Loving Devlin

Chapter One: The Night That Changed Everything

Bella Smith nervously adjusted her blazer and took a deep breath, steadying herself before stepping through the towering glass doors of Ascot Enterprises. The building is sleek, modern, and intimidating, a stark contrast to her world of budget-friendly stores and cozy apartments. The air inside smells of polished wood and expensive cologne, the kind that clung to the men and women in tailored suits who walked past without sparing her a glance. She had applied for the role of a Business Associate and had been invited for an interview today. She looked at her reflection in the glass walls surrounding the reception. She wasn’t looking bad with her dark hair, sea-green eyes and lips so full and soft. At 5 ft 8, she looked quite captivating. This gave her self-confidence a little boost.

She clutched her resume in her slightly damp palms. This was it, she thought, as she walked towards the receptionist, admiring the sophisticated ambience of the reception—her shot at a better future.

“Miss Smith?” A sharply dressed receptionist looked up from behind a sleek black desk.

“Yes,” Bella answers, forcing confidence into her voice.

“Follow me.”

Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she followed the woman through a maze of glass-walled offices and private lounges. Finally, they reach a spacious corner office where two men sat across from each other.

One of them was Devlin Ascot.

Bella had read about him—a ruthless billionaire, feared and respected in equal measure. But nothing had prepared her for his presence. He exuded power, with dark brown hair, sleekly styled in a haircut that looked expensive, piercing gray eyes that missed nothing, and a chiseled jaw that looked like it had been sculpted by the gods. He sat there with an air of complete authority, his tailored suit molded to his frame in perfection, broad shoulders filling out the crisp fabric.

Her stomach twisted nervously, but she refused to let his intense gaze shake her.

The other man cleared his throat. “Miss Smith, please have a seat.”

The interview began, and Bella answered each question flawlessly. Her experience, her work ethics, her determination—she laid it all out, her confidence growing with each response. She knew she had the qualifications and the skills required for the role.

When it ended, Devlin, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.

“You’ll start Monday,” he said flatly.

Bella blinked. “I got the job?”

A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face. “You did. Don’t make me regret it.”

She swallowed and nodded. Then, with as much poise as she could manage, she left the room, her heart pounding. She had done it.

---

A Celebration That Turned Into a Nightmare

Bella could not stop smiling as she made her way out of Ascot Enterprises. She had really done it. For landing such a prestigious job, she really deserved to celebrate. She hailed a cab to take her home and tipped him generously as she made him drop her at her favorite boutique—a small, affordable shop tucked far away from the city’s high-end brands. She ran her fingers over a deep emerald dress, simple but elegant. It was perfect for a small celebration dinner with Ethan, her fiancé. She smiled, imagining his reaction, how proud he would be.

By the time she reached their apartment, her heart was light and she was practically skipping to her door in excitement. She pushed the door open with a wide grin already forming.

Then she froze.

Soft moans. A woman’s voice. Ethan’s voice.

Her breath caught in her throat. No. No, this can’t be, this wasn’t happening, she thought to herself. Her heart refusing to believe what her brain already knew.

Her feet felt like lead as she dragged herself toward the bedroom, dreading what she knew she was about to see but unable to stop moving forward. The door was slightly ajar and she pushed it open quietly. The sight before her made her freeze in total shock and disbelief.

Ethan was in their bed—with Jenny, her own cousin whom she had always treated like a sister. They were both stark naked and lost in their own world.

A strangled scream left Bella’s throat.

Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes widening in panic as he saw her. “Bella—”

The sound of his voice snapped her out of her shock, she shot him a look of total hurt and disappointment, turned around and ran.

She didn’t hear his excuses, didn’t wait for him to come after her. She just ran. Out the door, down the stairs, onto the streets. The cold night air hit her like a slap, but it wasn’t enough to numb the pain clawing at her chest.

She had given him everything. Three years of love, trust and devotion. And this was how he repaid her?

Tears blurred her vision as she walked, aimlessly, her feet carrying her far away from the life she thought she had.

---

Whiskey and an Unexpected Encounter

Bella had no idea where she was going, she just kept walking aimlessly along the road until she saw the warm glow of a bar’s neon sign. She had walked miles into the high-brow area of the city, Miner avenue. This was an expensive lounge which she wouldn’t ordinarily go enter being very mindful and thrifty in her spending. But tonight, she couldn’t bring herself to care about the cost and walked in confidently into the establishment. Her coat was taken at the door while she walked directly to the club section. She had never been much of a drinker, but tonight called for something strong to numb the pain in her heart.

She stepped inside and was hit by the loud music, the air thick with smoke, the scent of liquor and expensive cigars permeating the room. The bartender barely looked at her as she slid onto a stool.

“Whiskey,” she ordered, even though she had never had it before.

The burn in her throat was instant as she took a swallow of the drink placed before her, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her chest.

“Rough night?” A deep voice asked.

She turned—and froze.

Devlin Ascot.

“Of all the people in the city to find her at her lowest, why him?”, she thought to herself.

He was watching her, gray eyes unreadable. Up close, he was even more devastating. Tall, broad-shouldered, effortlessly powerful. And God help her, so sexy and attractive. Bella was speechless for a minute. She wasn’t sure how to react, seeing her new boss at a bar. But the whiskey had lowered her guard considerably and she knew she was quite drunk at that point, and she just couldn’t bring herself to walk away from Devlin’s magnetic gaze which had looked her over appreciatively while he was speaking. This was a confidence boost she didn’t realize she needed.

“You could say that”, she replied, “but I think it just got better”. She smiled directly at him suggestively.

Devlin wasn’t going to ignore such a direct invitation and moved swiftly to the bar stool beside her, sitting himself as close as possible to her.

“You don’t look like someone who belongs here,” he said.

Bella let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t.”

He studied her for a long moment, then signaled the bartender. “Another.”

A fresh glass of whiskey appeared in front of her. She hesitated before picking it up, the heat spreading through her fingers.

“I don’t normally drink,” she admitted.

Devlin raised an eyebrow. “And yet, here you are.”

She looked away. “Yes, here I am. It’s been a bad night.”

‘Hmm”, he grunted, assessing her with a dark gaze. He didn’t ask any questions. Didn’t pry. He just lifted his own glass and took a slow sip.

For a while, they drank in silence. And then, in a moment of reckless frustration, Bella found herself saying, “Do you ever just want to forget everything?”

His gaze locked onto hers. Intense. Searching.

“Yes.”

The air between them shifted. Bella swallowed nervously wondering, “What the hell am I doing?”.

“Would you mind accompanying me to my suite for some coffee? Devlin asked, holding her gaze quite steadily. Her heart rate picked up quite alarmingly in her chest. She stared back at him for a long minute then nodded her head.

Devlin stood up, tossing a few crisp bills onto the bar. Then he looked at her, his expression strangely possessive.

“Come with me.”, he said, stretching out his hands..

Her heart pounded. She should say no. She should walk away.

But she didn’t.

Maybe it was the whiskey. Maybe it was the heartbreak. Maybe it was the way Devlin looked at her, as if he saw something in her that no one else did.

For once in her life, she decided to be impulsive.

She put her hand into his in an oddly trusting way and stood up. She caught a pleased look in his eyes which was quickly masked. Perhaps she had imagined the flitting emotion.

---

The Morning After

Bella woke to soft morning light streaming through massive floor-to-ceiling windows. For a moment, she forgot where she was.

Then she felt the warmth beside her. A strong hand possessively wrapped around her middle. “How odd.” she thought. She could not recall ever feeling so safe and secure in Ethan’s arms. Her stomach churned as memories of the previous night came crashing into her mind with a vengeance. She had lost the love of her life to her own cousin. Nothing about her comfortable and well-planned life was going to be the same again. She had to quickly move out of their apartment and find a way to put the pieces of her life back together.

She fiercely fought back the tears that were threatening to spill out from her eyes. She hadn’t cried since she walked in on that horrible scene. She was afraid that if she gave in to her emotions, she may never stop crying. A stranger’s bed was hardly the place to have a mental breakdown.

She turned her head slowly. Devlin was still asleep. The sheets were low on his waist, his toned chest rising and falling steadily. In sleep, he looked different—less cold, almost peaceful. Absolutely sexy. She could understand why so many beautiful women fought to be by his side. If the newspapers and tabloids were to be believed, he changed his women with scandalous frequency.

Bella suddenly frowned. Feeling a bitter distaste and anger in her heart that she didn’t dare analyze, she slowly pulled herself away from his arms without waking him up. She quickly scanned the room, finding and picking up her discarded clothing from the floor. Her face was flushed quite red as she recalled her reckless abandon the previous night and the total dominance and hunger with which Devlin had ravished her. The night before played in her mind like a vivid, intoxicating dream. The taste of whiskey, the heat of his hands, the way he had looked at her like she was something he wanted to consume whole. The heated kisses. The way his hands had traced, and his wicked mouth had kissed, every inch of her skin. He had feasted on her quite thoroughly and for the first time in her life, she had felt truly alive and seen.

“God, she needed to get out of here fast”, she thought as she put on her clothes. Holding her shoes in her hands, she gave Devlin one last look and quietly left the suite before she gave in to her unruly mind and crawled back into the warmth of his arms in his bed.

She wouldn’t think about last night. She couldn’t.

Because come Monday morning, she intended to step into Ascot Enterprises and pretend like none of this ever happened.