The Next Morning – Bella's Room
Bella woke before the alarm.
Her eyes blinked open to the gray morning light slicing through the blinds, her heart already fluttering like it knew today mattered.
It was her first real day.
She lay still for a moment, eyes fixed on the ceiling, processing the strange sequence of fate that had led her here.
If Raymond hadn't called... If she hadn't run out crying... If Davos hadn't almost killed her with his million-dollar car...
Then she wouldn't be going back to the mansion.
She wouldn't be standing at the edge of a door that felt like it opened into a new chapter.
Bella exhaled, sat up, and whispered to herself:
"Whatever fate is doing... I'll let it."
She pulled herself together quickly — a crisp white blouse, high-waisted black pants, simple gold hoops. Hair swept back into a neat bun. Polished, professional… calm.
Even if her stomach was anything but.
---
En Route – In the Cab
The city passed by in a blur as Bella sat in the backseat of a taxi, hands folded tightly in her lap.
She tried not to think about Davos.
Tried not to remember the intensity of his stare, or the sound of his voice in the quiet car last night.
Tried not to question what she'd gotten herself into.
This is just a job, she reminded herself.
A very strange beginning, but still just a job.
And yet her palms were damp, and her pulse was too fast.
---
The DeLaney Mansion – 8:02 AM
The black iron gates stood tall, looming like guardians of another world. The cab pulled away, and Bella stood before them, staring up at the glass-and-stone fortress that belonged to a man as unreadable as the structure itself.
She rang the bell.
A soft chime echoed.
The door opened almost instantly.
"Mama Kate," Bella said with a small, surprised smile.
The older woman beamed like someone who'd just seen her favorite niece.
"Welcome back, Bella," she said warmly. "It's nice to see you again."
Bella felt something inside her relax. She smiled back. "It's good to be back."
"Sir Davos wants to meet with you first," Mama Kate said gently, stepping aside.
The smile vanished from Bella's face.
Her heart tripped over itself.
"He… he wants to see me?" she repeated, trying to sound casual.
Mama Kate gave a short nod. "Don't worry. Just go on up. I'll take you."
---
On the Way Upstairs
Bella followed her, each step up the marble staircase feeling heavier than the last.
Her mind screamed a hundred things at once.
It's fine. You're just an employee. Maybe he wants to give proper instructions. Maybe he changed his mind.
But beneath the nerves, something else stirred. Something wild and unsettling.
Every time she thought of him, her body reacted.
Her heart thudded. Her breath shortened. Her skin prickled.
It made no sense. He wasn't her type. Arrogant. Cold. Rich in that untouchable, dangerous way.
She didn't want a man like that.
But her body hadn't gotten the memo.
---
Davos's Room – Outside the Door
Mama Kate knocked once, then opened the heavy double doors.
He was standing near the tall windows, hands in the pockets of his dark slacks, the morning light turning his black shirt a softer gray. His profile was sharp, shadowed, controlled.
"Sir, she's here."
He didn't turn around immediately. Just said in that cool, low voice,
"Leave us."
Bella's throat tightened.
Mama Kate gave her a reassuring pat on the arm before slipping out and closing the door behind her.
Now they were alone.
---
Inside the Storm
Bella stood just inside the room, unsure whether to sit or speak.
Finally, Davos turned.
His eyes landed on her like gravity.
Dark gray. Piercing. Measuring her from head to toe — but not in a way that felt cruel.
No. This felt… dangerous.
"Miss Costa," he said, his voice unreadable.
"Sir," she replied, trying to keep her tone even.
A beat of silence passed.
"You came."
"You told me to," she said, lifting her chin.
Something flickered in his eyes. Amusement? Approval?
He walked toward her slowly, stopping just a few feet away. Close enough that she could smell that same dark, expensive cologne. Cedar. Smoke. Clean danger.
"You said you'd pay for my car."
Her breath hitched.
"I—I didn't mean it literally. I was panicking. It was a reflex—"
"A million-dollar reflex," he murmured, voice like velvet dipped in threat.
Bella swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."
"You apologize a lot."
She frowned slightly. "Well, I don't usually crash billionaire cars. So yes, I'm a little shaken."
He stared at her a long moment. And then, to her shock—
He smiled.
It was faint. But real. Crooked. Unpracticed, like his face didn't know how to wear it properly.
And God help her… it made him even more dangerous.
"You're not like the others," he said softly.
Bella's eyes widened. "Others?"
"The ones who come here looking to impress me. To win something from me. Power. Proximity. A name."
"I'm not trying to win anything," she whispered.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, then returned to her eyes.
"No," he said, his voice barely audible now. "You're trying to survive."
That sentence landed in her chest like a brick.
She felt exposed. Seen.
More than she wanted to be.
He stepped back suddenly, breaking the spell.
"You'll resume your duties today. Clean only the east wing for now. Stay out of my private office."
She blinked, trying to refocus. "Yes, sir."
He turned away, his voice distant now. "You may go."
Bella lingered a second longer, then nodded and backed out of the room like she'd just walked out of a storm that hadn't fully hit yet.
---
In the Hallway
The door clicked shut behind her. Her knees felt shaky.
Mama Kate stood waiting with a knowing look in her eyes.
"Well," she said with a smirk, "you made it out alive. That's a good start."
Bella laughed breathlessly. "Barely."
But as she followed Mama Kate down the hallway to begin her duties, Bella couldn't stop the thought from sliding into her mind again:
What exactly have I gotten myself into?
And more importantly…
Why can't I seem to walk away?
Davos DeLaney's POV – After Bella Leaves
The door shut with a soft click.
Silence.
Davos didn't move. Not for a long moment.
He stood by the window, fingers curled loosely at his sides, staring into nothing.
But his mind was anything but still.
Bella Costa.
She was a damn distraction.
He didn't like distractions.
They got people killed.
And yet here he was — thinking about the way her voice shook when she spoke, how her eyes flashed even when she was scared, and the way her apology over his car sounded like something real… not rehearsed like the others who passed through his life wearing masks.
She offered to pay for his car. A million-dollar machine. With what?
Pocket change?
It had made him smirk. Almost laugh.
Not because he was mocking her — but because she meant it.
She was terrified… and still trying to stand her ground.
He hadn't seen that kind of fire in a long time.
And fire always attracted danger.
---
He walked slowly to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out the slim black folder.
Background check: Bella Costa.
He'd run it the moment she applied for the housekeeping role. Standard procedure — even for cleaners. He didn't trust people. Trust was for fools and corpses.
She had nothing.
No debts. No secrets. No red flags.
Just… potential.
Wasted, like so many others the world forgot.
But she'd shown up again. Not in the way he expected.
She'd nearly become a stain on the pavement. If he had hit her full-on last night…
He pushed that thought away before it finished forming.
---
Davos moved to the window again. He could see her now — tiny through the glass below, in the east wing. Cleaning.
Focused. Quiet.
But he could feel her energy like it was buzzing through the walls.
And for the first time in years, he didn't feel… bored.
Why does she get under my skin like this?
He'd spent a decade building walls no one could climb.
Money. Power. Ruthlessness.
It had kept everyone at arm's length — exactly where he wanted them.
Until now.
Now, a girl who couldn't afford her own rent had slipped through the cracks and landed in his world.
He should've let her go after the crash.
Hell, shaking like a leaf but holding his gaze like she wanted to burn through him.
He didn't.
He couldn't.
And that… unsettled him.
Because Davos DeLaney didn't let things get under his skin.
And when they did?
He crushed them.
Before they crushed him.
---
He lit a cigarette — one of the few vices he still allowed. The ember flared as he leaned back against the wall, watching the smoke curl into the air.
He couldn't figure her out.
Not yet.
And that meant only one thing.
He had to keep her close.
There was something different in the air.
Bella had been dusting the marble console in the west corridor, humming quietly to herself, when the sensation hit her—like someone was watching.
She glanced toward the tall glass windows at the end of the hallway.
Davos.
He was standing behind them, on the second-floor balcony, arms folded, staring at her with a gaze that sent shivers down her spine.
She blinked.
He was gone.
Only—he wasn't.
Because in the next heartbeat, he was standing right behind her.
Bella spun, startled. She gasped, taking a step back.
"I want to talk to you," Davos said, his voice low but firm. It echoed slightly, like it didn't belong entirely to this space.
Bella's heart pounded. "Did I… do something wrong?"
His eyes narrowed. "Just call me Davos. Not 'sir.' I don't like it."
"Oh… okay," she said quickly. "I'm sorry, Da—Davos."
Her voice tripped over his name, and she didn't dare meet his eyes. They were too intense. Too magnetic. Too much.
But she felt them.
Burning into her.
He looked at her like he saw everything—not just her body, but her fears, her past, her thoughts. It was unnerving. Disarming.
Everything about her made that fire inside him twist and surge — her presence, her voice, her scent.
She didn't try to impress. She didn't fawn.
She was just… real.
And that made her dangerous.
To him.
To herself.
The way she moved. The way she avoided his gaze but listened so carefully. The strength she didn't even know she had
"Come with me," he said, brushing past her without waiting for a reply.
Bella instinctively reached down to grab her cleaning caddy.
Davos paused. Turned.
"I didn't ask you to carry that."
His voice was sharper now. Not angry—just commanding.
Bella froze. Then quietly placed the caddy on the floor.
She followed.