A Deal with The Devil

Upon arriving at the station, she noticed two officers battling to force a large man inside the building. This made her realize how busy the people behind those two glass doors were. She gave the police officers a nod as she briefly observed the large man. She scowled, remembering how recently she had seen this man on the news. The man was released after serving fifteen years for killing his employer.

"What did he do?" Walking alongside the two officers, Kathrina questioned them.

"He stabbed the wife of his former employer."

Kathrina's mind momentarily blanked. She would never be able to comprehend how a criminal's brain works on a daily basis. Like this man, he had the opportunity to write a new chapter in his life, yet he chose to pour ink into his book of life.

"The victim?" she questioned the officers again.

"She was rushed to the emergency room. The last news we heard was she needed to undergo surgery."

Kathrina nodded slightly. She then let the officers carry out their duties.

'Now he would have to serve a life sentence in prison.'

Kathrina took a short breath as she approached the meeting room's front entrance. Before she swung the door open, she raised her hand to knock twice. She entered the space and observed Joe Smith sitting on the left side of the wooden, black, rectangular table. As usual, he looked neat, with his hair nicely combed to the back. Clarissa Clark was fiddling with her nails beside Joe. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and Clarissa greeted her with a broad smile that revealed all her pearly white teeth. Theodore was sitting in front of them and appeared to be completely bored.

Kathrina then dragged her feet to the chair beside Theo's. She pushed the chair back and rested her bum. She took her phone from her jacket pocket, then typed something fast to her mother to inform her that she was in good condition. It was her routine to give a morning report since she moved out from her parent's house. They would only leave her alone if she gave them a text at least once a day.

"What happened to you? Your face doesn't look good."

Kathrine followed the source of a voice on her left. She gave Theo a questionable look, "I'm good."

"Really?" Theo voiced his doubt.

"Hmmm."

Sensing her lack of interest, Theo stopped the conversation. He exhaled in defeat. It was hard to converse with Kathrina. She never showed even the slightest enthusiasm for whatever he tried to offer. In front of him, Theo catches Clarissa and Joe, giving him a look of pity. They had long known that he liked Kathrina, but the woman never gave him a chance even to hold a long conversation with her. It had been nearly two years since Kathrina joined their team, and he had been in an unrequited love situation since then.

The four turned to look when they heard a door opening. A forty-year-old man joined them. He was Xavier Flinn, the leader of their team. He was the one who chose her to receive the early promotion. Although she was a little too young to be on the team, Xavier thought she had the talent to be on the team.

"I believe all of you have been well, so let's just start," Xavier announced; he didn't bother to make small talk.

"Regarding Alex Frank's case, he could be charged with third-degree murder. The evidence pointed to him, from the fingerprints on the trash bin to the description of our witness. Yesterday, the forensic team delivered their final report. It was noted that the lack of oxygen was the prime reason for Miss Francesca's death." Joe briefed his team with general information.

"Miss Francesca had several wounds when we discovered her body. Did the forensics team mention it?" As she turned to face Joe, Kathrina circled the image on Francesca's case file in her possession.

"There was a possibility of an assault," Joe stated.

"Then we should request Mrs. Frank's presence once more. Suppose she confirms that Alex Frank was an abusive husband while he was with her. In that case, we should be able to wrap this case with the addition of domestic violence." Clarissa spoke for the first time; her gaze landed on Xavier, waiting for her leader to conclude everything.

"Okay, so the first thing to do is to summon Mrs. Frank; Clarissa and Joe will oversee her. Kathrina needs to complete the report after confirmation, after which we can send the case to the prosecutor. And Theo, Alex Frank is your responsibility. Make sure he won't escape. Are we clear?" Xavier's loud voice filled the whole room.

"Yes, Sir." They all responded at the same time.

"Meeting adjourned."

Xavier walked out of the room, followed by Joe and Theo. Clarissa mouthed 'stay' to Kathrina, so in the end, both stayed behind.

"You should treat him more nicely, Kath." Clarissa opened her mouth after she was sure no one except her and Kathrina was in the room.

Kathrina's face was devoid of any sign of interest. She raised her eyes to meet Clarissa's piercing blue pupils. "Who?" she asked flatly.

"Theo, you know he likes you, right?"

"I treat all of you the same. No one is special to me in this team." She declared. She was not obligated to treat that someone better just because one of them had a special feeling for her.

"You heartless woman," Clarissa reacted by huffing. Kathrina was as hard as a stone. It would need more time and patience to slide into her list of special people' They were on the same team for almost two years. However, Kathrina still felt a distance away from them. Their interaction was limited to murder cases. Nevertheless, Clarissa still clung to her like a koala every day. She believed Kathrina would eventually accept her.

Kathrina ignored Clarissa's comments. She prepared to leave the woman alone as she got up from her chair.

"Wait, let's go together."

Clarissa took Kathrina's hand and walked out together like a couple.

***

On the other hand, in the restaurant at the Grand Blue Hotel, the tense atmosphere could be felt piercing through the bones. Only Arthur and another man wearing a dapper dark blue suit were present in the deserted restaurant. They each evaluated one another, attempting to analyze one another's motivations.

Arthur leaned back, crossed his legs, then rested his palms on his knee. He waited until his opponent talked first to reveal his purpose to him. But the man in front of him seemed uncertain about voicing his needs.

"Let's not waste each other's time, shall we?"

Arthur broke the silence due to impatience. They had been staring at one other like lovers for the entire time, and he realized as he glanced at his watch.

"I was waiting for you to give your offer, Ford." The man said. He grinned slyly at Arthur. Then, he raised his hand and positioned it on the table.

"You already know that FSS has the ideal solution for achieving your current goal…."

"And what is it that I want?" The man interrupted Arthur's words, his eyes gleaming with interest,

"Oliver's position."

"But I already have it. Don't you think you should give a better offer?" The haughtiness in the man's voice was evident to all.

"You have not. I believe you already know I was behind Oliver's downfall. If I could make him lose his crown like that, what gives you the impression that I cannot do the same to you?"

"I am well aware of your reputation, Ford. But you want something from me, so your threat won't come true any time soon."

"That's where you were wrong. I can destroy your chance just by one phone call, so don't play smart with me. It makes you look like a fool." Arthur's voice was as calm as the sea. While waiting, he tapped his fingers on the table.

"Okay, but what do you want from me?" The man did not yield to him out of fear, rather than knowing that Arthur's assistance would bring more fortune to him. It was better to be Arthur's ally than his foe. In the future, if Arthur stopped helping him, then he would change ship. It was easy; he would make sure to be the winner in this bargain.

"Nothing much. I just need your assistance."

"My assistance? What kind of assistance?"

"My secretary Belle Hills would be the one explaining it to you." Arthur gestured for the man to look behind his shoulder. Belle was seated there beautifully. "I believe we have a deal. So, I'll be leaving you with my secretary."

Arthur didn't wait for the man to process his words. He got to his feet and started moving in the direction of the exit door, but then, as if recalling something, he paused. He turned to face the man again. "Remember, don't play smart with me. I will know when you betray me." Arthur's voice dropped lower. His cold eyes seized the man as if he wanted to freeze the man with just his gaze.

"Be careful. I'll keep an eye on you."

Belle walked over to the table with a graceful step. She eyed the man with pity. This man was unaware that he had struck a pact with the devil. She motioned with her hand for the man to take a seat before beginning to go over the specifics of the contract. Before she finished her explanation, the man abruptly got up from his chair. He looked terrified.

"What's the meaning of this? Is he insane? Fear was evident on the man's face as he increased his voice.

"You simply need to do your part, and Mr. Ford will take care of the rest, so you don't need to know what he wants. But, just for your information, you won't be able to refuse it now that you've read the contract." Bella pushed the paper and pen in front of the man. "You can sign there." She pointed to the location where the man's name was written.

With shaking hands, the man seized the pen. He would either reach the greatest position or the lowest position as a result of this arrangement. He wrote his sign heavily as if the pen weighed a ton. After he was done, the man finally returned the contract to Belle. He felt as though he had just signed his own death certificate as he saw Belle put the file in her bag.

"Please wait patiently for the next instruction. Oh, and please behave well. Mr. Ford is not a forgiving type."

He received another warning, this time from Belle. His shoulders slumped as he realized that dealing with a person like Arthur Ford had been a terrible mistake for him.