Chapter 3

Devin's Pov

‘Maybe I shouldn't have left the way I did…’

My brain worked on overtime, thinking of every excuse I could use. Every lie I could pull. Anything.

The instant Adrian’s hand clasped mine, sweat broke out on my palms. My chest squeezed like someone had tied wire around it. This was it. He was going to ruin everything. He was going to laugh in Stella’s face, announce what happened last night, and peel my world apart one layer at a time.

But then, the words that left his mouth were… different.

“Oh, heyyy, Devin right? I’m Adrian.”

His grip was steady, his grin almost too easy. My name slid from his tongue like it had come from Stella’s lips, not mine.

“You two haven’t met yet, I know, I know.” Stella’s voice chimed as she looked between us. “But hey? I’ve told you so much about each other.”

Adrian tilted his head, his eyes still locked on me. “Oh my, it’s like I know you already.”

The pause stretched. Suggestive. Lingering. My pulse spiked to high heaven.

Then he added, “...With how much my sister over here talks about you.”

Relief escaped me in a rush, almost visible in the air. My lungs filled, my shoulders loosened. I even forced a smile as if I had believed him all along.

Maybe it was all in my head. Maybe I was losing it.

Through dinner, I watched him like a hawk. Every tilt of his head, every quirk of his mouth. I waited for the slip, the smirk that would undo me, the accusation that would collapse everything. But it never came. Adrian was charming, teasing, occasionally tossing jabs at Stella that made her swat his arm.

If one word could describe him. It was shameless.

He filled the table with laughter, with sharp little remarks that pulled smiles from people who usually never cracked them.

And me? I was unraveling quietly under the tablecloth.

Why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he want to ruin me? I was rich, I was handsome, I was perfect prey. What was his game?

I chewed through courses I couldn’t taste, wine that left my tongue numb. Stella kept touching my hand, radiant and blissful, and all I could think of was the man sitting across from me with that effortless grin, and how one night might destroy everything I tried to build. 

As plates cleared and conversations waned, the weight in my stomach only grew heavier. Then another presence made itself known. Not by laughter, not by wit, not even by silence. By sheer gravity.

“Devin.”

The sound of my name from that voice rattled me everytime.

My father stood at the far end of the table, silver hair gleaming under the chandelier, suit cut sharp enough to wound. His gaze locked on me like prey.

‘Just why does he have to look at me like that every damn time!’

Everyone else drifted out, clearing plates, murmuring polite goodbyes. All that remained was the space between us.

“Where were you?” I asked before I could stop myself. My voice carried too much edge.

“Business,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“It was my wedding. You didn’t need to. Business could wait. I’m taking over, and you know that.”

His eyes narrowed with something colder than disappointment. “You just got married. You haven’t proven yourself yet.”

The table rattled when my fist struck it. But I kept my voice low enough for just the two of us to hear. “That wasn’t the deal! You said I marry her, and the company’s mine!”

A thin smile curved his lips. “And that, son, is why you’re not ready.”

His words landed like hooks, dragging me under. Was he addressing my anger? Or the lack of documents to prove our agreement? Probably both. The room swam with the echo of his voice, until I couldn’t tell if I was angry at him or at myself for believing him.

I stormed out, shoving past servants and past relatives like a pissed toddler. 

The villa’s evening air met me with its cool embrace as I pressed two fingers to the bridge of my nose.

“Calm down.” I muttered to myself.

That was when I bumped into someone.

Well, not literally… but it was none other than Adrian.

He leaned against a column, one hand holding a glass of scotch, the other buried in his pocket. His smirk widened as he caught my expression. “Daddy issue?”

I glared holes through him, but he offered his glass anyway. “Here. Works faster than whatever it is you're doing.”

I hesitated, then took it. The burn steadied me almost instantly.

“Your old man’s sounds intense," Adrian said. 

“You have no idea.”

“Maybe I don't… or maybe I do. Who know?”

We stood in silence for a moment, the crickets filling what we couldn’t say. Then he clinked his glass against mine. “Cheers, brother-in-law.”

I almost laughed. “Don’t remind me.”

“Why not? You’ve got yourself a gem. Stella’s stubborn, sure, but she’s loyal. And funny. The kind of funny that keeps life from being miserable.”

He eyed me for a bit before adding. “You did well.”

“Thanks.” The word felt thin, but the warmth of his tone made it realer than I wanted.

We talked. About the wedding, about the ridiculous hats one aunt wore, about the band’s inability to stay in key.

Slowly, without even realizing it, the panic that had gnawed at me all evening began to slip away. He was sharp-tongued, shameless, but easy. Maybe I let the pressure get to me. That's why I deceived myself into thinking he was the same guy from yesterday. 

But then he slipped.

“You should’ve seen yourself last night, eyes wide like you’d never heard bass before.”

My hand froze halfway to the glass.

He realized it instantly. Tried to smother it under a cough, a shrug. “I mean… what Stella said about you. Always so uptight. That’s what I meant.”

But the grin betrayed him.

I set my drink down. “You were there.”

He sighed, finally letting the act crack. “Ok, ok, you’ve got me. But you have to admit, it was funny. Watching you trip over yourself, not sure if I was the one or not.”

Despite myself, a chuckle broke free. My head shook. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Guilty.” He raised his glass in mock salute.

It confirmed what I’d been fearing all along. He knew. He’d known the entire time. And he’d chosen to play with me instead of ruin me. Which was worse.

If my father had taught me anything. It was typing off loose ends… 

‘Just what do I need to do to shut him about about that.’

Before I could create an idea, a voice drifted from behind us.

“Babe? Still out there?”

We both turned.

A man walked toward us, casual in his stride, a smile aimed straight at Adrian. Without hesitation, he slipped an arm around Adrian’s waist.

My pulse spiked again, for an entirely different reason.

‘Wait… what?’