The man Mammon had promised was a young and extremely talented software engineer who was confused about which career path to take. Alone yet optimistic, he had spent a good eleven months developing an application he thought would be pivotal in certain large-scale businesses.
He was right, it was a cutting-edge project - but only in the eyes of the right people. And so far, those people are nowhere to be found.
His name was Louis Balfour, and he had been hopping from one office to another, only to face an endless stream of rejections. That day, he promised himself it would be his last stop and if his project gets declined, then it's destined for the bin.
He did get rejected and he had never felt so forlorn. But as he stepped out of that dingy office, an auburn-haired lady with the bluest of eyes was standing waiting for him with a sunny smile.
"Hello there, my name's Leticia Montgomery. I'm a startup project coordinator and I'm here to offer you a proposal," she said without pausing to breathe. "A little bird told me that you're looking for a home for your project. I think I may have found the perfect place for it."
Louis Balfour cleared his throat. "H - Hi, and may I know who this 'little bird' is -"
"Oh, that's the least of your worries, mister...?"
"Balfour. Louis Balfour."
"Mr. Balfour. Can I call you Louis?"
He replied with a silent nod.
"Okay. So here's the thing, Louis. A cancer research center is in dire need of a wide-scale system to help ease their workload and boost their global impact."
The night before, she bought the daily newspaper as per Mammon's instructions, and turned to the classifieds. Once she read the ad, she absorbed whatever information she could get. She then practiced her lines for the rest of the night, cooking up ways to sound convincingly professional.
So far, she's doing great. She gave herself a mental pat on the back.
"From the looks of it, you have the very software they need. They're willing to pay 35 million dollars to the right person and -"
"Hold up," Louis Balfour said, his voice shaking. He closed his eyes and put a hand on his forehead, feeling light-headed all of a sudden.
When the dizzy spell was gone, he looked at Leticia. This time, with a determined expression on his face.
"Can... Can I get you a coffee or something? Miss..."
"Leticia Montgomery. You can call me Letty," she replied as she grabbed his hand and shook it. "And uh, there's a Starbucks on the next block."
Like a valuable possession, she didn't let go of his hand as they crossed the street and made their way towards the cafe.
Louis followed her without objections. Whether or not it's true, he had nothing to lose at this point.
"The thing is, my proposal got rejected just now," he said with a weary smile. "It was my sixteenth rejection."
"Well, Mr. Balfour, it's their loss," Leticia replied as she turned her head to him and beamed. "But hey, today's your lucky day!"
Two months after Leticia Montgomery and Louis Balfour met and tied up loose ends with the research institute, they have officially become millionaires. They agreed to a 30-70 split, favoring Louis. After all, it was his application.
But for them, it was just the beginning of something even bigger and grander.
It so happened that the research institute is backed by a well renowned pharmaceutical company. So when they were able to deliver favorable results, the company CEO agreed to not only hire them for future projects, but to also recommend them to their partners. At this point, not only did they become instant millionaires, they were also served up with a platter full of potential clients.
From a two-man startup team, they built a tech firm comprised of 50 employees. Leticia stood as the CEO and was in-charge of finding clients and patenting projects; while Louis was the COO and chief software engineer, deciding and supervising every software and machinery being developed by the firm.
It was the perfect partnership. But Leticia knew all too well it's not because of sheer luck. With every deal that gets closed smoothly and almost without hurdles, she knew some otherworldly force was pulling the strings in her favor.
As the business grew, so did Leticia's belly. By the time they leased a much bigger 3-story building for the company, she had been 6 months pregnant with Lucien.
Between Leticia and Louis, this was the elephant in the room. At the time, Louis didn't dare ask who the father is. Leticia always seemed to be avoiding the topic and anyway, she never introduced anybody to him - not even her family.
That was where the line was drawn between them, and it remained that way for several years.
Sometimes, Leticia would see a large black dog staring back at her. It usually appears at night. Sometimes on her way home from work, other times when she's left with her own thoughts in the middle of a big crowd.
With the company's whirlwind success, the thought of it often slips her mind. That's the good thing about keeping herself busy. Because when she is, she gets to spend all her time and energy on the work at hand. By the end of the day, she would be so exhausted that she would no longer have time to think about anything else.
But the Lord of Avarice would always find ways to remind her and it sours her mood. She knew she was always being watched. It was unnerving at first but eventually, she got used to it. It was Mammon's way of saying, 'Enjoy it while it lasts'.
In just two years, Leticia and Louis have built an empire. They named the company, 'Wolfvision', which was Leticia's suggestion. She fabricated some silly story about a wolf visiting her in a dream, who told her to take a leap of faith on the day she met Louis. It was a popular story among the employees and she almost believed her own little lie.
She couldn't possibly tell them that she owes all this prosperity to the demon of greed, could she?
The only truth was that she found a trusted partner in Louis Balfour. Her relationship with Louis was what she'd consider special - almost romantic? Despite some questions that were left unanswered, they formed a strong bond throughout the years.
But fate has a way of intervening in people's lives.
It's been a fruitful five years since they've met, but just when Leticia was about to confirm her feelings, Louis met an accident.
According to the investigation, he had been driving in heavy rain and as he was about to turn to a bend on the road, a pickup truck slammed right towards him, throwing the car off a cliff with Louis in it.
The heavy downpour did not stop for another two days. The search and rescue immediately became a search and retrieval effort. When they finally retrieved Louis' body, he was already beyond recognition. It was a closed casket funeral.
For the first time in a long time, Leticia cried her heart out. Everything just seemed so anticlimactic. There were no signs, no foreshadowing. They did not even get to say their good-byes. Her feelings were buried along with Louis Balfour.
But she knew better than to wallow in despair. Because the moment she made that deal with Mammon, she knew that everything about her life is preordained and that there's no such thing as a random accident.
All her doubts were confirmed when after the funeral, the sigil on her hand lit up and Mammon appeared before her.
"He fulfilled his purpose," was the first thing the Lord of Avarice said to her.
"Well hello to you too," Leticia said, resentment palpable in her tone.
He pretended to look shocked. "What, are you mad at me now? He played his role quite well. It's about time he steps off the stage."
Leticia clenched her fists. "This is all just a game to you, isn't it?"
Mammon shrugged and held his hands up in surrender.
"Fuck you. Seriously, fuck you."
"I know. I'd fuck me too."
Leticia flew into a rage and screamed at the top of her lungs, enough for even the Lord of Avarice to take a step back. And then, she slumped to the ground in tears. It was a haunting cry, cathartic, a wail of heartache for someone whose sliver of hope fell apart.
Mammon stared at her for a moment, grinning. "Are you for real right now? You seriously fell for him?" He cackled. "Shit, I can't believe this. You really had it bad!"
She sobbed for a good five minutes and when she finally calmed down, Mammon stooped down to take a good look at her face. He lifted her chin with a curled index finger, forcing her to meet his eyes. But Leticia moved her head to the side and averted her eyes from him. She knew that he was mocking her grief.
"Jeez, don't be so uptight." Mammon sighed. "Just so you know, his life supposed to have ended the day you met him."
Her mouth opened slightly and her expression changed from one of anger, to bewilderment.
"He'd been trying to kill himself many times over and if you hadn't shown up that day, it would have been his last straw. You see, he had you to thank for his long-overdue life!"
He gave her a pat on the shoulder but Leticia quickly slapped his hand away, disgusted. The way he is always straightforward yet cold and indifferent made her even more exasperated.
"Look on the brighter side, dear Letty!" He said with contemptuous ridicule. "You actually saved a good soul that would've been destined for Hell. Well, not that he was worth that much, but that's one point for Heaven!" He said this as he shot his middle finger upwards.
Leticia slowly got up to her feet, wiping off her tear-soaked face.
"Did you breach your contract with him in my favor?" she asked, flustered.
Mammon was quick to shake his head no. "There was no contract to begin with. Well, he could've enjoyed a longer life had he accepted my proposal. But he didn't. Instead, he ran away screaming. Can you believe it?"
At this point, Leticia couldn't tell if she was angry, afraid, or just resigned.
She turned her back to him. She no longer has the energy to argue. Besides, there's no point to it. With a devious creature like the Lord of Avarice, it would be like talking to a brick wall.
Mammon furrowed his brows and placed a hand on his chin, pretending to look stumped at the way Leticia was behaving.
"What are you sulking about? You should be celebrating! See, you have the company all to yourself now. Between the two of us, this is fair trade. 'Told you I'd keep my end of the bargain."
Leticia twisted her lips into a wry smile. "Are you done? Now, please see yourself out."
Her voice was hoarse, devoid of emotions.
Mammon shrugged, the smug little smile never leaving his face. He turned around and made his way to the door.
"Oh, alright. Let's save the Dom Pérignon for later, then. And oh, kiss our little boy for me, will ya?"
Leticia wanted to curse at him one last time but before she could even open her mouth, the Lord of Avarice was already gone.
When she was finally alone in her room, Leticia covered herself with a blanket and bawled her eyes out once more. The once-empty void inside her was filled to the brim with guilt and resentment.
She let her guard down and Mammon just knew when to strike. The archdemon is cunning, convincing her that she had brought this upon herself.
But that's it. That's the last time Mammon is ever going to outwit her.
After Louis, Leticia Montgomery developed a fear of intimacy. From that day on, she had become extremely cautious with making connections with people, afraid that they might have something to do with Mammon or that she would eventually bring misfortune upon them. She promised herself not to get attached to anyone else besides her son.
Since then, the idea of real, lasting relationships is alien to her.
Leticia reaped what she sowed, and she had to learn to be satisfied while she has it. She always knew she'd be led down this path and that she had nobody else to blame but herself. Like a maggot-ridden apple, she was slowly rotting and being eaten up inside.
But she was fine with that notion. She should at least make sure the archdemon won't be served up a well-seasoned meal.
