, she used the other to dial a number from memory. It rang three times before someone picked up.

"Mr. Long! What is this nonsense on the news? Saying my grandfather is dead? Who would spread such a vile rumor?"

Her voice was sharp with disbelief and fury.

"I want you to find out who's behind this and sue them. Do you hear me? Sue them all! How dare they wish death on my grandfather?!"

The young woman was Evelyn Dawson–granddaughter of Chairman Austin Dawson and president of Dawson Groups.

A brief pause came on the line. Then, in a somber voice, Mr. Long replied:

"

Ms. President... I'm sorry.

The news... is true.

The chairman is indeed dead."

Evelyn's car suddenly screeched to a halt in the middle of the road-so loud that even Mr. Long heard it through the phone.

"Ms. President! Are you okay?" he asked, alarmed. But Evelyn couldn't hear him. Not really. The words were echoing in her head, drowning out everything else.

"What do you mean, Mr. Long?" she asked, her voice trembling. Confusion clouded her thoughts. Surely, she had misunderstood him.

She had known Mr. Long for years-her grandfather's most loyal assistant. He wasn't the type to joke, let alone about something this... devastating.

"Ms. President," Mr. Long said again, more gently this time. His voice was heavy, laced with sorrow. "The Chairman... he's gone. He's dead."

"No," Evelyn breathed. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel. "No. That's not true. You're lying."

Her mind reeled.

Last night, her grandfather had told her he was going out for a quick drink with a shareholder. Just a short meeting, he'd said. He promised to return within a few hours. Evelyn had even promised to call him later to make sure he got home safe.

But she had fallen asleep–exhausted from an entire day of back-to-back meetings and deadlines.

When she woke up in the middle of the night, she had seen his message:

"I'm back. All good. Sleep well."

He had texted her. He had returned safely. So how could he be dead now?

Her grandfather had no health conditions-at least, none she knew of. He was strong, active, and always took care of himself. Nothing made sense.

"It's true, Ms. President," Mr. Long said softly. "The doctor said he suffered a sudden increase in blood pressure and collapsed. There was no one around to help... and he... he didn't make it."

There was silence on Evelyn's end. Then-

Click.

She ended the call.

Without another thought, she restarted the engine, spun the car around, and sped off toward A City Hospital.

-

The moment Evelyn arrived at the hospital, she pushed through the glass doors and rushed to the front desk, breathless and panicked.

"Chairman Austin Dawson," she said urgently. "What room is he in?"

"Please hold on," the receptionist said, typing quickly into the computer. "Room 407, fourth floor-"

But Evelyn didn't wait to hear the rest. She was already racing toward the elevators.

They were slow-too slow.

With her heart pounding in her chest, she turned and sprinted up the stairs. By the time she reached the fourth floor, her breath came in sharp gasps, but she didn't stop. She charged down the hallway, scanning the numbers until-

407.

She froze.

Just ahead, the door to Room 407 was open, and a group of nurses and a doctor were already wheeling a covered body out on a gurney.

"Wait!" Evelyn cried out, pushing her way through them. "That's my grandfather!"

"Ma'am, you're not allowed here," one of the nurses said firmly, trying to block her.

"What do you mean?" Evelyn snapped. "I am his family!"

The doctor, recognizing her, held up a hand. "Let her through," he said to the staff, then turned to her. "You have five minutes, Ms. Dawson."

The hallway cleared, and Evelyn was left alone in the sterile silence of the hospital corridor. Her eyes slowly turned to the figure on the gurney-still, silent, draped in white.

She took one unsteady step... then another.

Each movement made her legs tremble harder, her breath more shallow. She stopped beside the body. Her hand, cold and shaking, reached forward and gently lifted the sheet.

It was him.

Austin Dawson.

Her grandfather.

Evelyn recoiled, the sheet slipping from her fingers. Her eyes blinked rapidly, as if trying to erase the image she had just seen.

"No... Grandpa..." she whispered, her voice cracking.

Her knees buckled. She caught herself against the edge of the gurney, holding on for support as silent tears poured down her face.

She had prayed-hoped-that Mr. Long had somehow gotten it wrong. That it was a mistake. A mix-up. Anything.

But now, standing here in front of her Grandfather's lifeless body, Evelyn knew.

It wasn't a mistake.

Her Grandfather was truly gone.

____

Outside the ward, a phone rang.

The doctor pulled it from his coat pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and immediately stepped away from the door. He cleared his throat, then answered, his voice low and respectful.

"Mr. Dawson," he said, instinctively bowing even though the man on the other end couldn't see him.

"Yes, the body has been laid out. We're preparing to transfer it to the mortuary now."

"Mm." The voice on the other end grunted in approval. "Good job. We'll discuss your promotion later, shall we?"

"Yes, yes, sir! Thank you very much! Thank you," the doctor said, beaming, his eyes blazing with greedy satisfaction.

Then came the command that wiped the smile from his face:

"Cremate the body quickly. No one else needs to see him."

The doctor froze.

Evelyn Dawson.

He had completely forgotten she was still inside with the body. Panic shot through him-but he didn't dare say anything that might make Mr. Dawson reconsider the promise of promotion. So, quickly, he composed himself.

"Yes, sir," he said, voice tight. The line went dead.

He turned sharply and strode back to the ward, barking at the nurses, "Open the door. Get that woman out. Now."

The nurses obeyed without hesitation.

Inside the room, Evelyn had just reached out again, her hand trembling as she prepared to lift the sheet one more time to see his face, to convince herself it was real when the door burst open.

Three nurses rushed in.

"Ma'am, please step out," one said firmly.

Before Evelyn could respond, hands grabbed her arms. She struggled, startled. "What are you doing?! Let me go!"

"Ma'am, we're sorry," another nurse muttered, but they didn't stop. They dragged her back, away from the gurney.

Evelyn cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "That's my grandfather! Let me go! LET ME GO!"

She watched helplessly as they wheeled his body out of the room fast, like they were trying to erase him.

Gone.

Just like that.

When they disappeared from view, Evelyn crumpled to the cold hospital floor. Her shoulders shook as grief consumed her.

She wept-alone, confused.

____

Evelyn was sitting on the floor hugging her legs. Her body had gone numb from crying for a long time. She looked as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her.

Behind her, her phone kept ringing nonstop. She had dropped it when the nurses dragged her out.

A thought suddenly crossed Evelyn's mind. Her Grandfather was estranged with his children. But despite the past grievances, shouldn't they be here? Why hasn't anyone come to see him?

At that moment, Evelyn heard the phone ringing beside her, like an alarm pulling her back to consciousness. She wiped her face and slowly reached for it. The caller ID showed 'Assistant Brittany'.

Seeing this, Evelyn swallowed her sorrow and answered in a professional tone.

"Brittany!..."

"Ma'am, you need to get down here now," Brittany said, urgency coating every word. "Someone's called a meeting with the board of directors."