The Devil's Sweetheart

Nick has been zoning out a lot since his return, which didnot go unnoticed by Leena and Devin. As usual, he would mask the truth if they tried to pry the details. Never Leena thought Nick\'s feelings for Merl are hindering his ability to live in the present.

\'\'How do I bring him_\'\' Aunt Jalapeno\'s loud scream made her startle. Leena went to the living room out of curiosity, and there he was. Her brother-in-law was shaking in fear, standing at the front door. \'\'Did he offer his butts to Aunt Jalapeno already?\'\' Leena said with a shake of her head.

\'\'Leena, look who has come. My favorite Adney is here.\'\' Aunt Jalapeno yelped as she glanced at Adney with a mischievous grin on her face. \'\'Just in case no one has told you this, I have never seen a nicer butt than yours.\'\'

\'\'Liar,\'\' Adney screamed. \'\'You told the same thing about Kurt bro\'s butt.\'\'

\'\'So, are you jealous of him?\'\' Aunt Jalapeno squealed, clapping her hands. 

Adney\'s mouth formed into a twist. Jealous of a man\'s butt? That\'s the weirdest thought he would think of, even in his dreams. \'\'No wonder your husband ditched you for another woman,\'\' Having said that, Adney raced inside the house before Aunt Jalapeno catches him.

\'\'You brat! I was the one who ditched that bummer.\'\' Aunt Jalapeno slammed her fist on the door, recalling the day she caught her husband with another man in the bed. She gave him another chance when he pleaded, but she should have better known that he would cheat on her for the second time as well. She breathed a sigh of relief and went into the kitchen to let the brother-in-law and sister-in-law have a chat.

\'\'Long time, no see, dingleberry,\'\' 

Adney snapped at Leena, hearing the familiar nickname.

\'\'Call me anything except dingleberry,\'\' Adney wryly said. \'\'Don\'t ask me why. It\'s my secret.\'\' The name is reserved for only one person.

Leena\'s eyes held a glint of humor. Leaning forward, she whispered into his ears, causing him to take a backward step in fear. \'\'And I know your secret.\'\'

\'\'What do you_\'\'

\'\'Your room is upstairs.\'\' Straightening herself, Leena cut him off. She has ample time to tease him. \'\'Go, and get fresh.\'\'

\'\'You know, sister-in-law, I can stay in Nick\'s room.\'\' Adney covered his lies with a sheepish grin. \'\'We can save electricity and labor.\'\'

\'\'Classic excuse people give who are scared of ghosts.\'\' Her fear of ghosts mirrored in Adney\'s eyes. \'\'I don\'t blame you. I have been there.\'\'

\'\'Then let\'s embrace.\'\' Adney leaned forward for a hug, but with a flick on his forehead, Leena pushed him. \'\'Let\'s get into the topic. Don\'t bring her topic in front of Nick.\'\' Leena had seen Nick and Adney\'s closeness. So, she requested Adney to stay for a while until Nick becomes his usual self.

\'\'Leave him to me. I will take care\'\' He winked.

....

A mother\'s revenge and a son\'s crazed love obsession have thrown Devin under the radar. \'\'We searched every nook and canny with the information we got. But where is this woman hiding?\'\'

\'\'Honestly, I don\'t have an answer for your question, Vincy,\'\' Kurt added. \'\'She is turning into a most mysterious woman each passing second, just like her son..Did you try to poach the anti\'s of Leius labs?\'\'

\'\'Some. But we have a long way to go. The drugs developed in Enger\'s company are tested negative despite their side effects. Eight years back, scientist Ekaterina was investigating Enger\'s company in secret, but she turned into the void all of a sudden. This is another added mystery to Enger\'s list.\'\' Writing Ekaterina\'s name on the sticky note, Devin pinned it onto the board. The board is filling with mysteries but with no clues and answers.

\'\'Ekaterina?\'\' Kurt thought hard. \'\'How did it slip out of my investigation? But I heard her name. Is she a_

\'\'A renowned biological scientist of the twenty-first century. Enzo\'s wife, and Morvena\'s mother.\'\'

\'\'So her disappearance is related to Enger,\'\' Kurt exclaimed in disbelief. \'\'If Enger is behind her disappearance, we are dealing with the biggest criminal.\'\'

\'\'A stranger is no big deal to him when he killed his father without a beat,\'\' Devin offered his thoughts.

\'\'Can\'t disagree with your statement,\'\' Kurt said. \'\'If Ekaterina\'s body was not found, what if....what if. I got this weird feeling that she might still be alive. Let\'s contact her daughter, and try to find the truth."

\'\'I don\'t want to do anything with her daughter.\'\' The memories of him sitting on a rock and mourning of his memories are still haunting him.

\'\'Why?\'\'

\'\'I..I..I am not comfortable around her.\'\' Devin\'s face was void of expressions.

\'\'That\'s weird of you. Did you had a secret affair with her before Leen_\'\' Kurt swallowed his words, not intended to anger his friend anymore. \'\'

\'\'It\'s only Leena in my life.\'\'

\'\'Kidding. Don\'t worry. I will go to Russia on a secret mission.\'\'

\'\'Good luck then.\'\' Devin suppressed his laugh, foreseeing Kurt\'s rants in the future. He doesn\'t want to share anything about the creepy home Morvena is living in. Let him go, and witness the dark fantasies surrounding the woman.

....

The year 1989

A girl with a backpack walked past the college buildings, her face filled with happiness. It\'s her first day in college, and nothing made her happier than getting into one of the best universities. Becoming a doctor was her childhood dream, and finally, her dreams are turning into reality. Out in her world, she didnot notice a group of senior students were hazing the new members as a part of the welcoming ceremony. In a trice, she gasped when someone threw freezing water out of nowhere, which completely drenched her body.

The girl sharply turned to the group of two girls and three boys, laughing at her. \'\'What\'s that look? It\'s just a soft drink, not an acid. Wanna fight, girl?\'\'

 Being new to the campus, fighting with the seniors on the first day is not a good sign. She kept her anger in check.

\'\'Don\'t mind them.\'\' A man in glasses passed came to her aid and offered her a handkerchief. \'\'Hazing happens in every university. I am Won-shik. What\'s your name.\'\'

The girl didnot respond. Covering her body with a bag, she rushed into a building, searching the restroom.

Finally, upon finding the restroom, she pushed open the door, and to her horror, the room was filled with girls dressing for the ceremony. She cursed herself for not packing an extra shirt. But then a girl in a red dress came to her aid and offered a shirt.

\'\'I was carrying an extra shirt to wear it after the function. But I guess you need this.\'\'

\'\'Thank you.\'\' She offered a smile. With all the bathrooms filled, she sighed and changed into the shirt in front of the red dress girl.

\'\'An angel neck tattoo.\'\' The girl in red exclaimed, marveling at the tattoo on the back of her neck. \'\'It\'s beautiful.\'\'

\'\'Thank you. What\'s your nam_\'\'

\'\'\'Hey Heather. Here you are! I was searching everywhere.\'\' Another girl arrived in the restroom. \'\'Come on. The party is about to start.\'\'

Ruth woke up swiftly and looked around with a startled expression. Two decades passed, but the dream felt like it happened today. \'\'Why did I dream of that woman all of a sudden?\'\'

Without waking the sleeping man next to her, she grabbed the mobile and went to the terrace. \'\'William.\'\' She spoke up as soon as the call got connected. \'\'Return to New York as soon as possible. I need you here. A big event is soon going to happen in their lives. It\'s time to put an end to both mother and daughter\'s lives completely.. Francis has lived enough by taking my son\'s life.\'\'