Page 64 of Suddenly Tempted
The sight of those chairs filled him with dread. They should have filled him with excitement. Under any other circumstances, this could have been a moment of triumph — surviving the Alps, returning from the brink of death, sharing his story with the world. It should have been a celebration of life, of victory. Of love. He should have been sitting in that chair next to Darcy, telling the world about the adventure they had shared, the connection they had found in the harshest of conditions.
But instead, it felt more like a trial. A punishment.
Devlin clenched his fists, trying to calm the fury simmering inside him. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.
“Mr Storm,” the doctor called from behind him. “We’ve just had word that your belongings have arrived. Would you like to come with me?”
No, Devlin replied, but only inside his head.
He didn’t care about his belongings. He didn’t care about the suit Claudia had arranged for him to wear at the press conference he didn’t want to take part in. All he wanted was to find a way out of this mess, to find Darcy and tell her the truth before it was too late. But that was impossible now. The wheels were already in motion, and he was trapped, caught in a web of lies he didn’t know how to escape.
With a weary sigh, Devlin nodded, his body heavy with the weight of his decisions. He followed the doctor out of the lobby and down a short corridor, his mind racing. He didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was certain — the hurt wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Chapter 35
DARCY
The journey was shorter than she’d expected. Darcy had sat silently in the backseat, watching the landscape change as they descended from the Royal Alpine. The driver had steered them cautiously down the weaving mountain roads, keeping his speed low until they hit the highway. The snow-covered mountains loomed on either side, their jagged peaks piercing the blue sky. Darcy pressed her face close to the window, her breath fogging up the glass as she gazed at the scenery passing by. She didn’t say a word, not wanting to draw attention to herself. If the driver knew who she was or why she was really there, he might try to stop her from going any further. And she couldn’t risk that — not now. Not when she was so close to seeing Devlin again.
Just twelve minutes later, the car turned off the highway onto a private service road, the tyres humming as they glided up towards a secluded plateau nestled between two mountains. The scenery was breathtaking — vast expanses of white snow stretching out in every direction, with the rugged mountains rising in the distance like guardians of a hidden world. And there, perched on the edge of the plateau, was the clinic. The building itself was low and sleek. A luxurious building of modern architecture that seemed to blend into the landscape. It looked almost like something a James Bond villain might live in.
The parking lot was packed, and there had to be dozens of people waiting outside the main doors. Most of them were holding cameras, their lenses trained on the doors, waiting for their moment to capture a glimpse of Devlin or Claudia.
“I’ll take you around the side, ma’am,” said the driver, and he steered the car through the crowd before pulling into a narrow alleyway between two buildings.
He cut the engine and got out, running to Darcy’s door and opening it for her. She stepped out, her heart pounding as she felt the cold air hit her face. The driver popped the boot, and together they carefully unloaded Devlin’s belongings — the travel bag, the suit, the personal items that had been requested.
A young woman, one of the clinic staff, appeared at the fire door and gestured for them to follow her. They carried Devlin’s things through the narrow hallway, the sterile smell of the clinic mixing with the faint scent of pine from the snowy air outside. The hallway led them to a small room, and as Darcy walked through the door, her breath caught in her throat.
Claudia Romano.
The supermodel stood there, typing something into her phone with her immaculate nails. Actually, there wasn’t a single piece of her that wasn’t immaculate. Darcy didn’t know whether it was because of the press conference, or if she looked like this every day, but it had an intimidating effect. She almost backed out of the room, afraid of what Claudia would say when she recognised her.
But when the model finally looked up from her phone, her gaze landed on Darcy with complete disinterest. There was no recognition in her eyes — just cold dismissal.
“Put them on the table,” she ordered. “That will be all.”
The driver carefully placed Devlin’s bags on the only table in the room.
“I’ll wait for you,” he said to Darcy, and walked out of the room.
Darcy placed her own bags on the table, but made no move to leave. If Claudia was here, then Devlin had to be close. Claudia looked at her again, an expression of distaste wafting over her features.
“I said that will be all. Are you deaf?” Claudia snapped.
She obviously hadn’t seen any photos of Darcy, but that wasn’t really surprising considering all of the news footage had been about Devlin. Darcy had been nothing more than an afterthought, a footnote in the story.
“I’m sorry,” said Darcy, “but I was told to deliver these things to Devlin himself. I’ll get fired if I don’t. Where is he?”
Claudia’s eyes narrowed, her grip tightening around her phone as if she were about to throw it.
“None of your business,” Claudia spat. She clutched her phone and walked to the table, picking up a suit and inspecting it for a moment before turning her attention back to Darcy, surprised to find her still there. “Leave. Now. Or I can guarantee you that you will lose your job. I don’t care for staff outstaying their welcome.”
Darcy’s stomach churned with anger, but she stood her ground. She’d try to find Devlin by herself, before the press conference started. She was almost out in the corridor before she had a sudden thought.
“Sorry, Miss Romano. Can I ask you a question?”
Claudia looked at her, her face twisted with impatience.
