Jobs like this were habitual for Mike, it was quite common that he had to go after someone in the dead of night and drag them to the feet of the King of Hell, however, this time there was a difference, instead of waiting for his guest's arrival in the mansion's garden in front of the pool, Dante would receive him in his own office.

The lion's den was forbidden ground for most people, only a select few could access it and letting a worm like Ian enter their territory was suspicious to say the least.

The King of Hell's right hand man knew his boss's quirks very well. When he became obsessed with something or someone, he would do everything he could to dominate and possess them. Himself was a great example of this. Entering Hell was not part of his plans, but Dante did not accept no for an answer. He saw great potential in Mike and, as he was always right, it did not take long for the newbie to prove his worth and become the Prince of Hell.

Mike was really curious, trying to guess how long it would take for Ivy to succumb to Dante's desires and whims and how long it would take until he got tired and discarded her, as always. Even though it was the first time the King of Hell had been rejected by a woman and had to chase after her, Mike was sure it wouldn't last, because that was what Dante was, a person without any kind of personal bond and who never wanted to have one.

He had to admit that Ivy was spectacular, but nothing would ever please the King of Hell for long, after all, nothing and no one could compare to him, nothing and no one was as special as him, or as interesting, or as intelligent, or as powerful. He always thought he was superior and the people around him were nothing more than filthy rats.

The only person who came close to being seen as a person until then was Mike. For some reason, the King of Hell saw him in a special way and that's why he made sure to have him by his side, making him his right-hand man and most loyal member of the entire organization. What Mike said was never questioned. The same curious fact was happening with Ivy. He saw something in that woman and simply couldn't let her go. Now a poor boy would suffer at Dante's whims, since the means didn't matter to him, only the ends.

It was unusual that he hadn't taken the woman by force, a man like Dante didn't take rejection pleasantly, he always convinced women to do whatever he wanted, whether with money, drugs, or threats, but in the end they all gave in, they all ended up on all fours in his bed.

The strangest thing of all was the fact that he gave the woman so much space to do whatever she wanted, including running away from him, his behavior was completely incoherent. 

In a hurry, Mike knocked on Ian's apartment door, the longer he took, the more violent the knocking became, until finally a young man dressed in shabby clothes, which he probably wore to sleep, and with a frighteningly haggard expression, opened the door.

Mike's usual lack of expression was maintained as he delivered a solid punch to Ian's stomach, his hands tingling for more action, but there was no resistance, the boy fell to his knees and groaned.

A little disappointed, as the Prince of Hell had been counting on a fight, he always hoped to get into a fight, Mike tied up and blindfolded the young man who was writhing on the floor and threw him over his shoulder like he was a sack of potatoes.

Ian didn't struggle as expected, only barely audible moans came out of his mouth. Frustrated, Mike threw him into the back seat of the car and looked with contempt at that pitiful figure who was still writhing in pain and moaning softly.

Mike had seen Ian several times and had researched everything about the boy's life, but it seemed that every day the young man became more dejected, weaker, more pathetic.

Looking in the rearview mirror he saw Ian struggling like a fish that had just been taken out of the water and fighting for its survival, perhaps the pain from the punch had lessened and he had regained some of his strength.

What could the King of Hell want from such an insignificant being? Mike knew everything there was to know about him and there was nothing interesting or special about him, even his connection with Ivy was practically null, apart from the fact that they were coworkers, there was nothing else there.

Ivy, yes, she was interesting, there was not a single record about her and Mariano refused to say anything about her, not that he hadn't denied information before, he always protected his artists, so when he said that the singer didn't want to be found and that she wouldn't say anything even for money, Mike accepted, because it was part of the rules of the gates of Hell, the administrator of each entrance could protect the identity of their customers and employees. Ivy must have been scared and who could blame her? Her behavior was completely justifiable, anyone in their right mind would run away from Dante.

Despite being curious and interesting, Mike kept the lack of information to himself, as the consequences if the King of Hell found out about his incompetence would be terrible. Dante was in such a state of obsession that he spread the word throughout Hell about his interest in the singer from the Lust nightclub, just to make sure that no one would dare approach her. This was rare and fascinating.

Upon arriving at the great Mansion, Dante's home and headquarters of Hell, with a sigh Mike took a closer look at Ian as he pressed the boy's body against the back seat of the car, he was crying softly with his eyes wide open, as his blindfold had come off, that haggard face was very close and observing closely the Prince of Hell could see the beautiful and tearful sharp eyes the color of jambo, the thick lips almost without color, if that young man were in good health he would be truly handsome.

With more abrupt movements than before, the blindfold that hung from the boy's face was removed and his arms were freed. He wasn't going to fight, so there was no reason to restrain those limbs, but his legs were still tightly tied and, to Mike's sadness, his prediction was right. There was no resistance, there was no struggle.

The boy was really a lost cause, he was just a zombie who couldn't even beg for his own life, his fear and confusion were noticeable, but he didn't say a single word to Mike, like a sack of potatoes Ian was carried to Dante's office and thrown at his feet.