Loving Devlin

Chapter Three. The Silent Battle

Bella tried to focus on her work, but her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. The one-night stand with Devlin Ascot should have been a forgotten moment of madness, an act of reckless abandon to drown out the pain of Ethan’s betrayal. Yet it had come to cause a major setback in the best job she had ever gotten.

She had convinced herself she could pretend nothing happened. She had walked into Ascot Enterprises with her head held high, determined to be the professional woman she had worked so hard to become. But nothing prepared her for Devlin's moves to bring them closer together

Just as she was getting into the flow of work, an email notification popped up.

From: Devlin Ascot

Subject: New Assignment

Bella hesitated before clicking it open.

"Effective immediately, you have been reassigned to the CEO’s office as my personal assistant. Report to my office within the next ten minutes. Do not keep me waiting."

God. He couldn’t even give her a few hours to complete her current tasks. She called Olivia on the intercom. “I have been reassigned to the CEO’s office”, she said. “I know”, replied Olivia briskly. “Complete your remaining tasks before you resume at the CEO’s office”. Bella smiled slightly and said “Okay”. Promptly ignoring Devlin’s e-mail, she continued her assigned tasks. 20 mins later, her intercom buzzed. “Hello”, she said coldly. “Ms Smith, see me in my office immediately”, roared Devlin and he slammed the phone down. Clearly, he was in a fowl temper. Bella looked at the phone in her hand and frowned. What the hell was he so furious about. Feeling a bit apprehensive, she saved her work on her system and briskly walked to Devlin’s office.

---

Inside Devlin’s Office

Devlin sat behind his massive desk, exuding power and indifference. Bella stood her ground, chin lifted in defiance.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

He leaned back in his chair, his piercing dark eyes scanning her. "I trust you’ve read my email."

"I have. But I wasn’t hired to be your assistant, Mr. Ascot."

"Your previous position is no longer available." His tone was calm, yet merciless. "You’re either my PA, or you’re unemployed. The choice is yours."

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. This wasn’t fair. He was forcing her into this role, and they both knew why. But she couldn’t afford to lose this job.

"Fine," she said, her voice laced with defiance. "But I expect professionalism."

His lips curved slightly, though it wasn’t a smile. More like a silent challenge. "I always maintain professionalism, Ms. Smith. Can you?"

Bella’s pulse quickened. This was a dangerous game, and Devlin was making it clear that he held all the cards and had no qualms about using them ruthlessly. She was in for a very long ride.

---

First Days as His PA

The workload was grueling. Devlin demanded perfection, and his standards were impossibly high. He threw tasks at her without warning, expected flawless execution, and didn’t tolerate hesitation.

Yet, through all of it, she sensed something else—something unspoken.

His gaze lingered on her longer than necessary. His voice held a certain edge whenever he said her name. It got worse when her phone kept buzzing. She had woken up that morning with 6 missed calls from Susan and 22 missed calls from Ethan. She had promptly blocked both their numbers. And yet, Ethan had called her with an unknown number, and she had unknowingly picked only to hear his whiny voice saying “Bella, where have you been? Please its not what you think. Lets talk and ..”. She had cut the call and blocked the unknown number. And now different unknown numbers kept calling her and she just ignored them all. However, she couldn’t hide the vibrating sound from her phone while working in Devlin’s office. His face seemed to get darker every time the phone buzzed. By the tenth buzz, he lost it and said with barely contained irritation, “Do you want to pick that so we can have some quiet”. Bella looked him straight in the eye and said one word, “No”. And she continued her task. Devlin was left momentarily speechless before he swore under his breadth and went back to work saying nothing more.

In the evening, as she packed her things to leave, his deep voice cut through the silence.

"Cancel your plans. We have a business dinner."

Bella frowned. "I wasn’t informed of any meeting."

"You have now," he said smoothly.

She exhaled sharply. "With whom?"

"My father."

Bella stiffened. She had heard the whispers in the office. Richard Ascot was a ruthless businessman, colder than Devlin himself.

"Why do you need me there?" she asked cautiously.

"Because he’ll ask questions, and I don’t like answering them alone." His jaw tightened, and for the first time, she saw a c***k in his armor. She found herself softening a bit towards him.

This wasn’t just about business. This was personal.

She wanted to refuse, but something in his expression held her still. Against her better judgment, she nodded.

"I’ll be there."

She stepped out of the office and stood waiting for a cab. A lot of the workforce have since left the office leaving only her, Devlin and the security personnel. Just as she was about to raise her had to hail a nearby cab, a sleek Mercedes Benz pulled up right in front of her. Feeling a bit confused, she stepped back and was about to move away when the window was wound down and she saw Devlin at the driver’s seat. “Get in, he said. “Thank you, Mr. Devlin, that won’t be necessary. I was just about to call a cab...”. “I said get in”, he repeated in a tone that brooked on argument. Bella stood indecisively on the sidewalk. They had drawn the attention of some of the security personnel. The last thing she needed was being the topic of office gossip. She reluctantly entered, feeling a sense of resentment at Devlin’s high handedness. Devlin looked at her from the side of his eyes, he could feel her anger bristling, but he wasn’t going to let her get home alone when that scumbag was probably waiting to make trouble with her. “Where do you live?” he asked with apparent disinterest. I stay on Long Street avenue, Block 57.

Devlin quietly drove there. Bella was anything but comfortable in his luxurious car with such soft leather seats. She had gone through a long day and wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and take a little nap but she dared not in his car. She looked at him sideways then quickly shifted her gaze. God. It should be a crime to be so good looking she swore under her breadth.

“Is there a problem?”, he asked.

“No.” she said, feeling her face flush red and thankful for the darkness that covered her true state.

They arrived at her place, and she got down and turned to thank Devlin for the ride only to hear Ethan call out to her. “Bella darling, I have been so worried about you. Where have you been? Are you okay?” Bella slowly turned around and looked at the face that had crushed her very hopes and dreams. She realized that Ethan didn’t know she had gotten a job. She never got around to telling him that night when she walked in on his cheating ass. He came towards her and wanted to engulf her in a hug. She coldly stepped away from his reach and he helplessly brought his hands down. “Can we talk please?” he asked.

“I have nothing to say to you Ethan. What are you still doing at my house? Please leave and never return here. I have no intention of listening to anything you may have to say”, she said. “Bella please”, Ethan said moving closer to her and desperately clutching her arms, “we have been together for 3 years. You can’t just throw all that away over a mistake. I promise you it was just that one time and it will never happen again. I know you love me. Please let’s work things out”. “Let go of me”, Bella said through gritted teeth. Ethan just held her even more tightly and wanted to drag her into his embrace.

“I believe the lady asked you to let her go”. Devlin’s voice cut through the air like a whiplash. He hadn’t noticed that she had come with someone. He sized Devlin up and down and frowned angrily. “This is between me and my woman. What right do you have to interfere?” Ethan blustered in anger.

“Your woman? You must be delusional. Bella belongs to no one but me”, Devlin said, yanking Bella out of Ethan’s hands and holding her close beside him.

Bella was so stunned she couldn’t even react. The absolute possessiveness in Devlin’s voice shocked her to the core. “What the hell was going on?” she thought to herself.

Ethan even looked more shocked at Devlin’s claim. He looked from one to the other, noticing that Bella did not refute Devlin’s claim but in fact stood beside him quietly. His face twisted in anger. “So”, he said “you have replaced me so soon. Were you ever even faithful to me?” Bella instinctively wanted to reject his words, but she caught herself. Looking at his bitter and hurt face, she found herself smiling genuinely for the first time in 2 days. This was such a balm to .her wounds, and she said “No. I guess I wasn’t faithful. How does it feel to be cheated on?” Ethan’s eyes widened and his face flushed red. He couldn’t face his own hypocrisy getting angry at Bella for doing the same thing he had done. He gave her a long look. “So you have had your revenge. Does Auntie know about your new man? I bet not. You had better come back to your senses.” Saying this, he turned around and walked away.

Bella let out a sigh. She was so exhausted, and she still had a dinner to go to with Devlin. She turned to look at him. “Go on and get changed, I will wait for you down here”, he said, a strange look in his eyes as he watched her.

She looked at him for a minute wanting to bring up his earlier odd claim on her but the look in his eyes made her decide to drop it. No need stirring a hornet’s nest.

Bella nodded and turned towards her apartment.

---

The Dinner with Richard Ascot

Bella sat across from Richard Ascot, feeling his assessing gaze rake over her. She had chosen to wear a simple sleeveless black gown that ended just below her knees. She paired it with a silver necklace and earring with matching silver shoes with delicate straps. His resemblance to Devlin was unsettling—same sharp features, same dark hair. But while Devlin’s eyes were cold and unreadable, his fathers’ were ruthless and calculating.

"And you are?" Richard asked, voice dripping with arrogance.

"Bella Smith," she said, keeping her tone polite but firm.

"A PA?" His lips twisted. "Tell me, Devlin, is that all she is?"

Bella’s cheeks flamed. Devlin’s grip on his glass tightened, his expression unreadable.

"She’s exactly what I need her to be," he said smoothly.

Richard chuckled. "Ah. Always keeping secrets. Just like your mother."

Devlin’s entire body stiffened, but he didn’t respond.

Bella saw it then—the pain Devlin never spoke about. The walls he had built. The father who never saw him as enough.

Her heart clenched, but she quickly masked it.

"You raised a brilliant businessman, Mr. Ascot," she said. "He runs his company with precision and discipline. Surely, that speaks for itself? You should be proud".

Richard’s gaze flickered to her in surprise, as if seeing her for the first time.

Devlin’s hand brushed against hers under the table—a silent thank you.

She wasn’t sure why she defended him, but in that moment, she saw more than just a billionaire CEO.

She saw a man struggling to be more than his father’s shadow.

And when she looked into his eyes and his gaze locked with hers, she realized that this changed everything.