Devin was the youngest in the Perez family, the apple of Hubert''s eye since day one. With siblings who were high achievers, his parents had modest expectations of him, which was to stay out of trouble, and they were content.


    They didn''t push him to make something of himself or to carry on the family name, so they were in no rush to marry him off, either.


    Whenever anyone asked, "Isn''t Devin over twenty? Why hasn''t he got a girlfriend yet? Don''t you want to set him up with someone?" Devin''s mom would wave off the concern. "That boy''s still wet behind the ears. Let''s not curse some poor girl with him just yet."


    Devin was ate bloomer, hitting twenty-four without a date. His friends ribbed him, but Devin would snort in response, "What''s the point? I''d rather spend my time leveling up in video games."


    He faced no pressure from the family and had no self-motivation, but as the cherished young master of the Perez family, women seeking to climb the socialdder often threw themselves at him. Unfortunately for them, Devin was as interested in them as a cat in taking a bath. Even the most beautiful woman couldn''tpete with his love for model building.


    Joy initially irritated Devin. She was loud, brash, and seemed to have a particr vendetta against his circle, especially Curtis, often hurling insults their way.


    Joy had a knack for getting under his skin like no one else. Growing up, Devin was used to getting his way, but with Joy, he found himself on the back foot more often than not.


    If it weren''t for Leanne treating Joy like a gem, Devin would have put her in her ce long ago.


    Pursuing Joy was only a ruse to get Leanne to attend his birthday party. If not for Curtis'' sake, Devin wouldn''t have bothered with her at all.


    Chase her? That was a joke.


    As for Austin, the moment Devinid eyes on him, Devin knew Austin wasn''t a good guy. With his yboy looks, Devin was sure Austin was up to no good. Why else would he be with someone as wild as Joy?


    Devin had seen his type before,


    charming on the surface but scheming underneath, preying on women with sweet nothings. Only someone as naive as Joy would fall for it.


    Devin''s concern was merely out of respect for Leanne. He didn''t want Joy to fall for a guy like Austin. Otherwise, he couldn''t care less about her personal life.


    Devin parked his sports car outside Lyle Advertising Agency and texted Joy. [I''m downstairs at your office. Come down.]


    cking off, Joy replied with a roll-eyes emoji. [Get lost]Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Growing impatient, Devin sent a voice message. [Need to talk. Now.]


    Joy Snarked back. [Drop dead]


    Devin sighed and changed tactics. [Brought you Basque cheesecake. Want it, or should I feed it to the trash?]


    Joy replied, [Hold on!]


    Three minutester, Joy burst out of the building to find Devin, arms. leaning against his


    "Where''s my Basque cheesecake? You ying me?"


    "All it takes is the promise of food to get you moving," Devin remarked disdainfully, "like a dog chasing a bone." Just as Joy was about tounch at him, Devin bent down and lifted a cake box from the passenger seat.


    This Basque cheesecake was Joy''s favorite, notoriously expensive and difficult to get due to limited daily batches.