The Devil’s Crown

Evelyn’s POV

We were lined up like goods to be sold at a trade fair. My breaths grew heavy, almost trembling to death. And when I turned to the other nurses, I saw it in their eyes too.

They appeared terrified beyond words.

Suddenly, the air shifted, and I felt a new presence inside the room even though he had not revealed himself yet.

“Lucifer.” His men bowed.

The next minute, he stepped into view. His jaw tightened as his gaze swept over us, sharp and deliberate.

The black suit clung to his frame like a second skin, revealing his strong chest showing beneath his white shirt. His red eyes could scare a soul to death, and his facial muscles.

Oh God.

They were so rigid that you would think he had never smiled since he was born.

For a moment, I thought I was dreaming.

I thought maybe I was seeing double, until I saw his tattoo.

The same black ink that carved out a dangerous skull on his chest.

I couldn’t forget it so easily.

It was him.

Lucifer. The devil.

I heard that his real name was Lorenzo Scofield, and no one really knew his history.

It was rumored that he had existed for years, but not even a soul knew for how long.

“Is this all?” His stern voice cut through the already heavy air.

One of his men responded immediately. “Yes, boss.”

My nails dug into my palm, cold shivers ran down my spine as I shut my eyes.

Don’t look at me….please.

“Very good,” he murmured.

My eyes met his in disbelief. A part of me burned with anger, while another part ached with something far worse. The realization that he didn’t even recognize the girl he destroyed years ago.

How his cursed fingers unleashed black magic that took away everything I had ever cherished.

My dad, my mom and my twin brother.

Leaving me all alone in this wicked world with just my little sister who is still sick till date. I was twelve, but I still remembered how it all happened.

Everything that had ever made me happy vanished the day I watched him from my hideout, burning them alive with just a finger.

And today, they had stormed our hospital, fired bullets into the air to scare away all our patients, then assembled all the nurses for God knows what.

He paced around the room, his breaths rough and ragged. Behind his eyes, I could see fire.

Whatever was troubling him must have been a big one.

He took in a sharp breath. “I heard I could get the best treatment here,” he said.

Our faces were buried to the ground. None of us had the guts to challenge men with guns.

My eyes caught my best friend Elena, she was shaking, her lips quivering as though she were whispering silent prayers to a God who had long abandoned her.

I was scared too, but every instinct in me kept pushing me to talk back at him, scolding him for causing chaos in a public place. Another part of me wished I could overpower his men, grab one of their guns, and pull the trigger on his skull for taking away everything I had ever valued.

Then he moved swiftly and walked back to the sofa facing us. He sank into it, his legs parted like he was at some kind of show, waiting for the real entertainment to begin.

His jaw twitched as he leaned back in the chair. “My body… it doesn’t work anymore.” He took a sharp breath, muttering some words that I doubted anyone else heard, before he continued. “You hear me? My manhood is fucking dead!”

The room stretched into silence. 

We didn’t speak. We didn’t move. Even breathing felt borrowed.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw how he took his time looking at us. “And one of you will have to find a solution to it,” he said flatly. His words cut through the room, sharp and cold.

“Right now!”

We all flinched. None of us dared to ask questions.

“And if I find out that you are not useful to me… you are as good as dead.” He spoke with an emotionless calm, like killing people was some kind of fun to him.

His eyes roamed among us. “You!” He pointed at Nurse Grace. “Step forward.”

She hesitated, fidgeting.

“Don’t let me repeat myself,” he ordered, his voice colder than stone.

Then Grace took a measured step forward, her body shaking so fiercely that I thought she would miss her next step.

Just then, she was standing in front of Lorenzo.

“I… I… I’ll need you to provide a semen sample so we can evaluate sperm quality and function.” she stammered.

He glanced at her for a while, deliberating whether she could actually be helpful. “Do it yourself….” he hissed, his eyes daring her to defy him.

Grace did not fight it. With trembling hands, she went for his belt, ripped it apart, and slipped her hand into Lorenzo’s pants.

But he quickly tightened his grip on her wrist, his face a few inches away from hers. “You will have to make me feel something with just your hands. I don’t care about your scientific experiment.”

“What…!” The word tore from my mouth before I could stop it.

He gave me a hard glare that made my throat sink into my chest.

Then turned back to Grace. “Go on.” He released his grip and relaxed his hands unashamedly on the armrest of the sofa.

Nurse Grace proceeded as she reached for him, her breath hitching in fear with every stroke she gave him. Beads of sweat dangled on her jaw, yet she forced herself forward. 

Minutes passed she pushed with everything in her, but he remained motionless.

Clearly not affected by her touch.

Is he even human?

Then Lorenzo held her wrist again, stopping her instantly. “You did not pass the task.” He sneered, his head turned to one of his men.

And with just an eye movement, his guard was already marching toward them. “No, no…. Let me try again.” Grace pleaded. 

The guard turned a deaf ear to her. He stood Grace up, and before we knew what was happening, a gunshot was fired at her.

My whole world stilled.

At the beginning, I thought all this was a movie, or maybe I had just stumbled into a mafia dark romance novel. But seeing Lorenzo’s cold face masked with no guilt, the way his men stood waiting for his orders to take any life, and then Grace’s lifeless body, made me believe that everything happening here tonight was not a dream.

How on earth did he expect us to bring his manhood to life just like that?

My eyes dropped to the floor where Grace had fallen, and her blood spilled all over the marble.

That was when I knew this was real.

The devil is real.

Lucifer has no heart. Killing someone was just like a game to him.

And at this point, I could not define my fate.

What if I fail the task?

Is this how my life will end?

God have mercy on me. If I eventually survive this, I swear I’m done with this job forever.