People had always believed that wishes were beautiful things.
A wish was something people held onto when life became too difficult.
It was the last hope of someone who had lost everything, the silent prayer of someone who wanted their fate to change.
But humans never understood one thing.
Not every wish was meant to come true.
There was a being who answered the wishes of desperate people.
A being who could give them wealth, power, revenge, and even the impossible things they dreamed about.
But nothing was ever given freely.
Every wish came with a price.
And the price was always something humans could never get back.
Their soul.
For centuries, his name had existed only in forgotten stories and whispered warnings.
Lucien Silva.
The Devil who granted wishes.
Seraphina Vale never believed in things she could not control.
She believed in hard work.
She believed in preparation.
She believed that if someone wanted something, they should fight for it instead of waiting for fate to hand it to them.
At twenty-six years old, Seraphina had already created a successful life for herself.
She was respected in the business world, known for her sharp decisions and her ability to remain calm even when everyone else was losing control.
But there was one thing about Seraphina that everyone knew.
She was difficult to get close to.
Especially when it came to love.
“You’re going to reject him too, aren’t you?”
Mira placed a cup of coffee on Seraphina’s desk and looked at her with a knowing smile.
Seraphina continued reading the documents in front of her.
“I haven’t even met him,” Seraphina replied.
Mira crossed her arms.
“That has never stopped you before.”
Seraphina finally looked up.
“Because I already know how it will end.”
“And how will it end?”
“The same way the others ended.”
Mira sighed and shook her head.
“You are impossible.”
Seraphina picked up her coffee and took a sip.
“That is what everyone keeps saying.”
Her grandfather had been trying to find someone for her for years.
Not because he wanted to control her life, but because he worried about her.
After losing her parents, Seraphina had changed.
She became stronger, more independent, and more focused on building a future where she would never have to depend on anyone.
Her grandfather admired her strength.
But he also noticed the loneliness she tried to hide.
He believed everyone deserved someone beside them.
Seraphina believed she was perfectly fine standing alone.
Neither of them had ever been able to change the other’s mind.
When Seraphina finished work that evening, she stayed behind in her office for a few extra minutes.
The city lights shone through the glass window, creating a beautiful view below her.
Thousands of people were walking through the streets.
Thousands of lives.
Thousands of stories.
She wondered how many of them were pretending to be happy.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone rang.
She looked at the screen and sighed.
“Grandfather.”
She answered the call.
“Hello.”
“Are you still at work?” her grandfather asked.
Seraphina looked around her empty office.
“How did you know?”
Her grandfather laughed softly.
“Because you are always working.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“You called just to remind me of that?”
“No. I called to remind you about dinner.”
Seraphina already knew where this conversation was going.
“Grandfather…”
“Just one dinner,” he said quickly.
“I am not asking you to marry anyone. I only want you to meet someone.”
She remained silent.
She wanted to refuse.
That was what she always did.
But she could hear the hope in his voice.
“Fine,” Seraphina finally said.
Her grandfather became quiet for a moment.
“Really?”
“One dinner,” she warned.
“Don’t expect anything.”
“I understand,” he replied happily.
After ending the call, Seraphina placed her phone down.
She did not know why, but she suddenly felt uneasy.
Like she had just agreed to something that would change her life.
Two days later, Seraphina arrived at the restaurant her grandfather had chosen.
She expected another boring evening.
Another man trying to impress her.
Another conversation she would forget the moment she left.
But when she entered the restaurant, she noticed someone sitting near the window.
A man dressed in black.
He was not trying to attract attention.
Yet somehow, he was the first person she saw.
There was something different about him.
Something she could not explain.
His expression was calm, almost emotionless, like nothing in the world could disturb him.
Then his eyes met hers.
And for a moment, Seraphina forgot to move.
Lucien Silva had seen countless humans in his long existence.
He had watched them beg for miracles.
He had listened to their wishes.
He had seen what people were willing to sacrifice when they wanted something badly enough.
But this woman was different.
She did not look at him with greed.
She did not look at him with fear.
She simply looked curious.
That interested him.
“I’m late right,” Seraphina said after sitting across from him.
Lucien looked at the time before looking back at her.
“Only by a minute.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Most people apologize when they are late.”
“Most people worry about things that do not matter.”
His answer surprised her.
Normally, she would have found someone like that arrogant.
But with him, it felt different.
“You’re strange,” Seraphina said.
Lucien looked at her calmly.
“Is that a bad thing?”
She thought for a moment.
“No.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Then I will accept that.”
The conversation continued longer than Seraphina expected.
They did not talk about marriage.
They did not talk about expectations.
They simply talked.
About life.
About choices.
About the strange ways humans searched for happiness.
For some reason, Seraphina found herself enjoying the evening.
That was something she did not expect.
When it was time to leave, neither of them said much.
They did not exchange deep promises.
They did not know what the future held.
But both of them left with the same thought.
There was something unusual about the other person.
After Seraphina disappeared into the night, Lucien remained seated.
His hand slowly moved toward the black cross hidden beneath his clothes on his left hand.
The source of his power.
The thing that had followed him for centuries.
But tonight, something impossible happened.
The cross reacted.
Not because of a wish.
Not because of a contract.
Because of her.
Lucien stared at the door where Seraphina had left.
For the first time in hundreds of years, the Devil felt something he could not understand.
Curiosity.
And he did not know it yet…
but the woman who walked away from him that night would soon become the reason he would lose everything he had ever possessed.