Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2025-10-10
Updated:
2025-10-21
Words:
3,627
Chapters:
4/?
Comments:
30
Kudos:
21
Bookmarks:
2
Hits:
365

Devil's Mercy

Summary:

After everyone was done with me. No, scratch that. After everyone loathed me. Even Mia, my own twin, could barely meet my eyes. Her husband, Landon, was extremely hostile toward me. I can’t say I blame them. I deserved it, right? So… why does it hurt? Why does it feel like someone stabbed me in the heart repeatedly until my soul left my body? Even Nikolai—my only safe place, who always believed in his sisters—was distant toward me. That hurt way more.

If everyone hated me so deeply, then why did I catch the devil’s attention? Why did he take me in, give me shelter, and face me? I truly didn’t know his intentions.

Now, I’m caught deeply in his games. And I intend to win. I’m Maya Sokolov, and if Jeremy Volkov thinks he can toy with me, I’ll prove him wrong.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

Maya Sokolov.

6 years ago

A frown painted my face, my eyes staring deeply at him from afar. He couldn't see me; no one could. I was sitting at a table three seats away from him, dressed in a blue long skirt, with a pink tank top and a weird Ghostface mask I stole from Nikolai’s wardrobe. 

‘He can't recognize me’ I muttered this same mantra, once, twice, trying to make myself believe it. But who am I kidding? Jeremy Volkov wasn't someone you could trick easily. I should have known he wouldn't be fooled. 

Yet, the foolish girl I am, I kept staring at him and his date, forming plans in my mind on how to ruin it. The girl wasn't anything special. Ew, she was the most basic person i had ever seen. 

Trust me, she was wearing pink? On a date?? I mean, who does that? “Jeremy wouldn't be impressed; he doesn't like colorful things,” I tried to console myself. 

I don't know why, but Jeremy stared twice in my direction, his lips twitching. Jealously bubbled inside me. He's probably laughing at one of the jokes she made and mocking me. 

But wait, why would he mock me? He doesn't even know I'm here. The waiter came to me and asked what I wanted to order. I just sighed and ordered my favorite latte. 

And when I turned back, my heart shattered into small pieces. Jeremy fucking kissed that girl. His lips pressed against hers, his eyes staring again in my direction while the girl’s eyes were closed. 

I frowned, and looked everywhere—behind me, around me, beside me—trying to locate who Jeremy was staring at. 

Suddenly, my phone rang. I glanced down and shivered internally at the caller. 

Niko is calling. 

Holy shit, he probably found out I wasn’t home. Mia probably texted him even though I told her not to. Ugh, it was either me ignoring the call and risking Niko tracking my location or accepting the call and going back.

I sighed and chose the latter. I fetched my stuff, and when I looked back, Jeremy and his date were gone. Niko ruined all my plans. Him and Mia.

Bitterness souring my mood, I got up from my seat and went to the cashier to pay the bill. But the answer I got shocked me.

“Ma’am, your bill already got paid.”

I blinked my eyes, making sure I was conscious and this wasn’t some imagination of mine. “Who paid it?” I asked the question that was brewing inside me.

The cashier lady smiled at me and said, “That guy with dark hair and grey eyes. He also left a note for you.”

Still gaping at her, I slowly unfolded the note, and my cheeks became extra red after reading it.

 “Maya, I know that was you. You were literally wearing Nikolai’s mask that only he owns and expected to hide from me? That's cute. Anyways, I also informed him about your adventures that you're up to lately–aka stalking me. So don't blame Mia lol. 
The guy you stalk, 
Jeremy. ” 

Chapter 2: One

Chapter Text

Maya Sokolov.

It had been weeks since my sister, Mia, regained her voice. I should be happy-but why wasn't I? The guilt in my chest hadn't eased for days. I felt like I was dying.

I blinked and ran my fingers through my hair. The mirror in front of me must be lying, right? It had to be. Because the person staring back wasn't me.

Her eyes were smudged with mascara, her hair tangled, her skin puffy-and not a trace of makeup.

This wasn't the perfect party girl Maya that everyone knew. I'd lost my spark.

I laughed bitterly, and then tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't breathe. Everything hurt too much.

After that incident, Mia regained her voice, and everyone learned about the mistake I had made when I was young. I had been a child, for God's sake. But did they care? No.

They were all deeply disappointed in me. Mom and Dad didn't say much, but I could feel their silent disapproval-and that hurt.

But Nikolai's silence hurt even more. My brother, who always defended me, was quiet for once. And if that wasn't enough, Ilya had broken up with me.

I wiped my tears. Ilya probably didn't deserve them anyway. He had no right to dump me over this.

"I can't stand this place," I muttered, getting up to wash my face. The air-once comforting-felt suffocating. I dragged my feet across the creaking wooden floor, each step echoing in the empty house.

In the bathroom, I turned the faucet and let the cool water rush over my hands before splashing it on my face. The shock awakened all my senses.

I continued splashing my face, slowly feeling the tension leave my body. Droplets slid down my cheeks as I wiped them with a threadbare towel.

Leaning closer to the mirror, I examined my reflection. My eyes were tired, the shadows beneath them betraying my sleepless nights. I picked up my makeup bag from the counter. First came a thin layer of foundation, carefully blended to even out my fair complexion. Then came concealer under my eyes, though it did little to hide the darkness.

I added a sweep of blush to my cheeks, traced a line of eyeliner along my upper lash line, brushed my lashes with mascara, and finally applied nude lipstick. A subtle, polished version of myself.

I walked out of my room, ready to show everyone that I didn't give a damn.

As I descended the stairs, the maids gaped at me. Mia, seated at the bottom, stared too-but I avoided her gaze. I left the house without looking at a single person.

Then I bumped into something-or rather, someone. I looked up and froze. Jeremy. The only guy I'd ever fallen for.

Jeremy Volkov was an enigma, a puzzle I had never solved. Memories flashed through my mind, and I let out a breath.

"Jeremy..." I murmured, unaware I'd spoken aloud.

He turned to me, a devilish smirk on his lips.

"Solnyshko," he said, eyes fixed on me.

"You look... better," he added. I feigned a grin. "I've been thriving," I replied, forcing a smile.

He studied me again. "So I've heard." I nodded, about to excuse myself, when his next words froze me.

"It's been days. What do you think about my offer?"

I froze, memories flooding my mind.

Seven days ago.

Tears streamed down my face, mascara streaked, lipstick smeared. I looked like a disaster.

Ilya had dumped me. We had been doing so well just days ago, yet he called me to dinner and said, "Maya, I don't think we're perfect together."

I had laughed. Why wouldn't I? What did he mean by "not perfect together"? We had been dating for months.

I thought it was a joke. I desperately hoped it was. But when I looked at him, I realized he was serious.

I asked-why? Why today? Why me? His answer: "You have no loyalty to your own twin. How can I expect anything from you?"

And that was it. Everything ended. I slapped him so hard I could still feel the sting in my hand. His shocked expression burned in my memory. Then I grabbed my bag and left.

Now here I was, crying in the rain, lost in my own little world. And just like in the movies, a hero-or rather, a devil-saved me.

He pulled me off the road and scolded me for being careless. He talked about how Nikolai would have hated it if I'd gotten hurt.

The foolish girl I was, I leaned on him and cried, spilling every pain onto his shoulder-as if this devil would save me.

But he listened. Not with mockery, not with disappointment like everyone else-but with patience.

Encouraged, I ranted to him. I told him everything.

And then? He held me close, letting me break down in his arms. Finally, he said:

"Marry me, Solnyshko. Marry me, and I'll treat you better than they ever did. I need a bride for appearances' sake. I'll give you a few days to think about it."

I opened my eyes. I'd thought about his offer for days, but now I knew exactly what I wanted.

"I will marry you."

Chapter 3: two

Chapter Text

MAYA SOKOLOV.


"I will marry you."

These words echoed in my mind, making me curse at myself for saying something reckless like this. Honestly, the embarrassment was killing me. Why did I plan my own wedding without even informing anyone?

And most importantly, why did I entertain the devil? Why did I easily agree to be his wife? I cursed at myself.

My parents will be disappointed, 'their good-for-nothing daughter' took a huge step without even asking them. I snorted at that thought.

Hell will rise when they all get the news. The news will be spread everywhere, 'One of the Sokolov twins is marrying the Volkov heir.'

Hm. I like the sound of it. Too bad, Mia, you're not the twin.

My phone vibrated. I quickly picked it up. I nearly smiled when I saw who had texted me.

Devil-who-shall-not-be-contacted
Maya, are you free right now?

I bit my lip to suppress a smile and replied.

Me.
I̶m̶ c̶u̶r̶r̶e̶n̶t̶l̶y̶ i̶n̶ c̶l̶a̶s̶s̶ b̶u̶t̶ i̶m̶ f̶r̶e̶e̶ l̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ w̶h̶y̶?

Too formal. I sighed and deleted the message before typing once more.

Me.
I'm kind of stuck in class but dw, we can meet later! Wanna join me 4 lunch?

I stared at the message, still finding something weird in it. Too dry.

Me.
I'm kind of stuck in class but dw, we can meet later! Wanna join me 4 lunch ❤️

Now, this seems better. I think it's proper to text my soon-to-be fiancé like this.

Jeremy replied within a minute.

Devil-who-shall-not-be-contacted
Sure, send me the location where you want to have lunch.

Now call me a foolish woman, but I like testing the devil's patience. So I replied,

Me.
Is this a date or what? I'm so flattered, Jer 🙊😍

His response was quick.

Devil-who-shall-not-be-contacted
Solynshko, take it as whatever you want. If discussing our wedding details is a date to you, then sure.

Ugh, killjoy.

Before I could text back, I heard a cough. I lifted my head to look and saw the professor-Kayden Lockwood. He was actually glaring at me.

"Yes, professor?" I asked.

He looked at me for a few minutes before saying, "Mrs. Sokolov, if you continue to use your phone instead of paying attention, I might have to kick you out of my class."

I gasped out loud. I then turned to look at my cousin, Gareth. He was sitting on the other side of the classroom, trying not to laugh at what was happening.

"But professor-"

"Hand me the phone, or leave." His response was final.

I could have handed the phone. Really. But my devil was probably waiting for my response, so instead, I got up and walked out of the classroom.

The look on Professor Kayden's face was murderous.

After leaving the class, I pulled my phone out and texted the devil once more.

Me.
Uh, I got kicked out of class :( but I'm free now! We can meet up rn.

I then texted him the location and grinned.

𐙚 𓏵𓏵𓏵𓏵𐙚


I entered the restaurant, still wearing my bag. It seems Jeremy was already here before me.

I walked to the table where he was sitting. He then stood up and pulled a chair for me like a perfect gentleman.

I tried to bite back a smile. "Hi, Jer."

"Maya," he greeted back, sitting in front of me. "What do you want to order?"

I told him what I wanted, and when the waiter came, he explained my order and then added, "Bring me the same food as her."

That made me stare at him in shock. What happened to the cold Jer that I'm used to? Woah, I must be dreaming.

Jeremy pulled out a ring from his pocket and said, "It seems like we aren't officially engaged."

He then grabbed my hand with such gentleness and placed the ring on my ring finger.

I gaped at the diamond ring. It looked too expensive-even more expensive than the one I had at home.

This wasn't the only thing that the Volkov gave me, though. He even gifted me a custom-made locket which had 'Mrs. Volkov' written in the middle.

I caressed the locket with my thumb, staring at it with awe filled in my expression.

Jeremy then said, "Maya. Now that we are engaged, when do you want the wedding to take place?"

I was still surprised at how fast everything was happening. And he seemed to realize it, so he gave me an answer.

"My family wants me to marry some Pakhan's daughter, and that girl is entirely obsessed with me. I want us to get married quickly so that I'm yours and you're mine."

I blinked twice. So... he was only marrying me so he wouldn't have to marry that girl? That hurt a bit, but I won't lie-that's fair. I'm also marrying him for a reason.

I'm tired of being unhappy and seeing everyone in love. I want to experience love too-especially with my crush of years.

So I replied, "Are we to secretly marry or invite anyone?"

Jeremy thought for a moment before replying, "Both. We will marry secretly at first, just so if no one accepts our relationship, they won't be able to separate us. And when they accept it, we will marry for the second time."

"I see."

That was the only reply I gave him. I'm still thinking about me-Maya Sokolov-who would never take any big step without informing Papa, now getting married without his presence.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I wiped them quickly. I'm so sorry, Papa, I thought before I said, "We can marry this Sunday."

Jeremy nodded in agreement.

And all I could fucking think was how I'm a pathetic piece of shit.

Chapter 4: Three

Chapter Text

JEREMY VOLKOV.

 

A certain girl had occupied my thoughts for months now. And that girl is no one other than the sister of my best friend.

 

She had been crushing on me for years. I did notice that, but I never did anything because I wanted her to move on. She deserved someone who wasn’t me. That’s what I thought till I saw her crying that day.

 

That day, something inside me finally snapped, and I asked her to marry me. Why? Because I loathed how her family treated her… like she was to be blamed for everything.

 

One thing I didn’t expect was for her to accept it. Seems like her crush on me hasn’t died.

 

Oh well, that’s great for us. I will get rid of Miranda forever from my life. No more hearing whining from her or my mom pestering me to marry her because she’s her so-called favorite.

 

As for Maya, she will fit perfectly in my family. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because Annika is her best friend, or maybe because Maya just has the kind of energy that wins everyone’s heart.

 

The latter certainly worked on me. Seeing the blonde princess upset made me feel weird emotions inside my chest that I do not want to name.

 

I have been keeping watch over her for years, too curious to see what little Maya would do to get over me. What I didn’t expect was her actually trying to move on. 

 

I had thought she would try to pursue me, not silently watch while I dated new girls every week.

 

In short, silence wasn’t what I expected from Maya. Out of all people, she was the most expressive person I knew. But over the years, while watching her, I realized one thing. Maya isn’t expressive. She’s not open. If she’s silent about something, then that would be her true feelings.

 

And after our marriage, I plan to change that. I plan to make her talkative about what she wants, what she doesn’t want, what she likes, what she dislikes, and so on.

 

Why? Because seeing her silent is difficult for everyone who knows her. Maya Sokolov was never meant to be locked up in a room alone. No, she’s meant to light up a room—to be the life of the party.

 

𐙚 𓏵𓏵𓏵𓏵𐙚

 

FLASHBACK.

 

8 DAYS AGO.

 

I hadn’t liked the restaurant. It was meant more for informal, romantic meetings than small formal ones. But the recent client I was dealing with had insisted on this restaurant, so I agreed.

 

I didn’t care about the restaurant or what it was about. No, I just wanted the meeting to be done so I could go home and rest.

 

The client arrived late. I made a mental note in my mind to remember that she wasn’t punctual. Then during the meeting, she spilled her soup and instead of taking responsibility, she called the waiter, yelled at him, and told him to bring something else.

 

I had reached my limits, so I bluntly told her I wasn’t working with her in the future or anywhere near it. I also told her politely to get lost.

 

Massaging my head, I was just going home when I saw that Maya—Nikolai’s sister—was also at the same restaurant. Seemingly on a date with Ilya… my senior guard.

 

My expression changed a bit, my stomach churning with something I couldn’t identify. I decided to stay a bit to hear what they were saying, since it might come in useful someday.

 

It seemed like they had just arrived. Their conversation started a bit dry.

 

“Hi,” Maya mumbled, fixing her hair, a small smile on her face. The same expression she used to give me.

 

“Hello,” Ilya replied, a bit of nonchalance visible in his tone. I furrowed my brows.

 

“So… why did you call me here today?” Maya asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

 

“I wanted to talk,” Ilya replied.

 

“About what?” curiosity was visible in her tone. Ilya took a while to answer, but when he did, it made me frown a bit more.

 

“About us.”

 

So… they were dating? Wow, I didn’t know that my guard was dating one of the Sokolovs.

 

Maya laughed, the sound breathless and a bit nervous. “What about us? Ilya… please tell me you’re about to propose? Right?”

 

Ilya’s expression turned rather sad, and he replied, “No. Uh… Maya, I don’t think we are perfect together.”

 

Maya started laughing once more, this time laughing in disbelief, like it was a lie. Like she was in some comedy show and he was joking with her.

 

“You’re so funny,” she said, wiping her tears that came from laughing too hard. Suddenly, her laughter came to an end, and confusion filled her face as she stared at the ever-so-serious face of Ilya. Realizing he wasn’t joking—no, Ilya was never the type to joke.

 

“Why?” One single word left her mouth. Her eyes quickly filled up, and she blinked the tears away.

 

“Do you want me to tell the truth?” Ilya asked. That question sounded so dumb that it made her laugh once more.

 

“Of course, Ilya. I want the truth. What do you think? That I want you to sugarcoat everything? Hell no. Just say the real reason.” She said everything too quickly, trying not to start crying.

 

“You have no loyalty to your own twin. How can I expect anything from you?” That was the answer she got, and all of a sudden she stilled. Then her hand made contact with Ilya’s cheek, making him flinch and look at her in shock.

 

Maya didn’t stop, though. She quickly collected all her items, put them in her bag, then carried it and walked out.

 

She left the restaurant and walked straight into the rain, not caring or being aware of her surroundings. Just walking in a straight path, too lost in thoughts to notice anything.

 

Suddenly, I noticed a car coming in her direction. I quickly intervened, grabbed her hand, and dragged her away from the road.

 

“Are you crazy, Maya?” I asked, shock evident in my tone. Maya just smiled, all broken and painful—it pained me to see her like that.

 

“Jer… am I crazy? Of course, I am! Am I cruel? That I am too. Am I not trustworthy, according to everyone? I fit all the labels,” she suddenly said, stunning me. She babbled random gibberish that I didn’t quite understand.

 

“Nikolai would have hated to see you hurt yourself,” I whispered softly. She laughed bitterly.

 

“Hated? He has hurt me a lot, Jer. All of them have hurt me a lot. It hurts too much. Their behavior. The way they treat me.” She then snuggled into my chest and sobbed. I held her in my arms, watching her break apart slowly.

 

“Ilya—he said he didn’t want me anymore. And the reason he broke up? He used the same thing everyone used against me. A small mistake I made when I was a child!” Maya complained, tears falling from her beautiful eyes.

 

I couldn’t bear to see this—to see her in so much pain. So I just said what came to my mind.

 

“Marry me, Solnyshko. Marry me, and I’ll treat you better than they ever did. I need a bride for appearances’ sake. I’ll give you a few days to think about it.”

 

She had gone quiet then, tears still falling from her eyes. And I knew she needed some time, so I offered it.

 

“Take as much time as you need to answer me. I will wait.”

 

And here I am now, getting ready to take her out for our wedding shopping.

 

Notes:

I don't usually ship Jeremy with many people, but this idea was brewing inside me for, I don't know, how long, lol. I believe Maya was done VERY dirty, and she deserves justice. While, imo, Cecily's character was a bit too bland.

Like, don't get me wrong, I think she was pretty important in the story, but she just isn't my personal fave.

So anyway, I will try to update every Tuesday and Saturday.

Thanks,
Love y'all,
Tara <3