Love Across the Light Years -The Devil CEO Indulges My Lies.-Chapter 14: Devil’s Incarnation.
"I don’t have time to stand here and argue with you," Camelia said, almost urgently, as she reached out again to pull the little girl toward her. "Eira, come here. We need to leave now."
However, the girl dodged her touch, clinging tighter to Adelyn.
Her sobs were subtle, but Adelyn heard them clearly.
"Eira," Adelyn called softly, her hand lifting to gently caress the girl’s hair.
Eira slowly raised her head to look up at her, her eyes shimmering with tears. Her arms were wrapped around Adelyn’s legs —soft yet firm.
Adelyn couldn’t help but touch her face, almost instinctively, before crouching down to her height again.
"You have a really pretty name," she said gently. "But do you know what’s not pretty about you?"
The girl slowly shook her head, her gaze fixed on Adelyn, unblinking.
"These tears," Adelyn said, wiping them away with care. "They are not pretty at all. They don’t suit you."
She paused and then smiled softly into those doe eyes.
"You know what suits you the most?"
The girl shook her head again, slowly.
Adelyn lifted her fingers and pressed them lightly at the corners of the girl’s lips, guiding them upward into a smile.
"Your smile. That suits you the best." She tapped the girl’s nose lightly. "Do you know how pretty you looked when you smiled at me back in the restaurant?"
The girl didn’t respond —neither nodding nor shaking her head.
But the way her eyes stayed fixed on Adelyn told her enough.
So Adelyn continued, "You looked the prettiest then."
She raised her three fingers solemnly. "No child has ever looked that pretty to me. Trust me."
Then she gently held the girl’s arms.
"So ... don’t let the tears ruin it. Smile. Okay?"
Eira nodded slowly. Though her eyes were still brimming with unshed tears, she forced her lips to smile.
Adelyn knew it wasn’t the same smile she had seen before.
But she also knew she shouldn’t linger on it.
After all, the girl was nothing more than a stranger to her.
And no one stayed genuinely concerned for strangers.
But ...
Then why did the tears in her eyes bother her so much?
Why did they affect her this deeply?
Adelyn lingered a moment longer than necessary before blinking and straightening up.
"Good," she said softly. "It’s getting late now. You should head back home."
Camelia stepped forward, but before she could grab Eira’s hand, the girl clutched Adelyn’s hand again, shaking her head as tears welled up ... once again.
This time, however, Adelyn didn’t indulge her.
Keeping a small smile on her lips, she gently loosened the girl’s grip and stood up.
When Eira reached for her again, Adelyn stepped back, deliberately avoiding her.
"You are being cruel," Amelia said, moving closer. Even she couldn’t bear the sight of the little girl’s tear-streaked face. The longer she looked, the tighter her chest felt.
How could anyone bear to see such an adorable kid like that?
But Adelyn remained firm.
Looking at the little, she said gently, "Be good and go back. Good children follow their schedules and get rewarded." She felt her chest tighten slightly. But taking a deep breath, she chose to ignore it conveniently and said with a smile. "If we meet again, I will bring you chocolates."
"Chocolates?" Eira asked between her sobs.
Though it sounded like the chocolates excited her, her eyes told another story. The flicker of hope in them said something else.
Adelyn paused.
Bringing chocolates wasn’t difficult.
But meeting again was.
She knew she was making a promise that she wasn’t intending to keep —and that was wrong.
But she still nodded. "Yes. Chocolates. You like them, don’t you?"
Every child loves them. She must be the same.
Eira nodded back, reluctantly.
Camelia rolled her eyes and stepped forward to grab Eira’s hand.
This time, Eira didn’t resist. She let herself be pulled away, though her gaze never left Adelyn until they disappeared from sight.
"That was cruel," Amelia complained.
Adelyn took a deep breath and replied calmly, "That was the only way to handle it."
"You —" Amelia pointed at her, gritting her teeth. "You are nothing but heartless, you know that, right?"
Adelyn met her gaze and nodded easily. "I have heard that so many times now that I don’t care to deny it anymore. It’s fine —anyway, it doesn’t put me at any real disadvantage."
"You —"
"Adelyn handled it the right way," Freya intervened. "At this moment, we cannot afford to offend anyone."
"Are you referring to Camelia, Freya?" Amelia asked, not understanding what Freya meant. "She hasn’t become that capable yet, has she?"
"She may not be capable on her own," Freya replied seriously, "but she might have people behind her that could wipe us out."
Amelia froze. "The people behind her? Isn’t she just rumored to be involved with one of the Wa—" The realization struck. "Wait —no! No really. We didn’t dig graves that early."
Though there was no public proof yet, rumors claimed Camelia was close to the Fourth Young Master of the Warren family.
Freya didn’t respond.
"Wait. I even saw Warren’s name flash on her phone just now. Could it be —"
Amelia already felt dizzy just thinking about the consequences.
"Who are the Warrens?" Adelyn asked. She knew nearly every influential family in Ashvale, yet the name felt unfamiliar.
Who were they?
"You don’t know the Warrens?" Amelia stared at her in disbelief. "Who doesn’t know about them?"
"Well ... me, I guess."
"Warrens are the top shots in the country," Amelia said slowly. "No one dares offend them. They have the power to make —or break —you at will. Especially, Dylan Warren, the CEO of Warren Corp. He is known as the Devil’s Incarnation."
"Devil Incarnation?" Adelyn echoed
Amelia nodded gravely. "Some say that if demons ever crawled out of hell, it would still bow to him."
"Really?" Adelyn asked, unconvinced. "Is he truly that dangerous?"
"You don’t need to know more details," Amelia warned. "Just remember —for once think of offending the Devil but not him. Not even under the worst circumstances. Otherwise, not only you, but even we would be buried with you."
She shuddered. "And I don’t want to die young."
