NOVA
Ahhgh... my head.
A sharp pain was shooting from one side of my skull to the other like someone was hammering inside my brain. My mouth tasted like metal.
I tried to move my hands, my legs… but nothing.
Why can't I move?!
I forced my eyelids open, slowly, carefully. The light hit like a blade.
Everything was hazy. The ceiling was unfamiliar, the air was heavy.
My heart started pounding.
"Wha… where am I?"
I turned my head. Men. Black suits. Cold expressions.
Too many of them, standing still. Watching me. Like statues carved by the devil.
Why the hell am I tied to a chair? Why the hell are they all in black? What is this place?
Then the air changed.
A heavy door creaked open. Footsteps—slow, deliberate, echoing across the room.
All the men in suits straightened and bowed.
I could feel it before I saw it.
The authority. The danger. The devil.
He walked in like he owned the world—because he probably did.
Jet black hair. An expensive coat. Sharp cheekbones that looked carved out of ice.
He didn't say a word as he walked over and slowly sat across from me, legs crossed like this was a casual evening chat. His eyes were dark pools of something terrifying and magnetic.
"So… this is the girl who broke into our system?"
He raised one eyebrow, giving me a look like I was a fascinating insect he wasn't sure whether to squash or keep in a jar.
"Yes sir. Her name's Nova Valleria. Ethical hacker. Works at Zero Trace Labs," said one of the men behind him, stiff like a soldier.
I blinked.
No… no no no no. I'm not in someone's office. I'm not in a police station.
I'm in the lion's den.
And he is the lion.
"You're Julius Ruvanov," I whispered, my voice hoarse and shaky. "The devil under an innocent face."
He tilted his head with a faint smile.
"Oh-ho. Chill, Miss Valleria."
He leaned in closer, close enough for me to smell the ciggerate on his breath. He had that calm, smug tone of a man who'd killed before and didn't regret it.
"This is my empire. Everyone here bows to me. Everyone here knows their place.
But you? You tried to play a game you didn't understand. You crossed the line.
And you had the audacity to go against me."
"...So what is this? A cult?" I snapped, my voice rising with my panic. "Why is everyone dressed like they're attending a mafia-themed funeral?"
He chuckled. Actually chuckled.
"Are you serious, Miss Valleria? Judging by your current situation, this is not the time for jokes."
"Do I look like a joke to you?" He said with a serious face."I could be your death."
The smirk faded.
The smile dropped.
His eyes turned darker.
He slowly pulled a gun out from his coat and pressed it gently to the side of my temple.
I froze.
My breath stopped. My pulse stopped.
Is this it?
He said in a low voice, "You just don't get it. You touched something that wasn't meant for you. And in my world… that means consequences."
Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I forced them down.
I opened my mouth, desperate. Panicking.
"Wh-what do you want from me!? Money?! I'll give you! Just tell me how much you want! I'm not broke!"
He stared at me like I had told him the sky was green.
"Do I look like I'm broke to you?"
"Then what is this?! Why are you doing this to me? I haven't done anything to you!" I gasped. "You're a well-known CEO, aren't you afraid your image will be ruined if this gets out?! You're holding a woman hostage—don't you see how insane this is?!"
Julius lit a cigarette like I hadn't just screamed.
"Your little speech would've worked in any other world.
But you're not in your world anymore."
I wanted to scream. My throat was burning.
"Look… whatever happened, it wasn't even intentional! My dog spilled coffee on my laptop. It crashed, and I—I randomly slammed keys in frustration, and suddenly… files started loading. I didn't mean to see anything. I swear!"
He took a long drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke right into the space between us.
"Are you really an ethical hacker?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You sound more like a failed comedian. That story? It's adorable. Truly. But whether it was intentional or not… you did it."
Then he leaned in again.
"And now, you've entered my world. And I? I'm the cruelest creature here."
I sat there, breathing fast, heart racing, body shaking.
"What are you going to do to me?" I whispered.
He looked at me for a long moment. Then he smiled—like a man who already had the ending written in blood.
"You're not going back to the world you knew, Nova. You're staying in my world now. So that you learn one thing…"
He paused.
"Never touch what belongs to the devil."
He turned and started walking away.
I screamed after him. "F*ck you! You're gonna rot in hell, you psycho!"
He stopped.
Then slowly, he turned around, placed his palms on the armrests of my chair, trapping me with his body. His voice was low, teasing.
"F*ck me? Darling… you're moving way too fast."
He winked.
"And for the record—you're not my type, so feel free to cry about it."
He straightened up and walked to the door. But before leaving, he said one last thing:
"And about hell… sweetheart… we're already there."
Then he left.
I slumped back into the chair.
This… was not a nightmare.
It was real.
And I had no idea how to escape it.