Chapter 2 Absolute mad woman

Evelina knew she sounded like an absolute madwoman.

"You're crazy, Evie," a frantic whisper screamed in the back of her head, but the oddest thing was that she didn’t feel it. She felt completely sane, her thoughts unusually sharp and clearheaded.

This was the most reckless, daring thing she had ever done in her life—and undeniably the most terrifying, too. Yet, she was calmer than ever; more certain about this sudden choice than anything else she had faced since receiving her terminal diagnosis.

The man directed a gaze of profound disbelief at her. His stormy gray eyes pierced through her as if trying to pry straight into her soul. But when he saw the unwavering, solid look in her eyes, he simply shook his head.

He failed to understand this fragile, tiny creature standing before him. For centuries, everyone he crossed paths with begged for safety and yearned for heaven, yet this ordinary human girl was standing here begging to experience hell? He was simply stupefied. In all his long existence, this little girl might just be the most intriguing person he had ever met.

"Green," he finally asked, his voice dropping to a low, smooth rumble. "What is your name?"

"Evie… Evelina Lockridge."

"Evelina…" he echoed, testing the syllables. His long, pale fingers brushed against her cheek once more, slowly tracing the same stray strand of dark hair he had just tucked behind her ear. Hearing her name on his lips sent a strange, cold shiver down her spine.

He seemed to be contemplating something heavily as he looked into her eyes again, before a wicked, utterly devastating smile broke across his glorious face.

"Sorry but…" he started, his dead gray eyes traveling down from her head all the way to her toes before returning to her face. "I'm not interested in unattractive girls."

His blunt comment, paired with that playful, mocking smirk, hit her like an unexpected slap. Evie was usually completely unaffected by these kinds of shallow, judgmental comments that boys and girls often threw at her. She simply didn't care what outsiders said about her looks. So why was it that this dangerous man's words riled her up to this extent?

"Just you wait! I will prove to you how attractive I can be!" Evie shot back, the words flying out of her mouth before she could stop them. She didn't even know how she had managed to speak with such intense confidence. She was a girl who normally faded into the background, a girl who wouldn't even bother justifying herself to anyone. What she was saying right now was a complete shock even to herself. She didn't know she was capable of acting this way, until now.

But the man's only response was another fascinating, dark chuckle.

"Green, you really are unbelievable," he said. Then, his expression abruptly shifted again, the corner of his thin lips turning down in visible disapproval. "But I'm serious. I'm not into little girls."

"The women I can guess you've been are barely older than me," she argued fiercely, refusing to back down.

"Those women are mature, alluring, and sophisticated," he countered smoothly, raising an eyebrow. "And you… even though you're young, you look like a granny."

Evie was getting more and more aggravated by the second. No one had ever managed to make her feel this deeply annoyed before. She knew the way she had dressed up today was, as always, purposely unfashionable. Her hair was pulled back into tight, boring braids; she was wearing thick, fake eyeglasses, and her heavy winter coat was an unappealing, oversized, and bulky mess. She knew she looked entirely unappealing at the moment. After all, this was exactly the appearance she had been aiming for today—intending to look so damned unattractive that no man would ever bother to look at her.

"I purposely dressed like this today!" she hissed bravely. If only she had known that she would cross paths with a literal billionaire executioner at the end of the day, she would have at least made herself a little more presentable.

"Oh... really?"

"I will show you."

The man snickered, shaking his head in sheer wonder. For a split second, a dangerous, predatory glimmer flared in his stormy eyes as he stared down at her. But it abruptly disappeared as his heavy hand landed on her head, casually ruffling her hair.

"Go home, Green. It's late." He smiled mockingly, turned on his heel, and smoothly glided into the back of his luxury sedan.

"Wait!" she called out.

But Malakor merely gave a careless wave through the tinted glass before the car pulled away, leaving her standing alone in the damp garage, astounded and unexpectedly furious.

Evie walked back to her own car, her chest heaving with deep frustration. She slammed her door shut and gripped the steering wheel, her brows tightly pulled together. She couldn't understand why that rude man had such a deeply unnerving effect on her. Was it just because he rejected and mocked her appearance? But she was truly used to that kind of thing. A superficial comment like that definitely shouldn't frustrate her to this extent. More importantly, her heart was still pounding frantically against her ribs. The man was long gone, and yet, she was still incredibly nervous?! What was going on? Could it be that this intense nervousness was just the massive adrenaline aftershock of her sudden bravery? That was the only sensible reason she could think of.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Evie reached out and started the engine. Suddenly, a sharp knock on her driver’s side window made her jump.

A man was standing right outside, smiling warmly at her. He wore a sleek black leather jacket, possessed a sharp, striking jawline, and was—frustratingly—another unbelievably good-looking man. Evie stared at him through the glass. What is wrong with this place? Why do ridiculously attractive men keep popping out of nowhere in dark parking garages?!

Evie didn't dare roll down the window. Her eyes immediately darted upward, searching the concrete ceiling until she spotted a security camera positioned right above her parking slot. Relaxing only slightly, she hesitated, glaring at the stranger.

"You are completely outrageous, Evie," she muttered to herself, shaking her head as though she was now fully convinced she had gone crazy. "You didn't fear offering your entire life to a literal murderer a few minutes ago, but now you're afraid to open your window to a pleasant-looking stranger?!"

The man knocked again, flashing his bright, pleasant smile, as if he was purposefully using his striking looks to lure her out of her shell.

I have something to give you, she read his lips through the glass.

Heaving a deep sigh, she finally rolled down the car's window a few inches.

"Hello, Miss…" he grinned, flashing his perfect white teeth. He was truly another out-of-this-world beauty. Although, in the back of her mind, she knew that ruthless killer still beat him easily when she compared their presence.

"What is it? Do you need something?" she asked politely but firmly.

The man leaned closer, slipping a folded piece of heavy cardstock through the gap in the window.

"If you want to meet that man again, just contact me and I'll tell you exactly where to find him," he said, smiling kindly at her. He had a remarkably pleasant, easygoing atmosphere about him that made one feel he didn't have any immediate ulterior motives. He looked like the kind of man who could easily entice people with just his sweet smile. Still, after what she had witnessed tonight, Evie had a strong hunch that anyone associated with Malakor was highly dangerous.

"That man?" Evie creased her brows, trying to confirm, even though she already knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Mm. That cold man who just told you that you look like a granny," he grinned, his eyes crinkling. Evie blinked at him, her frustration instantly flaring right back up.

"You know him?" she finally asked.

The man nodded, his grin turning highly mischievous. "He's my friend. You can call me Elias."

"W-why would you want to help me see him again?"

"Because you want to show him that his judgment is entirely wrong," Elias grinned again, looking as though he was actively encouraging her rebellion. "So let's just say… I highly enjoy seeing Malakor proven wrong. I'm just helping you prove your point."

Evie was even more confused, completely bewildered by the bizarre turn her night had taken. But before she could voice another question, Elias started to pull his hand away from the car door.

"Unless you don't want to? Did you already change your mind and lose your nerve?" he asked, looking genuinely disappointed.

But the exact moment his hand began retracting, Evie’s hand shot forward and snatched the piece of paper from his fingers.

Elias smiled in absolute satisfaction, stepping back into the dark shadows of the garage. "Good girl. Bye-bye, Miss Green! See you around!"

He waved carelessly, and before Evie could even blink, he vanished

completely around the concrete pillar, leaving her alone in the quiet dark, staring down at the elegant black note in her trembling hand.