Chapter 2 Prince-Of-Hell!

"What are those?" Lyka inquired, as Lina placed various photos of different men from local and foreign television on the desk.

"These are pictures of men you need to stare at every night so that your child will resemble them when they're born!" Lina exclaimed excitedly, rubbing her small bump on her belly.

"Lina, please leave me alone for now, okay? Don't you see how busy I am?" she snapped at her. She was in a bad mood again, partly due to her pregnancy. Almost everything was irritating her.

"Is this about Draconia again? Why are you so obsessed with that house when Auntie Thalia has been gone for a long time? She won't know whether you fulfilled your promise or not!" Lina retorted sarcastically.

"This is not just about the promise I made to Auntie. I still want to get Draconia to show Blake Darklore that even though he didn't keep his end of the bargain, I still ended up owning the house!"

"As if you'll ever see him again! That jerk left the country, and we don't know if he'll come back or not. Move on, Lyka. Your child is growing inside you. Do you want them to come out looking stressed?"

She didn't respond to her talkative friend because what she said was true. She went to Blake Darklore's house to use his infatuation with her to regain ownership of Draconia, which used to belong to his company. The house had been mortgaged to Darklore, Inc. for her aunt's medical treatment abroad. When her aunt passed away, she was left buried in debt, and the house remained unreclaimed.

She wanted to take it back through Blake Darklore, who, for unknown reasons, secretly developed feelings for her. He sent her flowers constantly. Then one day, unexpectedly, he sent her an invitation to his house.

She admitted that her approach was wrong, but she was desperate. She rarely planned something malicious, and it backfired on her. Blake didn't fulfill his promise. After their night together, he flew to Canada, and she wasn't sure if he would come back or not.

She repeatedly went to his office, but nobody could tell her his plans. Until she heard that the ownership of Draconia had been transferred to a private individual she didn't know.

"This baby was an accident. It wasn't part of our plan, right?" she sobbed as she remembered the events.

"Don't act like that. It's already here; let's just accept it. As if you're the only unfortunate one in town!"

"At least other unfortunate ones can show that they have a boyfriend in town. And me? They might as well think I got pregnant by an enchanted creature!"

Lina simply frowned. She thrust a printed picture of a Korean actor at her. "Here's Lee Min Ho, stare at him at night, maybe your baby will resemble him, and we can introduce him as the father!"

Only then did Lyka's tears subside, touched by Lina's affection. Despite her grumpiness, she knew her best friend wouldn't abandon her.

"And you know what's more disappointing? I can't apply for financial assistance for the expansion of our gallery. Do you need a certificate of good moral character when you borrow money? Are single mothers not allowed? It's so irritating!"

"Well, you're in Costa Rica. People here can't move on from the issue of single motherhood! Let's just leave it for now, Lyka. Wait until the baby is born, and then we can take action, okay?"

"No, it's not possible. I need to expand the gallery as soon as possible! I'll use it as collateral for Draconia."

"But Draconia is already private property. It's no longer owned by Darklore, Inc!"

"That's why we need to act fast before the house is renovated or destroyed by some heartless person!"

Her friend could only shake her head.

........

"Lina, why did you only choose male celebrities?" she asked Lina when they happened to visit the mall.

"Well, you're having a baby boy. I'm sure of it. You're not that attractive. They say that if the mother is unattractive during pregnancy, the baby will be a boy," Lina remarked.

She glared at her. "Can't it just be due to stress?" she defended herself.

Lina shook her head and burst into laughter. "Oh, are you staring at Lee Min Ho every night?" she asked abruptly.

"Yes, sometimes. But you know, Lina, no matter how evil, snake-like, shameless, or monstrous the father of this baby is, he's still the most handsome man I've ever seen, and he's the only one I want my child to resemble," she said.

"Wow, a loyalist!" Lina teased. "Blake Darklore? The most handsome of them all? You should schedule an eye surgery, Lyka. Yes, Blake is handsome like a normal 21st-century businessman with a good physique and porcelain skin, but he's not the type to make you swoon!" Lina complained as she guided her friend to the mall's food court to find a seat.

"Is he the Prince-Of-Hell or something?" It was a phrase she often heard from Lina.

She sighed in response. "Hello! Here's the growing evidence that I've lost my mind, right? You underestimate that jerk, and I got pregnant."

"Well, best friend, your taste is low. You're already infatuated with Blake Darklore? How will it be when you see the official list of men that almost all women on planet Earth fantasize about?"

The Prince-Of-Hell. Yeah, right. She heard her friend talk about that list many times, so maybe it was time for her to listen to her best friend's fantasies. Just as a stress reliever. "So, what are these Prince-Of-Hell?" she asked.

"The infamous lists of cold-blooded yet sought-after billionaire bachelors around the world," she said with excitement. "They are famous worldwide for their ultra-thick bank accounts and their demon-like attitude. As the story goes, their personalities are as bad as the amount of money they have."

"What's so surprising about that? Almost all rich people have bad personalities."

"Oh, come on. Not all of them. Anyway, they are not your usual 'bad personalities.' It's even more than that! They have no mercy. They manipulate people. Anyone who doesn't follow them ends up ruined. But you know what's amazing about these demons? Despite being terrible people, the public still loves them."

She shook her head. "The world has gone crazy."

"Because, my dear preggy friend, they are gods of perfection. You can't hate them even if you try!"

Blake Darklore came to her mind. There really were people like that. If she hadn't met him, she wouldn't believe her friend.

"And guess what's the latest about them? The rumor is spreading that they, too, fall in love!" She further explained that the first and second princes on the list had already gotten married, and their declarations of love were both truthful and pure.

She thought Blake Darklore should be on that list. He was definitely evil, manipulative, cunning, and very good-looking. "So, how are you supposed to tame the hearts of those demons?" she couldn't believe she was having this conversation with Lina now.

"I don't know," Lina shrugged while sipping her iced tea. "Next in line is Prince-Of-Hell number #3, Aether Damien Darkstorm, the rather riveting Mr. Mysterious on the lists! You see, he's on the cover of the latest magazine issue."

Her heart skipped a beat at that name.

"He's half-Canadian, and his business empire is based in Canada. But lately, there have been rumors that he's in the country. Of course, no news will come out, no one will attempt it. Because Aether kills people to protect his private life. Among everyone on the list, he's obsessed with privacy, so the media knows very little about him. Any news that comes out about him needs approval from his office."

Overdramatic.

Lyka shook her head. She didn't have time for such things. She had a growing belly and a house to reclaim.

She had had enough of those cunning men with dangerous godlike faces. She was already a victim of one of them.