CHAPTER 21- UNDERSTAND THE DARKNESS

MATILDA’S POVThe noise of the den didn’t feel the same when we walked back in.It was still loud. Still alive. Music humming low under conversations, glasses clinking, boots dragging across concrete floors. But there was something underneath it now. Something quieter. Sharper. Like everyone knew something had just happened… and no one was saying it out loud.Blossom walked beside me, but slower this time.Not her usual bounce. Not her easy glow.Just… smaller.I didn’t touch her. I didn’t know if she wanted that. Didn’t know if I even had the right. So I stayed close instead, guiding her toward the bar like that alone could hold her together.The bartender looked up the second we approached. Her normally hard face dissolved into concern immediately she saw Blossom “Hey,” she said softly, already reaching for a glass. “Sit.”Blossom didn’t argue. She slipped onto one of the stools, fingers curling lightly around the edge like she needed something solid.A glass of water was placed in

CHAPTER 22- WHO ARE YOU GIDEON VALE?

MATILDA'S POVI should have left it alone. That would have been the smart thing—the safe thing. Blossom had already given me enough answers to piece together why the people here looked at Gideon Vale the way they did, why Ash would follow him into hell without hesitation. It explained the tension that seemed to follow him like a shadow.But curiosity has always been my weakness. In books it gets people killed. In movies it gets them cursed. Tonight, it had me wandering deeper into the Den, searching for a man I was supposed to hate.The hallway grew quieter the further I walked from the bar. The thump of music faded, replaced by the low murmur of distant voices and the occasional heavy tread of boots. I passed a biker carrying a stack of paperwork. He slowed when he spotted me.“The boss’s little headache,” he muttered.I stopped, folding my arms. “Excuse me?”His mouth twitched with amusement, but it died quickly when I asked where Gideon was. His face turned serious.“You don’t want

CHAPTER 23- WHO'S THE GIRL

MATILDA'S POVThe question hung in the air between us like smoke."Who are you, Gideon Vale?"The city glowed behind him through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting silver lines across the sharp lines of his suit. For a second, I thought he hadn’t heard me. Then his fingers tightened around the neck of the bottle—just slightly. A tiny movement, but I noticed.His eyes lifted to mine, and something cold settled over his face."Who do you think I am?"The answer caught me off guard. Not because of what he said, but because he had answered at all.I shrugged, trying to ignore the strange feeling crawling through my chest. “I don’t know.”A humorless laugh escaped him. “That’s the first intelligent thing you’ve said all week.”I rolled my eyes. “There he is.”His gaze sharpened. “There who is?”“The insufferable asshole version of you.”Something flickered in his eyes. Not quite amusement, but close enough to make my pulse stutter.The bottle touched his lips again. “Trust me, Matilda.

All Chapters of OWING THE DEVIL: Chapter 21 - Chapter 23

CHAPTER 21- UNDERSTAND THE DARKNESS

CHAPTER 22- WHO ARE YOU GIDEON VALE?

CHAPTER 23- WHO'S THE GIRL