The Lucifer's Muse

e far when the r

eady, re

me with umbrellas, so

stand there, dr

o check th

For the past three years, Jayden was the one who'd

memory stung

ere, the more the pain

inutes passed before the

rough. She hadn't eve

ayden had bought her fo

red at it... then, without t

g reminds

urred he

urent..." she whispe

given by a faceless bene

day my b

l dream preten

nched

h

working a

bly still at t

m of seeing her fa

o

Too pretty, too tempting. People saw her as a threat to their rela

her back then.

e was no one

the city lights blur

o a soaked backpack and a

checked the time

sert & Co

wiping do

Latte or Americano?" she

tronger?" Ixora

e. Hold on, give me a fe

dn't looked a

e the ext

gain? Or did Mrs. Elish

outh, but Rita gri

u this time? Wait - don't t

d down Ixo

," she whispered

nutes

th their usual 3

brigh

the birth

She must've gotten the

okay to you?

Jayden this morni

hesi

call

later, Diana r

d. She's probabl

fro

hat's go

a si

e told her

yden's

demy's cru

exp

rd!" she shouted, gra

phone's dead. Do

nted to

picked

oaked an

out in

know she runs a fev

voice c

posed to perfo

wai

leaving behind a simple gift: a

ta made for her birthda

it out, the do

stood

nch

ok

le

wrapping her

be. Let

ke down i

?" she

without him,"

Ixora told h

ened, hea

reached f

but... it's an audition. One of

nked thro

itio

ost her sight but kept dancing. They need extras for the d

eyes w

ser

ess it's fate." R

d her into

nk y

her an old b

y old SIM's

e n

de her w

y st

all

ped her

st t

enly grabbe

d, kicking

ed from the figure

- v

over

usly?

e stranger under a discarded

ootstep

while,

f and turned on the t

man's face. A deep

brea

g him into her apartment, l

" the man

ing. Or

uickly, lifting hi

ered open, his hand shot

oughing, gestur

a vase nearby, and she s

olla

was that...?"

cross the floor, exhaustion weighing down her delicate frame. The stranger's faint, shallow brea

:00 AM, the

sed in his temple as his fingers instinctively reached up to touch the bandage around his head. The ro

ugh his skull. His hand went to his pocket, pulling out a sl

rdered coldly into the receiver, hi

for a reply, h

her face seemed fragile, almost ethereal. Strands of damp hair clung to her cheek. Even in sleep, her

. And yet, something about this girl made him pause. He didn't even realize he'd raised his phone unti

o kept mementos. Or

e find her

place spoke of poverty and struggle. He noticed a faded ballet poster tacked to one wall - a Swan Princess performance,

chill of early morning rain. A faint metallic scent lingered

sleep. He should leave. His men would arrive any minute, and it was safer

cognition in his mind - she was a stranger, another nameless face in a city tee

old himself. Y

d at the door - two

ner jacket pocket, tucking it beneath the half-finished

ebt," he muttered,

it opened, two men in dark coats stepped inside,

No witnesses,

snapped.

h that, Nico slipped into the night, his

23

woke to

, she didn't remember where she was or what had h

alley. The m

to the spot where she'd laid him down. Empty. O

nfused, she picked it up. Inside were crisp bil

ached, written in nea

ees. Forget y

e. No

feel relieved. Instead, an odd

she whispered t

just yet. Her gaze drifted to the window where dawn's

the world was moving

. She grabbed Rita's old button phone and