"Marry me, Dev," Bella murmured.
Dev remained completely still, staring at the beautiful face in front of him—the face of the woman who was currently proposing to him. His heart pounded furiously.
"Dev, I want you to marry me," Bella repeated.
Dev quickly gathered his wits. He brushed Bella's hand away from his hair, then stood up and looked straight into her beautiful eyes.
"I think we need to have a serious talk," Dev said. "You don't know me. You only just saw me at the Logan Ritz Hotel the other day, so why do you say you want to marry me so easily? Do you even understand what marriage actually means?"
"I already know everything about you, so in other words, I do know who you are. After finding out about your background, I'm even more convinced that you are the exact guy I've been looking for to be my husband," Bella asserted in a perfectly rational tone.
Dev was taken aback to hear Bella speaking to him with such gravity.
"Just what exactly do you know about me?" Dev questioned.
Bella then laid out everything Tere had told her regarding the information she had managed to dig up about him.
"So, you believe me now, right? I know everything about you. Even the three girls you ended up with when you won those races—I have their profiles," Bella said proudly.
"Is that all?" Dev asked dismissively.
"Yes, I admit I don't know yet why you were discharged from the Air Force and ended up as a street bad boy living a life without a steady job. But the moment you marry me, your life will change. You won't ever have to worry about money, and you could even become the CEO of Xander Corp."
Dev appeared entirely unimpressed by everything Bella said. His racing heart gradually slowed down, hearing words that had initially sounded like a proposal but now felt more like a business negotiation. He walked away from Bella and stood at the edge of the balcony, still enjoying his cigarette while staring out at the night view.
"Are you serious about wanting to make me your husband? Why me?"
"Because I don't need a guy with wealth or a position. I already have all of that. Money, valuable assets—I have it all. I just need you to be my husband."
Dev felt insulted by Bella's words; his pride was deeply wounded. How could Bella speak as if he were merely an accessory to her already perfect life? He locked eyes with Bella and blew a plume of cigarette smoke directly into her face.
Bella immediately began coughing violently from the smoke.
"I hate cigarette smoke!" Bella protested.
"Good. So do you still want to marry a smoker like me? Now get out of here. Don't bother me again," Dev said, before stepping back into his boarding house room, leaving Bella behind while she was still coughing.
Dev shut the door and tore off his jacket in anger. He could still hear Bella coughing outside, but he ignored it. Dev chose to pull out his phone instead, replying to a few incoming chats. The sound of someone knocking on his door echoed, but Dev paid it no mind.
After a few moments, the knocking slowed down before stopping completely. Dev froze. It felt strange because the knocking had been rapid at first, then gradually grew weaker and slower. Dev rose from his seat. He wanted to check if Bella had finally left. He walked to the door and pulled it open. To his absolute shock, Dev saw Bella's body collapsed on the floor right in front of his room.
"Bella!" Dev immediately cradled Bella's body in his arms.
"Bel! Cut the acting!" Dev said in a panic, trying to rouse Bella, whose gaze was blank. Bella seemed to be gasping for air, her lips were pale, and both of her hands were stiffly curled inward.
Bella looked up toward Dev, but then she lost consciousness. Without a second thought, Dev hoisted Bella's body onto his back and rushed her to a clinic not far from his boarding house. Fortunately, the clinic was open 24 hours, and a doctor on duty immediately examined her.
"What's wrong with her, Doc?" Dev asked, still panicked.
"Her asthma flared up," the doctor said while hooking an oxygen tube up to Bella's nose.
"Asthma?" Instantly, Dev felt a wave of intense regret. Bella had coughed for quite a while after he blew that cigarette smoke right into her face earlier.
"Yes. How are you related to her, sir? How could you not know she has asthma? She'll be fine now. Let's just wait for her to regain consciousness," the doctor said, leaving Dev and Bella alone.
Dev brushed Bella's hair back and stared at her intently, as if she were someone incredibly important to him. He gently massaged Bella's hands, which were still somewhat stiff. Guilt and anxiety completely consumed him.
After a short while, Bella began to stir. Her stiff hands gradually relaxed as Dev kept massaging them.
"Bel? You're awake?" Dev felt a rush of relief.
"Where am I?" Bella asked.
"You're at a clinic. You fainted earlier. Are you okay now?" Dev asked, staring into Bella's eyes, the worry still evident on his face.
Bella found Dev's warm attitude strange.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I really can't handle cigarette smoke," Bella explained, "but I don't blame you."
"I am so incredibly sorry. I had no idea you had asthma. Please forgive me," Dev said, filled with genuine remorse.
Bella was stunned once again. In her entire life, no one had ever worried about her like this. Even her own grandfather had never shown the kind of care that Dev was displaying right now. Furthermore, this was the very first time Dev had looked at her with such a warm and deeply concerned gaze.
"I'm really fine. Why are you being so dramatic?" Bella said, slightly flustered.
Dev suddenly realized he was acting far too concerned about Bella. He cleared his throat, stood up from her bedside, and turned his face away.
"Ah, she's awake," the clinic doctor said, approaching the two of them.
"Yes, I'm okay now, Doc," Bella said as she removed the breathing apparatus from her nose.
"You should carry an inhaler wherever you go, Miss. That way, a sudden asthma attack won't cause everyone to panic. You should have seen how anxious this young man was waiting for you to wake up," the doctor remarked.
Bella stared at Dev in disbelief. Dev was anxious because I fainted? No way, she thought to herself.
"She's completely fine now, right, Doc? Can she go home?" Dev asked.
"Yes, she's clear to go home. Just head over to the administration desk first," the doctor said before leaving Dev and Bella.
"I'll go out front first," Dev said without looking at Bella.
After settling the medical bill, they left the clinic and walked back toward Dev's boarding house. For a while, neither of them spoke.
"Thanks. I'll reimburse you for my medical bill. Give me your bank account number and I'll transfer it," Bella said, breaking the silence.
"Don't worry about it. I might be poor, but I have money. Besides, you got sick because of me," Dev replied.
Cheerfully, Bella linked her arm through Dev's and rested her head on his shoulder.
"What are you doing? Let go!" Dev snapped. However, Bella only held onto his arm tighter.
"You like me too, don't you? You were so worried about me when I was sick earlier," Bella said with a beaming smile.
"Don't go jumping to conclusions. I only felt guilty," Dev countered.
He gave up trying to pry Bella's hand away from his arm and just let her keep her hold.
Bella merely smiled, hearing the classic excuse Dev threw out. Faintly, Bella caught the scent of Dev's perfume, which completely hypnotized her.
"I love the scent of your perfume. Even though I'm sure it's not an expensive one, the fragrance suits you perfectly," Bella said honestly.
"You have weird taste. If you're the granddaughter of a tycoon, you should be looking for a guy who only uses expensive things. That would actually suit a socialite like you."
"A socialite?" Bella asked.
"I checked out your Instagram once," Dev admitted.
Bella never expected Dev to have stalked her Instagram. She did frequently share her moments on various occasions. She often posted about her vacations to expensive, luxurious destinations all over the world—traveling by private jet, riding helicopters, yachts, supercars, and her own sportbikes. Shopping for luxury goods, and getting treatments at salons often frequented by world-class celebrities. Not to mention the lavish parties she often attended, hosted by her friends from 'rich' to 'crazy rich' circles like herself. She knew people from the upper class, ranging from the 'average' wealthy to famous influencers, and even international actors and models.
"I didn't expect you to check up on me," Bella said.
"Of course I did. A strange girl approaches me and goes as far as asking me to marry her—obviously that made me curious."
Dev stopped walking, then said, "But there's one thing I want to ask you."
Dev untangled Bella's arms from his, then stood squarely facing her.
"Do you really not remember who I am?"