Hidden Horns

The truth

Chloe says she isn't scared but her body movements are tighter and her appetite reduced. Her smiles are shorter and silences longer. She finds things to do that don't need doing and ignores the important tasks just to avoid looking at Yohan.

Yohan could notice the sudden being distant from Chloe, so she needs to hear what's going on in her head first hand, perhaps then a solution may appear. But she couldn't reach Chloe's mind. One of the disadvantages of having the stone within her, the stone which made her stop for taking her soul.

She decided to focus on the road, turning the volume up just to ease the growing awkward moment inside the car. Molly started to sing along with the stereo with all her heart. It somehow eases the tension, but still not enough to make Yohan feel it and irked her.

Chloe's phone buzzed and she answered it with just one ring. "Hello?"

"What was that, Chloe?" Her mom asked, her voice laced with anger.

"What?" Chloe asked back innocently even if she already had an idea.

"You tell people that you already have a daughter? Are you out of your mind? And who the hell is that man with you and that kid?" Her mom bombarded her with multiple questions.

"Look, let's just talk when I get there." Chloe said and ended the call, then she looked outside the window. She could feel Yohan staring at her but she never dared to look back as she's still scared of what she saw earlier when they left Molly's school.

"How will you explain it to them?" Yohan asked, her voice was calm but it somehow made Chloe flinch on her seat. Yohan saw it but decided to shrug it off.

"I'll tell them the truth."

"What truth?" Yohan asked again.

"That I really have a daughter."

"What? But I'm not your daughter." Molly chimes in from the back.

"You will be since I decided to adopt you legally." Chloe replied, making Yohan snap her head at her.

"What?" Yohan asked in shock. "Where did it come from?"

"I just realized earlier that Molly needs a parent, she needs to grow up with at least one parent guiding her."

"But I am her legal guardian." Yohan said.

"No, I'm not letting her grow up with you." Chloe said and this time, she turned to Yohan, she let out a sigh of relief when Yohan's face returned to normal. She didn't know if she's the only one who could see Yohan's face earlier since Molly didn't even react the way she reacted earlier.

"Listen, you can't take Molly from us, we promised her father that we're the one who will take care of her." Yohan said as she pulled the car inside the exclusive Subdivision. "And you are a busy person, how will you manage to take care of her?"

"I haven't told you this but I'm quitting my job once I get married." Yohan suddenly stepped on the break, which made the two girls inside the car almost hit their faces in front of them. "What the hell?!"

"So are you really serious about agreeing to that?" Yohan asked.

"Yeah, wasn't that my fate when I came back here?"

"You're crazy!" Yohan growled as she continued her drive and never spoke again until they reached Smith's residence. She just parked the car and let Chloe step out as she chose to stay.

Chloe took Molly with her to introduce the kid to her parents. And even if the kid was confused about what's going on, she never asks and just lets her aunt Chloe take her inside.

"Chloe!" Her mom's raging voice greeted her as soon as she stepped at the main door of her parent's house. "What are you even thinking, young lady?!"

"Mom, I want you to meet Molly, my daughter." Chloe said and she put the kid in front of her. Mrs. Smith's gaze went down to the kid, who's looking up to her with a nervous smile. Then her gaze went back up to Chloe. "This is not a good joke."

"There's no one's joking here." Chloe shrugged her shoulders and she continued her way upstairs to his father's office, tugging the kid with her.

Chloe pushed the door open without knocking and she smiled upon seeing her dad behind the wooden table, talking with someone on his phone. Mr. Smith held his hand in the air to tell his daughter to wait since he's still talking to his business partner, who happened to be the father of Chloe's soon to be husband.

Chloe and Molly sat across from each other in front of Mr. Smith while they waited for him to finish.

"Okay, I'll see you this evening then." Mr. Smith said before ending the call and he stood up. He walked around his table to get to the two and he stood in front of them broadly, looking back and forth to the two girls. "Okay, tell me who this kid is."

"She's —."

"Hi, I'm Molly Delavin, 8 years old and soon to be aunt Chloe's daughter." Molly introduced herself and extended her arm for a handshake which made Mr. Smith chuckled.

"Is she serious?" He asked and Chloe nodded her head with a wide smile on her lips.

"I'm going to legally adopt her."

"That's so sudden." Mr. Smith commented while still staring at the kid's hand. "But I guess no one can change your mind." He added and reached for Molly's hand. "Nice to meet you Molly, I am Carlo Smith."

"Nice to meet you too, Sir." Molly smiled at him toothily.

"But did you know that your mom is about to marry someone?"

"I just heard it earlier in the car." Molly shrugged.

"So how about we make a deal?"

"Wait, you're not going to have a deal with an 8 year old kid, right?" Chloe asked her dad incredulously.

"Look sweetheart, your soon to be husband doesn't have any idea that her soon to be wife already has a daughter, so I need you to get married first, then bring up to Martin about your decision of adopting her, if he agreed then that's good, if not, then I'm sorry to say this, but no adoption will going to happen." Mr. Smith said.

"Who cares about Martin's decision. I have Molly with me since I decided to live alone—."

"What? And you didn't even tell us about that?"

"Why would I? She's living with my bodyguards, and my bodyguards are living with me so..."

"Yohan live with you? How come I didn't know that?!" Mr. Smith exclaimed and he walked around back to his table to get his phone and dialed someone. "Where are you?"

"Outside." Yohan replied nonchalantly.

"Come here in my office, right now!"

"You sound so upset that I'm living with your daughter, aren't you supposed to be happy because she's still alive until now?" Yohan scoffed.

"Don't f**k up with me, Ceyx! I know that you wouldn't dare to—." Mr. Smith stopped abruptly when he realized that he's with his daughter inside his office. "Just get in here and let's talk." He said with a sigh and ended the call.

"What does Yohan have to do with this?" Chloe asked confusedly.

"I just have to talk to her, now go to your room with Molly and prepare for the dinner, the Lucero's will join us." He said dismissively and sat to his chair, pressing his temples.

"But Dad—."

"Just listen to Daddy, princess." Mrs. Smith said to cut off her daughter as she entered the room unnoticeably.

Chloe groaned gutturally but still stood up and grabbed Molly's hand and they both walked out of the room. When they opened the door, they met Yohan outside, but Chloe didn't even look at her and so did Yohan, who made her way inside with straight face, looking directly to Mr. Smith.

"Are you going to surrender your soul or your daughter's soul?" Yohan asked as soon as she sat in front of the table, she crossed her legs and leaned back comfortably.

"You're insane, I bought that house for you to stay in, why are you living with my daughter?" Mr. Smith asked back, ignoring Yohan's remarks.

"Was it a big deal?" Yohan scoffed as she shuffled on her seat. She leaned forward her body and glowered at the couple. "You guys owe me a soul, it's been 24 years but you still haven't paid me."

"What soul are you talking about?" Mrs. Smith asked, though terrified at Yohan, she still managed to look fierce.

"Oh please, don't pretend like a dumb, Carolina. 25 years ago, your husband asked for a favour from a Devil, which happened to be me. He asked for money, fame and wealth in exchange for his soul or his first child's so—."

"Stop." Mr. Smith said but it's too late.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me, so when are you gonna pay me?" Yohan asked as she leaned back again and twitched her lips out of boredom while still looking at Mr. Smith.

"So tell me, Yohan. My company is having a downfall, is it because of you?" Mr. Smith asked, holding Yohan's unwavering gaze.

"It's time for me to take everything back since you're not fulfilling your promises."

"No doubt that you are really the Devil." Mr. Smith chuckled dryly and he spun his chair around, back facing the Devil. "I have made a decision." Mr. Smith said as he heaved a deep breath and exhaled, then he turned around again. "I'm giving you my soul—."

"Nah, I have made a decision too." Yohan interrupted him and she stood up with a devilish smile plastered on her lips. "I want your daughter's soul."

"What?! No! You said that you wanted my soul!" Mr. Smith protested.

"Guess what motherfucker, you were overdue by 24 years, now I'm making the decision of my own since you were so late to pay me back." Yohan said firmly and turned her heels and walked out. She could hear Mrs. Smith's body hit the floor with heavy thud as she fainted while Carlo called her name with rage and yelled something that made her anger rose inside her but she continued her way out.

"I'm giving you my first child's soul!"

Yohan decided to walk out to the backyard and stay at the gazebo in front of the fountain. She could still remember vividly the first time she saw the newborn Chloe, carried by her mom while they were enjoying the rays of the morning sun. They said that the rays of the sun will help the kid's bone to get stronger and it was vitamins for them.

She was sitting at the same spot where she could watch the two. From that moment, she knew that she wanted Chloe's soul. She waited for the kid to turn 16, but Carlo decided to break their agreement and let Chloe go far. She confronted Carlo but then they had an agreement, she would be Chloe's guardian till she reached 18 and Yohan would take her soul, which made Yohan disobey their rules in hell.

But things began to get hard when Carlo decided to betray Yohan and he deceived people who could prevent the Devil from getting his daughter's soul. Carlo happened to meet Jess's mother, who was the most powerful witch back then. He deceived the witch and made her fall in love with him. Then Jess was born after a few years.

The witches clan found out what their Queen did and decided to execute her for helping humans and betraying Satan and his daughter. Jess doesn't have any idea about that, that she is Chloe's half sister and all she knows is her mother died because she had a fight with another witch that was against their cult.

Yohan hid the truth from her best friend, she didn't want Jess to resent her, and that's why she's trying to stop Jess from falling in love with an ordinary human because she does not want Jess to face what her mother went through after helping an ordinary human and getting pregnant.

Yohan's phone vibrates and she looks for the caller. It's Jess. She let out a deep sigh before answering the call.

"Yohan, we are summoned to be at the Smith's house, do you have any idea why?"

"There will be dinner here with Chloe's soon to be husband." Yohan said, her voice laced with disappointment.

"Oh, they are really going to continue that marriage."

"Yeah, so I have to do something to stop them before it happens." Yohan said.

"Then it's time to take his first child's soul." Jess said.

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