Heaven in Hell

"What was that?" Ana yelled as soon as the man's car left.

"What was what?" he asked, as he walked to his room. Ana followed still angry that he lied.

"That girlfriend thing! Why did you tell him?" she asked. He took his shirt off and walked towards her. She stepped back upon realizing what was going on. Mevious grabbed her arms and pinned her on the wall. Then he pressed his body on hers and her heart became erratic as she could feel the heat exuded from his nakedness. She gulped. His face got closer and closer.

"Why are you complaining when you can't even deny your lustful attraction?" he smirked. Then got up, leaving her speechless. She felt as if being slapped by him and it woke her up to reality. It was painful because somehow it was true. She hated herself for giving in to his charm. To console herself and keep the anger linger deep inside her, she instantly reminded herself how Mevious brutally murdered her boyfriend.

She ran outside. She didn't care where her feet lead. All she wanted was to be away from this tortious man. Her eyes were flowing with tears, blurring her sight. Then she stopped on the verge of a deep cliff with her legs trembling in exhaustion and get feet sore from the rough path. She fell on her knees as she cried, and screamed synchronizing the waves kissing the rugged foot of the cliff.

"How could you do this to me, Richard?" she wept as she remembered how she got into this torturing situation when all she just wanted was to feel real happiness from being whole again. Something she was denied since she was a child.

Three months ago...

Richard went to her apartment around one in the morning. His kisses woke her up. "Hi, babe! Sorry for waking you up," he apologized.

"It's okay. What's wrong?" she asked when she noticed him seemingly excited and worried at the same time. He shook his head without removing the awkward smile on his face. He rolled out of the bed and lit a cigarette at a table near the window.

"I was given a project. It's big and the pay is high," he told her, letting smoke freely escape his mouth and nose. Ana was happy but quite confused because a part of her brain was worried about it. She knew there's more to it.

"What project?" she asked casually.

"My boss had me be in charge of the construction project. It's road construction," he explained. Ana was quiet, maybe contemplating the odds of the situation. It wasn't about being skeptical about him or his skills, it was more of being concerned about his strange demeanor that night. Something wasn't right so she pressed for more answers.

"I'm sorry, babe. But I don't get it," she said. She didn't even bother putting her clothes on. Covering her body with a top sheet, she approached and sat on his lap.

"Ana, you don't have to understand. What matters is that after that big project, you can have whatever you want," Richard assured her.

"I just wanna know what kind of project it is," Ana insisted. "Look at me," she cupped his face and met his eyes, "I don't want you to be in trouble." He looked away. Then he let out a sigh.

"Please, be honest with me. I don't want you to go back to jail, Richard. Tell me about it. I wanna know what's going on," she urged. She already prepared to hear terrible news, but she wasn't prepared for how terrible it was.

He relented after a few moments. "Ana, I love you so much. You know that right?" he began. Ana kissed him as an answer. "There are people who are untouchable, they are above the law and it allows them to do whatever they want. Let's just say, I was scammed by them, causing me a great debt. Debt that a person like can't pay in this lifetime."

"H-how much?" Ana nervously asked.

"Ana...,"

"Just tell me how much!" she exclaimed.

"About fifty...,"

"Thousand?"

"Million.:

"What?! How did that happen?"

"I borrowed a million to save my crumbling business. Due to the recession, my business didn't survive. Out of desperation, I borrowed a couple more. Then, again and again. They lured me to borrow more. I knew then that I would be in great trouble but at that time, I just wanted to save my company because, without it, I am nothing," he explained in tears.

Ana gasped in disbelief. She could feel the immense pain and shame her boyfriend was going through. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, wiping the tears of pain rolling on her cheeks.

"Then what? Then, they will threaten you too? I can't afford to see you experience this life. You have no idea how hard it is to live like this. The constant threat, the harassment, the shame. I don't want you to live this life," he replied.

"Oh, Richard!" she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. Knowing this about him was painful. Then it made her wonder about the project he's got. If that's how big he owed the untouchables, his project must have been big. "Richard, please tell me about the project."

Richard's eyes became elusive. He was fidgeting. Then, he stood up and walked around the room.

"Richard! Please."

He took a deep breath. "Alright, they gave me a condition. After finishing the project, my debt will go back to zero. Plus, a half-million-dollar bonus for an extra job," he explained," Ana felt cold. She shivered at the idea that kept popping into her mind.

"Go on," she managed to say.

"The project is... to kill a prince," he disclosed. "Prince Liam of Lexberhelm!"

With eyes wide open, she covered her mouth, speechless. Murdering someone was already crazy, murdering a royalty was a deadly act. And it wasn't just any ordinary prince, it was the heir to the throne to the most powerful and influential royal family in the world.

"Prince Liam of Lexberhelm?!" she repeated just in case she heard it wrong. But she didn't. "And the extra job is?" she was trembling in mixed emotions.

"Dispose of his body!" he replied.