Chapter 45: The Devil.

They arrived at the registrar's office, greeted with warmth and honor. "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Levi. Please have a seat," the middle-aged registrar said with a genuine smile.

As he rifled through some files in his drawer, he pulled out one in particular and handed it to Dua. "You can resume classes tomorrow, ma'am," he said. Dua's lips parted in disbelief as she accepted the file, her heart racing with a whirlwind of emotions. She opened it to find her admission letter and other important school documents. Staring at Steven, she was left utterly speechless.

Noticing her shocked reaction, he added, "I may have been in touch with your sister lately." His words began to unravel her confusion. Surely, her sister had informed Steven about her dreams of furthering her education. The realization that he had made her aspiration a reality brought tears to her eyes.

"Thank you. We'll get going," Steven said appreciatively to the registrar, who returned the sentiment with a nod.

Once they stepped outside the school's gates, Dua's initial shock dissolved, and in a burst of gratitude, she threw her arms around Steven in an unexpected hug. "Thank you so much," her voice cracked with emotion.

"You're welcome," he replied.

They climbed into the car, and as Steven started driving towards the supermarket, Dua took a moment to collect her thoughts, still bubbling with excitement for her upcoming classes. When Steven parked and got out, she followed him, but he turned to her. "No, stay in the car, so you don't end up kissing a stranger in the name of helping him," he said, and she chuckled.

Leaning against the car, Dua scanned her surroundings. Her gaze fell upon a young boy begging on the street just a few meters away. Compassion washed over her, and she reached into Steven's wallet resting on the dashboard for some money before making her way over to him.

She squatted down, flashing him a warm smile as she gently ruffled his hair. "Hi," she said.

"Hello, ma'am," the boy replied in a tiny voice that melted her heart.

Sliding a few thousand dollars into his collection bowl, she noticed the boy's eyes widen as they landed on her wedding ring. "Whoa! This is real diamond!" he exclaimed with awe.

"How do you know?" she asked, genuinely intrigued.

"My father's a blacksmith until he fell sick," he explained, a hint of sadness in his voice. Dua's heart ached for him.

"I'm sorry to hear that about your father. I hope he gets better soon," she said softly, wishing she could ease his burden.

"Yeah, I hope," he sighed.

"Boy, your husband must be very wealthy," he remarked, staring at her ring with wide eyes.

"Yeah, he is," Dua chuckled lightly, playing with his hair as she admired his innocence.

Just then, she heard a masculine voice call, “Diane?”

She turned and was taken aback to see a young man approaching her, a scoff escaping his lips. "So it really is you."

Dua felt a rush of confusion as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he pressed.

"Why would I avoid someone I don’t even know?" she shot back, her irritation bubbling to the surface.

"You don’t know me?" He scoffed incredulously. "Because you’re now that bastard’s wife, you no longer know me?"

"If you’re not going to tell me who you are, then excuse me," she replied coolly, trying to walk past him. However, his next statement made her stop dead in her tracks.

"When you were craning down on my cock, screaming ‘Alex, don’t stop,’ you sure knew me, didn’t you?” His taunts cut through her, leaving a sharp sting.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as the truth hit her like ice water. He was Diane’s boyfriend. She was still reeling from his provocative words when he suddenly pulled her in and slammed his lips against hers.

Panic surged within her as she tried to break free from his tight grip, but he held on stubbornly. With a surge of adrenaline, she kicked him hard in the groin, earning her freedom. She slapped his face with all her might. "How dare you kiss me?!" she shouted, fury coursing through her veins.

"I’m not your Diane!" she yelled.

"Don’t you ever speak to me again!" she warned, turning to leave when she froze at the sight of Steven standing a few meters away. The shopping bags filled with this he bought on the floor with some of the contents out of the bag, and if looks could kill, Steven's eyes would definitely kill.

"Please, don’t misunderstand…" Dua’s voice trembled as she tried to explain herself.

Steven moved with an intensity that sent chills down Dua’s spine, his demeanor like a predator on the hunt. Dua swallowed hard, preparing for the worst, but he simply walked past her. Before she could catch her breath, his foot connected with Alex’s side, sending him crashing to the ground.

Steven stood, enduring the silence as Alex struggled to rise to his feet. The tension crackled around them like electricity, and before Alex could fully process the chaos of the situation, Steven’s hard punch landed squarely on his mouth, splitting his lip open and sending crimson droplets spilling forth.

"You piece of shit!" Alex spat, fury igniting in his gaze as he threw a wild punch at Steven. But Steven was ready; he caught Alex’s fist effortlessly and retaliated with another punishing blow to his already battered mouth.

Passersby stopped to gawk, but who would dare intervene with Steven Levi, The Devil?

Seeing Steven hellbent to continue his assault, Dua ran to him and hugged him from behind, her heart racing. "Please…" she pleaded, her voice a desperate whisper.

To her surprise, his fist halted mid-air, the tension palpable with the rage still in his eyes.

"Why’d you stop, motherfucker?" Alex scoffed and Steven's fist moved to punch him, but Dua hugged him tighter, stopping him.

He finally let go of Alex, his eyes filled with rage. He held Dua's hand and pulled her with him to the car, leaving their shopping bags scattered and forgotten on the ground.

The drive home was a storm of silence, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavily in the air.

They arrived home and Steven stormed into the living room, his fury echoing off the walls as he slammed the door shut behind him. Dua released a weary sigh, opening the door again to find Shane waiting expectantly. "What went wrong this time?"

She sighed again and went upstairs, leaving Shane to brainstorm alone.

As she entered the bedroom, she found Steven sitting cross-legged on the bed, his arms folded tightly across his chest. The tension in the air was palpable; he looked calmer than earlier, but his anger still lingered beneath the surface.

Dua took a step forward, her heart racing as she raised her hands in a pleading gesture. "I’m really sorry," she began, her voice soft and sincere.

"It...wasn't my fault though, I figured he's Diane's boyfriend...and he mistook me to be her," she continued.

"Please forgive me, I didn't know he'd kiss me... I'm truly sorry," she said but got no words or reaction from him.

With a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of his silence, she turned to leave, but he held her hand, pulling her that she fell on him. While she still processed what was happening, he locked his lips with hers, pouring his annoyance in the kiss. Shortly, he pulled away, leaving Dua gasping for air.

Steven gazed into Dua's eyes for a few seconds and then took her lips again, kissing her gently this time. Dua closed her eyes, responding to his kiss, deepening the kiss as he flipped her, changing their positions.