The Devil's Sweetheart

Leena was brought to her knees by the time she dragged Cutie to the music classes. She knows crying and throwing tantrums is Cutie\'s way to achieve what she wants, but the reality was hard. No wonder Jane has a headache of sending her to school. With lots of struggle, one of the people from the administration pulled Cutie into the class. Leena stayed with Nick in the reception until the one-hour classes got ended. 

The last one to appear after the class was Cutie, wearing a downcast guise as if she had created the trouble. A tall, lean man walked to the administration holding Cutie\'s hand, occasionally throwing a grimaced expression at the kid. 

\'\'What did she do?\'\' Nick wondered.

\'\'Let\'s go and find out,\'\' Leena muttered, and both walked towards the reception. While they were a few steps behind, the tall man\'s shrieking voice as he spoke to the administrative team registered into the ear holes. The people over there were having a hard time dealing with the teacher.

\'\'This kid is a monster. Always in for troubles. Call the head and her parents. I want_\'\'

\'\'Excuse me..\'\' Leena interrupted the man, causing him to glance in her direction. \'\'I am here to pick Savny. May I know what happened?\'\' She asked and pulled Cutie from his grip. Cutie jumped onto Leena\'s embrace the second Leena outstretched her hands.

\'\'Hmph! Are you her parent?\'\' Twisting his face, he pulled strands of his front hair and started twiddling with his index finger. Like a mother-in-law complaining of her daughter-in-law\'s behavior, he lamented. \'\'Verrrryyyy badddd Savny! She always creates trouble in the class, and today, she hit me hard with her flute when I asked her to practice well...\'\'

\'\'It was Misseke, eena,\'\' Cutie whispered and scowled at the skeleton man, narrowing her eyes. She didnot mean to hit him. It all happened by accident, and she even said sorry, but he dragged her here to complain to Leena. Next time, she decided to pluck that nasty curly hair strands from the root, which he treasures more than his life.

\'\'Don\'t panic. I will talk with him,\'\' Leena muttered and glanced at the teacher. Cutie bullies people but doesn\'t go far in hitting them until they touch her bottom line. \'\'Is there proof that she has hit you?\'\' In a serious tone, she questioned.

\'\'Look at my beautiful forehead, which this kid has ruined entirely.\'\' He swayed the twisted curl to the side for Leena and Nick to see.

How much pressure can a kid apply, provided that the silver flute hardly weighs two bananas? \'\'Are you sure Savny hit you? I don\'t see any bruises over there. You look like you are the one who bullies kids.\'\' Leena remarked and turned to the people standing in the reception area and ordered. \'\'My kid is falsely accused here. I want to meet the manager.\'\'

Cutie was squealing in happiness, looking at her flute teacher, which didnot go unnoticed by him. Veryyy Baddd Savnyyyy! He muttered under his breath.

\'\'Madam, sorry for the trouble.\'\' Shortly, a man arrived and sincerely apologized to Leena, glaring daggers at the flute teacher for creating trouble to a bigshot. \'\'Please, leave the matter to us. We will take care of it.\'\'

\'\'I don\'t want him to continue as the teacher for Savny. Either change her class or change the teacher.\'\' Giving one last sickening look at the man, Leena and Nick left the music class along with Cutie.

The man twisted his front hair scowling at Leena\'s retreating figure. \'\'Hmph! Just like Savny!! Verryyyy baddd behaviorrrr!\'\'

.....

Harley has no mood to work after she came back talking with Leena. Also, at night, she had a hard time sleeping. Leena\'s words deeply reflected on her. She checked all the texts Jasper had sent. Not a day went by without his message, despite their breakup. Like a fool, she smiled to herself, seeing his tantrums over the messages, and the night passed by just like that.

It was another usual morning, but Harley felt her mind went clean as if a huge burden lifted from her body. At the office, she reminisced their memories without working. Just then, Harley received a call from Leena to inform her about the pictures, but Harley denied it, not intended to know the truth. She will directly confront Jasper this time and seek answers for herself.

Taking a deep breath, she called Jasper, wondering what his first reaction would be, but the man didnot pick up. For the third time, Harley called, yet it went into a voice call. \'\'Where did he keep the phone?\'\' She muttered and picked up the car keys and started to his office without knowing the darkness was slowly engulfing her.

...

Meanwhile, a little while ago, desperate to find the truth, Jasper straight away knocked on Andrew\'s door the moment he arrived back from the office. 

The door slowly opened, and Andrew lazily looked at his sworn enemy. \'\'Why are you here?\'\'

Without talking a word, Jasper pushed open the door, walked past Andrew, and settled on the couch.

\'\'I am not in a mood to fight today. Get out of my_\'\'

\'\'Andy,\'\' Jasper\'s sudden soft voice appalled Andrew. Did he call me Andy? How long was it? Fifteen years, it has been, he long heard the name. Memories of their happy times started floating in front of Andrew.

\'\'Please tell me the truth.\'\' Jasper\'s voice was barely a whisper. \'\'I beg you. Except for you, and Harley no one knows the truth. For our old time\'s sake, please tell me what happened. Harley doesn\'t tell me anything. I am counting on you at least.\'\' 

Andrew felt a layer of unsettling emotion. He promised Harley he would keep it a secret from Jasper, but he is not able to hold it anymore, watching Jasper\'s helpless face. \'\'On the day before she broke up with you, Harley received naked pictures.\'\'

Jasper\'s face contoured with a confused expression. \'\'Naked? Whose naked pictures? And how does it relate to our breakup?\'\' Perplexed, Jasper questioned.

\'\'The pictures of you and Celia in the bed, naked.\'\' Andrew\'s revelation whammed Jasper. \'\'This is not true.\'\' Jasper stuttered; his mind outrightly went blank. Someone has framed it. He never cheated on Harley, and the thought itself never occurred.

\'\'Celia\'s and your pictures have broken Harley\'s heart_\'\'

\'\'So, she believed I cheated on her and broke up.\'\' Jasper completed, the bitterness in his voice faded to weary sadness. He knows Harley doesn\'t like Celia, although he assured her that they only share employee and associate relationships. He never expected the reason to be this shocking. Someone is trying to sabogate their relationship. He has to talk with Harley and confess the truth.

\'\'I am going to meet her.\'\' Jasper got up to leave. Before he opened the door, he glanced at Andrew over his shoulders. \'\'I didnot cheat on Harley.\'\'

\'\'I thought so.\'\' Came Andrew\'s fast reply. He knows Jasper is not such a kind of person. Though Jasper tried to convince Harley to confront him, her hatred caused a blind eye to look keenly at the surroundings. 

Jasper drove to WD and barged into Devin\'s office room despite Daniel tried to stop him. \'\'Where is Harley? Is she not in the office?\'\'

Lifting his head, Devin propped up his chin with his elbow on the table. \'\'Who allowed you in? I expect you to learn some etiquette\'s when you step into my office.\'\'

\'\'I will keep that in my mind next time,\'\' Jasper said. \'\'Can you now tell where Harley is?\'\'

\'\'She is in the office_\'\'

\'\'She is not in the office room!\'\' Jasper interrupted. \'\'Can you call her. I left my mobile at home.\'\'

Devin called Harley\'s mobile twice, and it went unattended. Strange! She picks his Call in the first ring. He then called the reception and learned she left the office two hours ago. Devin called home, and her grandfather informed Harley hasn\'t yet arrived.

\'\'She is not at home also?\'\' Jasper asked tersely.

Devin shook his head. \'\'Where did she go? She doesn\'t have many friends to the point of ditching the work to meet them.\'\' Devin could only come up with one friend. He called Leena, but he received the same response from her.

\'\'I_I am scared..\'\' Jasper muttered, collapsing on the floor.

\'\'Don\'t panic. She might have gone to meet a friend.\'\' Devin assured him, but he knows he is trying to convince himself. Something is unsettling in his heart. Without making any delay, he called Leena and asked her to track Harley\'s mobile location. Within five minutes, he got to know her mobile track stopped at Menbury Avenue.

\'\'Menbury Avenue? Why did she go there? It\'s the exact opposite direction to the home.\'\' Jasper\'s tension further grew along with Devin.

\'\'Her track location remains constant. For an hour, she hadn\'t moved from that place.\'\'

Devin dialed Leena\'s number.. \'\'Hack the CCTV footage of Harley\'s car as fast as you can.\'\'