All Chapters of Taming the Devil: After Divorce, Tangled Up in You: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Izzie took an immediate step backwards, her small frame stiff with alarm. She had been taught—quite firmly, in fact—that strangers, particularly those who appeared stern and unfamiliar, were to be regarded with the utmost caution.“W–Who are you?!” she demanded, her voice rising, perilously close to a scream as she braced herself.Sebastian let out a short, unimpressed scoff.“I believe that is my question,” he replied coolly. “This is my residence. One does not simply wander in uninvited—it is generally considered poor form.”“B–But…” Izzie faltered, confusion knitting her brows together. She could not quite comprehend why her mummy would come here—work here—with such a frightening man who bore an unsettling resemblance to her father.“W–Where is my mummy?”“She is in the laundry room,” Sebastian answered, indicating the direction with a slight tilt of his chin before returning, with deliberate calm, to his breakfast.Izzie followed the motion—and then saw it.The pancakes.Five of t

Monday morning came. Rosie rose early once more, well before the day had properly begun. There was much to be done—breakfast to prepare not only for Izzie but also for her employer, Sebastian Edward Sterling, and luncheon to arrange for her daughter, who remained, as ever, quite particular about her meals and far preferred her mother’s cooking to anything provided at school.She paused, briefly considering whether she ought to prepare a luncheon for Sebastian as well. Yet Desiree’s words returned to her, and she recalled that he typically dined out or had food brought in from his preferred establishments. It seemed unnecessary, then, to trouble herself on that account.Having settled the matter, Rosie laid out Sebastian’s suit with care, placing it neatly in the drawer just outside his bedroom. She knocked softly upon the door.“Sebastian, your suit and shirt are in front of the door….”“Hrm? Yes…”With that done, she returned downstairs to wake Izzie, guiding her gently through her mo

Rosie stepped inside and came to a halt before the wide expanse of Sebastian’s desk. He did not look up at once, his attention still fixed upon the document in his hands. Only after a moment did his sharp gaze flick towards her, his head lifting slightly as though her presence had finally registered.He adjusted his glasses with a measured motion.“You were listening at the door,” he said coolly. “Were you not?”“A—A little, Sir…”“It hardly matters,” Sebastian replied with a dismissive shrug. “There is nothing to conceal.”He slid a red file across the desk towards her.“Open it. You will find the contract we were discussing.”“A contract…?”His lip curled faintly. “You are the one who insisted upon a salary, are you not? What is the matter now—are you frightened?”“N—Not at all, Sir…”Rosie placed the lunchbox carefully upon a nearby chair before reaching for the file. Her fingers hesitated for the briefest moment before she opened it and began to read.…Sebastian watched her in sil

Sebastian stood at the threshold, only partially visible, his sharp gaze sweeping over them.“Desiree,” he said curtly, “retrieve my drink from the fridge. Ensure it is cold.”“Your drink—ah, you mean the bana—”She stopped mid-sentence.Sebastian’s glare could have frozen fire.“Understood, Sir,” she corrected immediately.“And conceal it properly,” he added. His eyes flicked briefly toward Rosie. “No one is to see it. No one is to know. That is an order.”“…Yes, Sir.”Desiree rose, resisting—barely—the urge to roll her eyes.Rosie, meanwhile, watched the exchange in silence, her gaze shifting between them with quiet curiosity.When Desiree disappeared toward the fridge, Rosie's attention lingered—inevitably—on Sebastian.“What are you staring at?” he demanded.She dropped her gaze at once.“Nothing, Sir.”He scoffed, clearly unconvinced.Moments later, Desiree returned, a small, suspiciously concealed object tucked discreetly into her pocket. Without a word, she slipped past him into

Sebastian exhaled lightly. “I should be going, Brother. It’s already evening.”“Leave?” Charles raised a brow. “Come, let’s have dinner. There’s a new restaurant nearby—I know the head chef. Austrian, highly regarded. It should suit your… particular tastes.”Sebastian offered a polite smile. “Another time. I have dinner waiting at my apartment.”“Oh?” Charles leaned back slightly. “Takeaway? Or have you finally hired a chef?”“I have someone who cooks for me,” Sebastian replied with easy indifference.Charles’s lips curved knowingly. “Ah, I see. A new woman, then?”Sebastian did not answer.But the faint, enigmatic smile lingering at the corner of his mouth was answer enough.Charles chuckled. “So you’ve taken up with a chef? That would explain it. You were insufferable as a child—do you remember? The entire kitchen in chaos, trying to keep up with your ever-changing preferences.”Sebastian laughed softly. “I was a brat.”“You were,” Charles agreed, amused.There was a pause before he