The Handsome Devil

Chapter 29 - Beautiful lies

"Dad.." Tears filled Deya's chocolate eyes as she eyed the old man in front of her.

"Deya.. Moje holčička se vrátila!" He exclaimed cheerfully while pulling her into a tight hug. ("Deya.. My little girl came back!")

When she left, she swore to never see the man again, and even though it broke her heart it was for his own good. The only thing her existence ever brought him was misery.

Nonetheless, all her doubts seemed to be forgotten as she happily tightened the embrace. At times, all it takes to realise how much you missed someone is to get to see them again.

It's been only three years, but she could clearly see the signs of aging. His hair colour had more grey than raven in it, the wrinkles on his forehead deepened, and he must have lost a lot of weight as his body felt too fragile in her hold. It was apparent the amount of tragedy in the man's life took it's toll on him

The thought made her feel remorseful.

Did her disappearance pour oil into the fire of his grief? After all, when her mother took her life about half a year later, he was left all alone.

"Ty jsi se.. přestěhoval?" She asked awkwardly once they interrupted the hug. ("You... moved?")

"Jo.. Ten dům pro mne byl moc velký." He didn't meet her eyes when he said that, and she took it as a confirmation of how much her departure hurt him. ("Yeah.. The house was way too big for me.")

As much as she would like to see the place she once called home, leaving was probably for the best. At least he won't have to live in the reminder of the family he once had.

Finally the man's eyes fell on Max. "A kdo je tohle?" ("And who is this?")

"Dad, this is Max." She switched to english just to stop the devil from eyeing them suspiciously.

"Martin Parker, nice to meet you, young man." They shook their hands and she could see Max smile, obviously trying to make a good impression. Well, there's first time for everything, right?

"Max Turner, and the pleasure is all mine." Max replied, his voice overly friendly.

"Who are you to my daughter?" The girl froze, expecting the devil's reply with fright. You know, I'm just her kidnapper/ mafia leader/ murderer.

"I'm her boyfriend." The lie slid out of his lips so easily it left the girl in awe. Nonetheless, it was nothing compared to the surprise when he intertwined their fingers and insisted on holding hands as they walked into the house.

Maximón, my boyfriend.

The idea of Max committing to someone was ridiculous. Nonetheless, it wasn't half as hilarious as the fact it's supposed to be her who stole his ice cold heart.

"Tea? Coffee?" Martin offered before disappearing into the kitchen.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Deya hissed and ripped her hand out of the devil's grip.

"What do you mean?" He gave her an innocent look and shrugged.

"What are we doing here? And why the hell did you tell him we're dating?" Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

"We're visiting." He replied in a duh fashion. "And I doubt you would like me to tell him the truth about our relationship."

"I don't even know what's the true anymore." She murmured under her breath, but the devil's ear caught it nonetheless.

"The truth is," His strong hand wrapped around hers again and the dark blue orbs were sparkling with mischief. "I own you, baby girl."

She was just about to unleash hell when her dad reappeared in the living room. Reminding herself of Max's threat, she pushed her emotions aside and plastered a fake smile on her face. There's no way she'll put her dad in danger.