Page 71 of The Devil's Canvas

She groans, rubbing her temples. "Julian, I was hoping for mysterious and powerful villain, not overworked tech bro from Hell."

I smirk. "Not mutually exclusive."

She huffs but doesn’t drop it. "Okay, fine. So what exactly do you do? Like, do you just go around making deals? Taking souls?"

Her tone is lighter, teasing—but there’s something thoughtful in her eyes.

I lean back against the couch. "Yeah. I make deals. When the time comes, I collect," I respond, cryptically.

She doesn’t like that answer.

"And if they can’t?" she presses, tilting her head.

I exhale, stretching my legs out in front of me. "They can. They do. That’s how deals work, Ophelia."

She studies me, unconvinced. "And what exactly are they paying with?"

I hesitate—just for a fraction of a second. But it’s enough.

Her eyes narrow. "It’s not their own soul, is it?"

Smart girl.

I tilt my head slightly. "Depends on the deal."

She frowns. "But if it was their own, you’d just say that."

I shrug. "People assume they’re the ones paying. I don’t correct them."

She goes quiet for a moment, tapping her fingers against her knee like she’s working through a problem.

"So… someone else pays," she murmurs, more to herself than to me. "That’s messed up."

I smile. "That’s business."

She shakes her head, still thinking. But she doesn’t push further. Not yet. And I let her sit with it. Because I know this isn’t the last time she’ll ask.

We are in a good spot when I hear his voice.

Evander:Julian. We need to speak. Now.

It isn’t a request. The air around me tightens, a pull deep in my chest—unseen, but unmistakable. His voice cuts through the space between realms, dragging me toward something I already know won’t be pleasant.

He does not sound happy.

I inhale slowly, exhaling through my nose, steeling myself before I stand.

Ophelia watches me, brow furrowing. “What?”

I shake my head, forcing a smirk that doesn’t quite reach my eyes. “I have something to take care of.”

She tilts her head, suspicion flickering across her face. “That sounded serious. Work emergency?”

“Something like that.” I roll my shoulders, forcing the tension out of them before she can notice. "Nothing you need to worry about."

I give her one last kiss and get out of bed.

I feel her eyes on me before I even turn.

---