Bella returned to her room to get dressed. She grabbed her blazer and took the elevator down to the ground floor. She walked toward the back of the hotel, where the swimming pool and several gazebos were located. Tilting her head up, she searched for Dev's current position. He was still quite high up, perhaps around the thirties floor.
Bella was determined to wait for Dev until he completed his task. She had to speak with him the moment he came down.
"Excuse me, Miss. I'm deeply sorry, but we are already closed." Suddenly, a restaurant waiter approached her.
Bella only just realized that she was standing in the outdoor section of the restaurant. Glancing at the clock on her phone, she saw it was already 11 PM.
"Can I rent this outdoor area until tomorrow morning?" Bella said, pulling out her black credit card.
"But we..."
"You don't need to stay here and wait on me. You can close up the indoor restaurant and go home, but I am renting this outdoor area. Also, do not turn off the lights," Bella commanded.
"Let me check and ask first..."
"Ugh, you are so incredibly annoying! I'm a friend of Logan Victor, the owner of this hotel. Do I need to call him?!" Bella began to lose her patience. She snapped right in front of the waiter's face.
"Y-yes, Miss. I will process your order immediately." The waiter hurried away, his face pale with fear after seeing Bella bare her teeth.
Bella sat down on one of the chairs facing the hotel facade. She watched as Dev continued to wipe down the glass walls.
"Miss, here is your receipt and your card. Is there anything else I can assist you with?" the same waiter said, returning Bella's card.
"Just bring me an Americano. No sugar," Bella replied, her eyes still glued to Dev.
Suddenly, drowsiness washed over her. She needed a shot of caffeine to stay awake and wait for Dev to finish his job. The waiter left and returned shortly after with a cup of Americano and a few accompanying snacks.
"I didn't order these," Bella said bluntly.
"This is on the house, Miss. Please enjoy it," the waiter replied politely.
"What time do you think it is? Are you trying to make me fat? Take it back!" Terrified, the waiter quickly took the snacks away, his eyes welling up with tears.
Bella refocused her gaze on Dev. Right at that moment, Dev was descending rapidly toward the first floor.
"Huh? He's already finished?" Bella muttered. She immediately stood up to approach him.
Dev was in the middle of unbuckling his gear and harness. Seeing him up close, he was far handsomer than she had realized. Standing at about 180 cm tall, his short hair was handsomely tousled, and his well-defined biceps bulged beneath the sleeves of his plaid shirt. A fraction of a tattoo could be seen etched onto the back of his neck. It appeared to be a large piece, though it was mostly hidden by the collar of his shirt.
Bella smiled as she took in the man standing before her. Dev was absolutely her type.
"You're Dev, right?" Bella asked. Dev, who was pulling off his work gloves, turned his head toward her.
Dev looked taken aback to see Bella. His gaze locked onto her face, unable to look away.
So, he's already captivated by my beauty? Okay, this is going to be incredibly easy. Dev is absolutely perfect to drive Grandfather half-mad with rage, Bella thought to herself.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" Bella asked, waving her hand in front of Dev's face. Dev snapped out of his daze.
"Do you remember me?" Dev asked, his deep, sexy bass voice sending a thrill through Bella all over again.
"Of course I do. You're the guy who was cleaning the glass while I was in the middle of taking a bath. Obviously, I remember! I went straight up to the roof to look for you, and I got your name from your coworker. I've been waiting out here because I want to settle the score with you!" Bella stated, her tone turning deliberately sharp.
For some reason, a flash of disappointment crossed Dev's features. He averted his gaze for a split second before addressing her.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I was just doing my job. You can rest easy, Miss; I couldn't see you taking a bath because the glass is tinted with a one-way mirror film. It's just that since it was dark outside, I could see you in your brightly lit room. But it wasn't clear at all," Dev explained politely, sounding genuinely apologetic.
"In that case, follow me," Bella said.
Bella marched back over to the outdoor restaurant area and took her seat at the table. Dev followed closely behind her and sat across from her.
"You're apologizing to me, right? But I can't just let you off the hook that easily. You saw me bathing. You've seen my naked body! You have to take responsibility!" Bella began to put on an act, spinning a lie. She knew full well that Dev had only seen her after she had already put on her bathrobe.
"I didn't see anything, Miss. I swear to God. I only saw you when you were already wearing a bathrobe. Before that, I hadn't even realized someone was in there," Dev tried to defend himself.
"And I'm just supposed to believe you? For all I know, you're only saying that now because you already caught a full glimpse of me! I want you to take responsibility!" Bella pressed on, fully committed to her theatrical performance.
"Seriously, Miss. What kind of responsibility are we talking about here? I literally didn't see anything," Dev said, starting to feel deeply uncomfortable with her absurd claims.
"You have to marry me!" Bella declared at last, her voice dripping with calculated drama.
Dev fell dead silent for a moment. He stared at her, utterly stunned, as it finally clicked in his mind that the woman sitting across from him was completely out of her mind. He let out a low scoff, trying to keep his temper in check.
"If you're using what happened as an excuse just to hit on me, you might as well give up. I'm not buying into your bullshit. I'm leaving," Dev said, dropping his polite facade as he stood up from his chair.
"How can you say that after you've seen my bare body? You have to take responsibility! No guy has ever seen me naked before. You're the only one! That means you have to take responsibility by marrying me!" Bella dramatized even further.
"Your act is incredibly stale. Go find some other guy to play games with. I have actual work to do," Dev said, casting a lethal glare at her.
But Bella wouldn't be Bella if she backed down at a mere threat. She lunged forward and grabbed Dev's hand, halting him just as he was about to turn his back on her.
"Fine, you don't have to marry me right this second. We can date first," Bella suggested.
Dev looked down at Bella with a freezing cold stare.
"I don't even know your name, and I have zero clue who you are. Unless you're down for a one-night stand with me—then I'm interested," Dev said, a wicked, condescending smirk playing on his lips. He let his eyes scan Bella's body from head to toe, his gaze ultimately lingering on the beautiful curve of her chest beneath her tight top. He deliberately said it just to provoke her anger.
"In that case, let's head up to my room," Bella countered, instantly throwing his challenge right back at him.
Dev's eyes widened in utter disbelief. He had absolutely not expected that a woman he intended to verbally humiliate would turn around and call his bluff so fearlessly.
"You're insane," Dev muttered, shaking his head.
"Let's go. If sleeping with me is what it takes for you to become my boyfriend, I will gladly give my body to you," Bella said, her hand reaching out to touch Dev's broad chest.
Dev instantly recoiled, feeling a jolt akin to an electric shock the moment her hand made contact with him.
"You are hands down the strangest girl I have ever met. Why are you going to such extremes for me? Do you actually like me?" Dev asked, his tone dripping with mockery once more.
Without a single trace of hurt on her face from his belittling words, Bella closed the distance between them.
"Yes. I like you. And you are going to be mine," Bella declared.
In a fraction of a second, Bella yanked Dev forward by his shirt collar and pulled him down into a kiss.