The Devil's Tryst with Destiny

Chapter - 01

Early morning, the sun has just rose, and the birds were chirping happily, announcing the dawn of a new day. People of varying ages, donned in their jogging clothes, were out on the roads, in the parks or in their yards, bathing in the early morning rays from the sun. Except for a few, everyone was enjoying and hoping for a wonderful day ahead.

One of the few people not enjoying the lovely beginning of the day was a guy in his early twenties sleeping with his face covered in sweat. He tossed around and wriggled on the bed like a fish out of water. Judging from his expression, it was evident that he was having a nightmare, and the bulging nerves on his forehead showed that he was in a lot of pain.

While the boy was tossing around in pain, the door of his room opened, and a lady probably in her early forties walked in.

"Alex, wake u---" the lady was there to wake the boy up, but when she saw the boy drenched in sweat and his painful face, she was left stunned. Hurriedly she walked up to the boy, sat beside him and pulled him in her embrace, trying to soothe his pain.

"It's alright, son! Everything is fine. Mom is here. Please wake up," the lady called out to the boy as she gently stroked his forehead. Seeing her son like this, the lady felt choked, and her voice turned heavy.

Maybe because of a familiar embrace and the woman's motherly love, soon the boy stopped squirming and calmed down. His breathing also turned normal, and he was once again sound asleep in the woman's embrace.

The woman also sighed in relief and stayed sitting in the same posture to not disturb her son's sleep. The boy also, having been calmed down, buried his face in the woman's bosom and wrapped his arms around her, not letting her leave. With his face in the crook of her neck, his breathes sent a tingling sensation down the lady's body.

"Alex... wake up, son. It's almost eight. You are go... going to be late," The lady, with a bit of difficulty, managed to squeeze out the words.

"Ummm... two minutes more, mom," the boy rubbed his face by her neck and whispered.

"Uhmmm..." the lady almost let out a soft moan before she hurriedly covered her mouth with her palm, trying her best not to let the boy hear it. But the boy's lips curled into a smile when he heard her, he was faking his sleep. With his eyes still closed, he enjoyed her reaction.

"Alex, wake up. If not, I am going to be angry," The lady said, trying to sound angry, but the boy knew that she was faking it. But still, although he was enjoying it, he had to be somewhere else, and he did not want to be late.

"Ummm... ahhh!" Yawning and stretching his arms, the boy separated himself from the woman. The woman hurriedly adjusted her clothes and put on a smile on her face.

"Mom? What are you doing here? And why was I sleeping while sitting?" the boy feigned innocence and asked his mother.

"Oh! It was nothing. Forget about it. You tell me, did you have that dream again?" The lady regained her calmness and asked with a serious face.

"Well..." The boy hesitated.

"Alex," The lady glared at the boy angrily.

"Yes, but it was nothing serious. I swear. Just a small bit, and it was over before it started. Believe me, mom," Alex tried to downplay the whole matter.

"Alex, why don't you heed my advice? Even the doctor said that a nice little vacation would be good for you. You can visit your brother. It will be a nice change for you," the lady suggested.

"I will, mom... I will. But now is not the time for it," Alex said.

"I know you have a job interview, but Alex, your health is our priority. I, as well as your father, don't want you to overexert yourself," The lady cupped Alex's face in her palm and said affectionately.

"I know mom. I just want to get a job, settle down and take you and dad on a vacation with the money I earn," Alex said, holding her palms.

"Silly, boy," The lady gently smacked Alex on the back of his head, "Who of your age would like to go on a vacation with their parents? You sure are an odd one. Now get ready and come down, I have already prepared the breakfast". Martha could only smile bitterly.

Alex nodded, and without saying anything else, Martha also left the room.

Even after his mother went downstairs, Alex remained sitting on the bed engrossed in thoughts. These nightmares have become more and more frequent lately. He needs to see his doctor as soon as possible. There is no telling what these nightmares mean and why are they occurring so frequently. These nightmares of his are also making it hard not just for him but for his parents also.

Pondering over these issues and making up his mind, Alex left the bed and made his way to the bathroom.

Admiring his looks in the mirror, he removed his clothes, and soon a well-chiselled body without any extra ounce of fat was on display. But one could barely appreciate that when all one could see was a body covered in scars. No part of the upper body except for his face was void of them.

There were small scars all over his chest and abdomen, along with a cut running from all over his heart to his navel. While on his back, right beneath his shoulder, were two marks that looked like bullet holes.

No one could imagine by looking at his face that underneath those clothes, his body was covered in scars. Some scars looked recent, while some had faded with time. From the looks of it, it seems that the scars have been accumulated all along from his childhood.

Alex traced his finger over the scars and somehow felt a sense of accomplishment except when he traced his finger over the biggest of them all. He felt a tinge of pain every time he thought about it.

Alex took his time admiring his body before he finally went to freshen up. Since he has an important interview today, Alex decided to throw these thoughts out at the back of his head for the time being.

Chapter - 02

The lady climbed down the stairs, engrossed in her thoughts about Alex. She failed to notice the man sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper. When the man saw her walk past him without saying a word with her face full of concern, he called out for her from behind.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

But the lady, as if deaf to his calls, continued to walk away.

"Honey!" The man called out again, this time a bit louder.

"..."

"Martha!" The man called out her name this time.

"Huh... George? What's the matter? Why are you shouting?" Martha asked, getting out of her thoughts.

"I should be the one asking this. What's wrong? You look lost over something. Did something happen?" George asked.

By this time, Martha had walked up to George and sat beside him.

"George, we need to do something about Alex. His nightmares are getting more and more frequent," Martha told George.

"Did he get one today too?" George asked, knitting his eyebrows. The matters concerning their son were of extreme importance to the couple.

"Yes, so I asked him to go somewhere. Spend some time and relax as my friend suggested, but he won't listen to me. Why don't you try convincing him?" Martha said.

"I will try, but I don't think he will listen to me. He may look like it, but you know he can be pretty stubborn. No one can change his decision once he has made up his mind," George said, "And I as a father will be behind his every decision, supporting him. That's what a man does."

"Aahhh... Why do I even bother?" Martha complained and pinched George's arm in anger.

"Ouch! Dear! Why would you do that for?" George asked, wincing in pain.

"You deserve it," Martha said but soon changed her tune. She pulled her chair just beside George and said, "George, why don't you just stay at home today? Alex will be out for a while," Martha said as she drew circles over his chest, "It has been too long since we..." By now, her hand was making its way down.

"Honey... not today," George grabbed her hand, stopping her downwards expedition, "I have some important work at the company, and Alex will be down soon. Sorry, but next time. I promise," George said.

"Okay, don't stay at home, just go a bit late. Alex will leave after having breakfast, and after that, we can have a quickie." Martha said as she grabbed his arm.

"I... I will leave soon after Alex. You know how important my job is. I can't just ignore it. I promise, next time," George pulled out his arm from her grasp.

This was it. Martha pushed George aside and walked away to the kitchen.

"Don't be like this, honey. I promise next time we will..."

George wanted to follow Martha, but instead, she walked out of the kitchen with a knife in her hand, and pointing it towards George, she warned him, "Go to hell with your honey... You better not be here when I come out, or else you will see the worst of me." And she walked back inside the kitchen, fuming.

Alex, who was listening to his parents talk from upstairs when felt that everything was over, climbed down the stairs donned in a white shirt, blue trousers and the coat in his hands. Being nearly 6 feet tall with broad shoulders, a great build and a fair complexion, Alex was like the perfect partner in every girl's dream. The best selling feature of Alex was his flawless face, dark black hair and his grey eyes with shades of blue. No one would guess from the outer appearance and his flawless face that underneath those clothes is a body covered in scars.

"Good morning, dad," Alex greeted George as he walked down the last of the steps.

"Good morning... Good morning. You are all dressed up in the morning, going on a date?" Although he knew, George teased his son.

"Dad, you know that I have an interview today. Do you really have to joke like that," Alex complained.

"Fine... fine... I won't say anything," George laughed and put the newspaper in his hand on the side," But you know, I will still say that you should come and join my company. Why do you want to slave for someone else when you can be anything you want in my company." George said.

"I know, dad, but..." Alex wanted to say something, but George cut him short.

"You don't have to work even a bit there. Let me in you on a little secret," George looked around and bent close to Alex and whispered, "Don't tell your mom, but there are a lot of beautiful girls in my company. You can go on dates with every single one of them," George had a lecherous smile when he said that.

"Where are beautiful girls?" Martha, who just walked in with plates in her hand, asked.

"Honey, it's nothing," George began to sweat when he saw Martha behind him.

"You are still here?" Martha asked, glaring at George.

"I... I..." George could not help but stammer under the deadly gaze of Martha.

"Alex, you better not be like this man when you find a girl for yourself. He is the absolute worse," Banging the plates on the dining table, Martha left without hearing a word George had to say.

"Honey... Honey... Martha... Listen to me... Please..." George followed Martha, leaving Alex behind.

Alex also busied himself in eating his breakfast. He was already a bit late because of that dream, so now he was bolting down his food.

"I said leave before I split your head in two," Alex heard Martha from inside, and the next moment George came running out of the kitchen, picked up his coat and bag and dashed out of the house. Martha also followed behind him with a pan in her hand. From the looks of it, she was really going to split his head open.

"Calm down, mom... Calm down. Why are you so worked up all of a sudden," Alex hurriedly stood up and grabbed hold of Martha from behind, trying to stop her from going after George.

"Leave me, Alex. He has not seen the worse of me yet," Martha struggled to free herself from Alex's hold.

"Mom, I am getting late for my interview. I... I will see you in the evening then," Alex was struggling to keep hold of Martha, "Let's talk about this in then, bye," Alex said and tried to kiss goodbye to Martha on her cheeks, but ended up kissing her nape because of her struggle to break free from Alex's hold.

Alex grabbed his things and dashed out of the house, leaving a stunned Martha behind. Martha could only feel the place Alex kissed her with her hand. Thinking about what just happened, her face was all red with embarrassment.

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Chapter - 03

Just as Alex walked out of the house, he was greeted by the lady next door.

"Aa... Alex! Where are you off to so early?" The lady asked.

"Miss Cole," Alex greeted back.

Standing in front of him was the most infamous woman in the neighbourhood, Margaret Cole. Margaret lives alone in the house right next to Alex's house. Probably in her early thirties, Margaret was a person of a warm personality, which made it easy for people to approach her. With black, shiny, wavy hairs just below her shoulder, fair skin, and an ample bosom, she was only about a head shorter than Alex. Margaret was a lady with a mature aura around her, and with her seductive charms, she was an ideal woman for men. No one knows what she does for a living, but she sure was rich, leading to rumours about her floating around.

Some say that she married an old guy, and after his death, all the property was transferred to her. Some say that she is a slut warming the beds of rich men, but no one knows for sure. But despite the rumours, the number of suitors waiting for her at her doorsteps never ceases to amaze Alex. Men from many wealthy and influential families tried to marry her into their families, but no one was successful.

Dressed in a black, glittering slip dress, it looks like she just got back home from some party.

"Jeez, Alex! I told you to just call me Margaret," The lady said coquettishly. She sounded a bit tipsy, "Miss Cole sounds so distant and makes me feel like an old lady." Margaret said as she seductively traced her finger along Alex's face gently.

Though Alex loved it, he knew this lady in front of him was out of his league and mixing with her will only invite more trouble for him from her suitors. Moreover, he knew that Margaret was not seriously flirting with him. She was just teasing him, maybe to kill her boredom.

"I have an interview today Margaret. Why don't we chat comfortably after I am back?" Alex grabbed her finger between his thumb and index finger and gently pulled it away from his face as if it was not a finger but a priceless piece of work. The softness of his finger did make his heart flutter.

"So today is a big day," Margaret smiled and placed her other hand on his chest and began caressing his chest as her hand slid down slowly.

Alex nodded. His eyes were closed, and he was trying his best to control his breathing.

"If you get this job, you will treat me to a meal, won't you?" Margaret asked. Her hand was now down his navel, about to reach his pants.

"Alright," Alex was barely able to squeeze these words out. He was blushing all over, and it was getting hard for him to control himself with each passing second.

Being treated like a toy in broad daylight, that too in the middle of the road, while the onlookers gave him weird glances, was not Alex's style. He was always the one trying to control the situation in the lead, but in front of this woman, he felt helpless. Though he was enjoying the touch of those soft hands, he was not able to endure the humiliation anymore. Alex leaned backwards, getting out of her grip, and ran from there as fast as he could, not turning back to give the vixen a second look. He chose to retreat and admit defeat rather than stand there, humiliating himself.

"Hehe... So I do have a little charm left," Margret couldn't help but feel proud of herself. Giving Alex one last look, she also walked inside her house, humming a song to herself.

Alex, on the other hand, ran as fast as his legs could carry him. After running for God knows how long, he finally stooped when he saw a cab coming his way. Drenched in sweat and panting heavily, he stopped the cab. Giving the address of his destination to the driver, he laid back and relaxed, trying to catch his breath.

He stared out of the window, thinking back on his life and how it had all changed in the past few months. He was not a member of the Rutherford family and had no memories of himself other than what he had accumulated for about in the last one year. His parents told him that he appeared in front of Martha's car out of nowhere, and they got into an accident. Martha admitted him to the hospital, where he was unconscious for more than a week, battling between life and death. When Alex woke up, he lost all his memories. Martha then took it upon herself to nurse Alex back to health. During this time, although the two of them were strangers, they bonded with each other, and the Rutherford couple decided to adopt Alex as their own son.

But things were not as easy as he hoped them to be. Just after as he was discharged from the hospital and moved in with the Rutherfords, Alex began to have dreams, not ordinary dreams, but more like they were fragments of his past, and they were in no way pleasant. Initially, they were once in a fortnight experience, but lately, these nightmares are becoming more and more frequent. This made him wonder if this was some sort of sign that he was going to regain his memory soon. What is he going to do if he remembers his past? Was there someone waiting for him? Will he have to leave his newfound family and go back to his previous life? But more importantly, will he be able to leave them?

Right now, Alex was perfectly content with his peaceful life with the Rutherfords. George was a loving husband and fun to be with father. Martha was always caring about him and loved him as her own son. He also got a best friend in the family, his brother, the real son of the Rutherfords. His brother never showed any animosity or hatred towards him. From the beginning, he was more than happy to accommodate Alex to the family. Alex was the one most dejected when his brother decided to go abroad to study. Overall, Alex could not ask for anything better. But he does not why, somewhere deep down in his heart, he felt empty, as if all this was nothing more than a sham and was not for the real him.

While he was engrossed in all these thoughts, the taxi slowly drove Alex closer to his destination.

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