THE DEAL WITH THE DEVILS HEIR

Asha's POV

They said the empire would last forever.

That's what my father has always told me when I was a little girl sitting on his laps, playing with the shiny cufflinks he wore like trophies of power.

''Blackwell can't touch us,' he'd said once, his voice a thunderous promise. ''We make our own fortune.''

But tonight, his voice didn't sound like thunder. It cracked. It shook. And the empire he had built-our family legacy-was falling apart in front of my eyes.

I stood in his office, surrounded by walls lined with books and awards, though none of them mattered now. His gray hair seemed thinner under the glow of the desk lamp, his hands trembling as he tried to light a cigar that wouldn't catch.

''We're out of time, Asha,'' he muttered, more to himself than to me. ''The debts, the contracts-everything is slipping. The only person who can help us is Damian Blackwell.''

The name sliced through the air like a blade. I froze. ''The Devil's heir?''

He finally looked up at me, his eyes hollow, as if the fight had already bled out of him. ''Yes. Him. He has the resources, the reach...He's dangerous but he can save us.''

Dangerous was an understatement. I'd heard the whispers about Damian Blackwell-how entire companies disappeared overnight after crossing him, how he walked through boardrooms like a king dressed in ink and shadows. They called him ruthless. They called him cursed. Some even called him the devil himself.

And now my father wanted to strike a deal with him. I'm even surprised dad thought of him to be our rescue. The Montero and the Blackwell families have never been on good terms. I grew up to know that fact.

''Dad, this is insane.'' My voice rose despite the lump in my throat. ''We can't trust him. He doesn't save people, he destroys them.''

His shoulders sagged. For the first time in my life, he looked smaller than me. ''There's no other way, Asha. But you don't understand-this won't work unless he wants it. And men like him don't negotiate with weakness. He'll laugh in my face.''

I clenched my fists. Weakness. That word burned through me like fire. My father might have lost his strength, but I wasn't about to let us drown. Not without trying.

''Then let me go.'' I said.

He blinked at me, startled. ''What?''

''I'll talk to him, I'll convince him.''

''No, absolutely not. You don't know the man, Asha. He'll-''

''Exactly,'' I cut him off. ''I don't know him. Which means he doesn't know me either. That's our advantage. If he wanted to crush you, he's already planned for it. But me? He won't see me coming''

The truth was-I didn't see myself coming either. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it might break out of my chest, but there was no turning back. If Damian Blackwell was the devil, then I was already halfway to hell