"Do you really not remember who I am?"
Bella knitted her brows, completely utterly bewildered.
"Ah, never mind. Just forget it," Dev concluded, before walking away once again, leaving Bella standing there, baffled by his sudden question.
"Dev, wait up!" Bella called out, but Dev kept walking, completely ignoring her.
They arrived in front of the low-cost apartment complex where Dev's boarding room was located. Dev stopped in his tracks as two black Alphards were seen parked in front of the building. Several men in black suits stepped out, one of whom was Kris, with a bandage wrapped around his head.
Kris stared intently at Dev.
"Your ride is here," Dev remarked.
Bella let out an angry sigh as she watched the men in black suits approach Dev, looking ready to ambush him. In a flash, Bella stepped in front of Dev.
She punched one of them in the stomach and twisted his arm.
"If any of you dare touch Dev, I'll break his arm!" Bella threatened.
"Bel, you can't protect that man. He could be dangerous to you," Kris said, his tone casual, no longer speaking formally to her.
"What the hell are you even doing here? Aren't you off duty right now? He is my future husband, you all need to respect him!" Bella snapped at Kris and the bodyguards.
"You're making me look like a weak guy, you know, Bel. Just go home and stop causing trouble," Dev said, glancing at Bella before addressing Kris, "Take this crazy girl away."
With that, Dev turned and walked through the gate of his boarding house.
"Dev! You're the one who brought me here! You should be the one taking me home!" Bella screamed.
Dev turned around and looked at Bella's furious face.
"You were the one who told me to take you away, and I did. Now your bodyguards are here to pick you up, so why don't you just go home with them? Why does it have to be such a hassle for me to drive you back?"
Bella kept her face locked in a pout.
"Come on, Bel, just get in. I'll drive you," Kris said, wrapping his arm around Bella's shoulder.
"Shut up, Kris! I hate looking at your face! Get the hell out of here!" Bella snarled, brushing Kris's arm off her and throwing a punch straight at his face.
Kris staggered back, glaring at Bella in anger. He grabbed her hand and roughly dragged her toward the car. In an instant, Dev intercepted and caught Kris's hand.
"Are you serious? You're her bodyguard, but you're being rough with her?" Dev glared furiously at Kris. Kris yanked his hand out of Dev's grip.
"Stay out of this!" Kris barked.
Kris threw a punch right at Dev's face. Dev retaliated by driving his body into Kris's stomach, tackling him until Kris crashed to the ground. A chaotic fistfight ensued. Mid-duel, Kris closely observed Dev's every move. Dev wasn't fighting like a random brawler; he was utilizing martial arts techniques like Yongmoodo, Karate, and even Pencak Silat.
'Why do Dev's techniques and hand movements feel so familiar? Did a street thug like him actually learn martial arts?'
In the middle of the scuffle, Bella ran through the boarding house gate and began taking the stairs.
"Kris, Miss Bella is heading up the building!" a bodyguard alerted, preparing to chase after her.
Kris and Dev both looked toward the stairs. Bella kept climbing up toward the top floor. Dev released his grip on the white shirt Kris was wearing.
"STOP! NO ONE SETS FOOT ON MY TERRITORY!" Dev roared, his voice echoing powerfully. The bodyguards who were about to pursue Bella froze in their tracks.
"You guys wait down here. I'll bring Bella down," Dev said. Kris signaled his men to comply with Dev's demand.
Dev marched up the stairs, throwing a backward glance at the bodyguards that clearly communicated, 'I will obliterate you if you take even one step forward.'
When Dev reached the top and looked around the balcony, Bella was nowhere to be seen. He stepped into his room and found Bella standing there, holding a photo frame. She was staring at the picture. It was a photo of Dev in his military pilot uniform, posing in front of a fighter jet, smiling warmly at the camera. Dev immediately snatched the frame from Bella's hands.
"You can't just barge into someone else's room like this," Dev said, his breath still ragged.
Bella looked at Dev's face, which was now covered in cuts and bruises from his brawl with Kris. She reached out, intending to touch the corner of Dev's bleeding lip, but Dev dodged her hand.
"You need to go home now," Dev urged.
Bella completely ignored him. Instead, she lay down on Dev's bed and pulled his blanket up to cover her body.
"I don't want to go home. I want to stay here," Bella declared, closing her eyes.
"Is your head made of stone? You're a girl, it's completely inappropriate for you to sleep in the room of a guy you don't even know."
Bella opened her eyes and glared at Dev.
"You've slept with girls you didn't know before, haven't you? Sandra, Resta, Vania," Bella said testily.
"How do you know about them?" Dev asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I already told you, I know everything about you." Bella closed her eyes again.
"Everything?" Dev smirked.
"And I'm going to find out even more about you. Especially why you asked me if I remembered you earlier."
Dev didn't answer. Instead, he scooped Bella up in his arms and carried her out of the room.
"Dev, put me down! I want to sleep here with you! I want to finish what we started at the hotel!" Bella began to thrash around, making it impossible for Dev to maintain his hold. He had no choice but to let her feet touch the ground. Bella immediately bolted back toward Dev's room, intending to slip inside and lock the door. But Dev was faster; he managed to catch her, wrapping his arms securely around her body from behind.
"Can you just think like a normal person for once? I would never let any girl sleep in my room. Listen to me, those three girls you just named—I never slept with them."
Bella stopped resisting. Dev slowly released his embrace.
"Are you satisfied now?" Dev asked.
"Liar," Bella said, locking her eyes onto his.
"Believe whatever you want. It's none of my business. Now I'm asking you to go home. Stop making things difficult for everyone else. Your bodyguards are still waiting downstairs. I told them to wait because I said you'd be coming down."
"I don't want to," Bella refused, averting her gaze.
"What do you want me to do to get you to go home?" Dev asked, completely frustrated. He was starting to feel utterly exhausted by everything that had happened since Bella crashed into his life.
Bella's interest was instantly piqued by his words. She wasn't about to let this golden opportunity slide.
"Fulfill two of my conditions, and then I'll willingly go home with them."
"What are they?" Dev asked.
"Do you promise you'll fulfill them?"
"Yes. I promise," Dev agreed, though still laced with hesitation.
"First, I want us to go on a date tomorrow."
Dev gently massaged his temple, instantly regretting that he had promised to grant her conditions.
"You already promised, Dev," Bella reminded him with a victorious smile.
Dev let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Fine, whatever. What's the second one?"
"Second, I want you to kiss me. And leave a kiss mark on my neck to make up for failing your duty as the guy who was made the stakes."
Dev's face instantly flushed crimson. Bella smiled triumphantly.
"If you don't want to, I'm going right back into your room." Bella took a step toward his door.
Dev caught Bella's hand, halting her in her tracks. He guided Bella to face him, staring straight into her eyes. One of his hands cupped the back of her neck, and he pressed his lips firmly against hers. For a few moments, both of them were completely intoxicated by the thrilling sensation arising from the deep play of their lips and tongues.
Slowly, Dev broke the kiss. His hand shifted to her beautiful hair, pulling it slightly to give him unhindered access to her slender neck. Dev kissed his way down until he chose a spot, placing his lips there and sucking firmly against her skin. When he pulled away, he looked down at the spot he had just marked—a beautiful, blooming crimson mark now adorned Bella's porcelain neck.
Dev looked into Bella's eyes, which were still glazed over, completely hypnotized by his intoxicating touch.
"That's it, right? Now go home."