Illaria Point of View

After drinking the seventh coffee for the day and finishing the tenth cookie, the sweetness of the the cookie and the bitterness of the coffee slowly settled my fluctuating emotions.

I calmed down by a lot and finally closed my eyes to think with a reasonable and balanced perception.

There is no doubt that I'm angry at Devon for being Uno and making a fool out of me. However, one thing for sure that I know is that it is his job requirement and has nothing to do with any of his intentions towards me or anyone else.

I know that his job is secretive in nature and he has to make many sacrifices to do a good job. However, from a woman's point of view who has feelings for him, despite all the reasons, it feels like you are played greatly.

What I'm angry about is not even about his hidden identity, what riled me up the most is that in the mask of Uno Mayhem, he exhausted my patience so much that I had to rant about it to Devon.

I literally ratted him out to himself.

He must've laughed behind my back a lot.

He must've enjoyed making a fool out of me a lot.

Not to forget how he went about confessing in interest in me and flirting with me as Uno while on the same day, he was being a very serious friend and an in-law relative as Devon.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, such talent in acting and such control over in expressions and timing! Truly remarkable!

No wonder he is known as an iron man in NIO.

"So, you are confused." I frowned and looked at the person before me. "You look confused to me. You love him but you also dislike him for obvious reasons."

"I don't –" I was about to explain when I was cut off in the middle of my sentence by my very close female friend that I made very recently.

Thymia Mist Almond.

Devon's very own cousin who is an advocate and a social activist. She usually travels a lot between states due to her work and is very less visible at Almond's residence.

It was just a month ago when she came back to be a part of her cousin Tiny's engagement and wedding ceremonies, taking a break from her packed work schedule.

We were both awkward in our first meeting; one, because she is a rather reclusive person to new people. It takes a lot of time and effort to be a part of her little bubble and two, because technically, I am her half-boss.

However, when a topic about a certain recent case that she won came up for discussion in the family, we both had more conversation on it and slowly became closer.

Now, she is considered my very close friend and vice versa.

And tattling about her own cousin to her feels better.

"You tell me, if you had to count the strands of hair and calculate the size of his hair on legs just to find an answer to a security question; what would be your feeling?" I asked.

That was one of the most embarrassing things that I ever faced and the thing is, that isn't even a staged incident. That codehead man really has a condition with passwords.

Thymia pressed her lips tightly, trying very hard not to laugh. When she received my glare, she just spewed that laughter out.

She laughed for straight three minutes, "You really... I cannot believe you really counted a stranger's leg hair for him for several hours. I wish I was there at that time; it is hilarious!"

"I mean, why were you even so tolerant with him in the first place?" Is that even something to ask about?

"Of course, he is my project partner and the whole project mostly depends on him." While I'm more like a financial partner, he was the technical person who frames all my ideas into finished products.

Obviously, I have to be a little tolerant with him if I can make the workplace a better space for everyone.

Who knew that he is – Never mind!

"I wonder, of all the available Almond men, how are you drawn to one of the most difficult ones! Fortunately, he has same romantic feelings for you. Or else, you would be in a shock and trauma for life." Thymia commented casually as she tore the wrapper of a pineapple wafer and bit the whole thing in one go.

I still don't know what Almond condition that Thymia has but one thing is for sure, she loves wafer!

She loves – with capital LOVES!

She eats minimum of thirty wafers on a very normal day so imagine the wafer companies' profits on her busy and stressful day!

"God, this is heaven! You Allard factory in Mexico produces one of the best wafers in the world. Anyways, what are you planning to do next?"

"As per your wish, I already started working on the wafer factory in Iceland. It will be out for business in a couple of months." Since she works mostly there, I can do that for a friend and my own business.

"Thanks, but I not asking about. I want to know how you plan to deal with the situation with Devon."

I thought for a while and couldn't come up with any bright idea because the major reason is, although I could tell Devon has some romantic ideas for me, although Thymia confirms it for me, Devon has never done anything seemingly close to validate such thought.

"Then let me tell you, there is a very simple and an all-known remedy that works every time." I perked at her words and sat straight, giving her all my attention.

"What remedy?"

"You are now sure that Devon reciprocates your feelings. Since he never expressed himself before you, never treated you like a special girl and actually fooled you for a bit; my idea is to make him work for it."

"You mean, make him take an effort to get me?" Thymia nods in affirmation. "How? You know how dull your cousin is."

"Easy peasy; jealousy works miracles."

Thinking for a moment, "I don't think jealousy would do anything to Devon." Even though there is a hint of hesitation, I'm almost sure that a person as calm and somber as Devon has no jealousy nervous in his body.

"Tch, tch, tch, -" Thymia moved her finger in front of me in a negative expression, "That's where you are wrong, dear. Every man on this planet will feel jealous at some point of time, mainly if it comes to his own girl. The crux of the matter here is, how much do they feel and how long can they endure."

"Your husband was a jealous man too?"

Thymia gave me a very mischievous secretive smile which was suggestive enough. "Really? Your husband's profession might be historian but he is known widely as an immortal saint. He is an epitome of calmness and kindness. He was jealous too?" Now, this is a news to me.

Livius, the immortal saint like man is a jealous one too?

"Exactly. Men, usually come to their senses when something of there is getting out of their hands. Listen to me and make my cousin so jealous and so worried that he would take initiative to do whatever he could to woo you and make it up for you."

"He would?" I asked again for satisfaction of confirmation and Thymia nodded confidently.

I soon fell in my own thoughts, making ideas and plans to execute the plan of making him jealous. Since we are working together, we meet very often so there will be innumerable opportunities to achieve my goal.

It's just that I have to take it slow and should not make him doubt my intentions.

I have to make everything natural and believable.

"Are you getting happy at the idea of making Devon grovel for you?" Without a second thought, I nodded happily like a small child who received first prize in drawing competition.

"Then you shouldn't." She suddenly poured water on my firing imagination.

"Huh? Why?"

"Why? He has become Uno Mayhem and played you a bit of a fool, it was needed for his job. Besides that, you had liked him for while now but you also never took the initiative to express yourself or make aa move. How dare you feel happy to be chased after by him when you are no better?"

Hey, on my defense, I was only waiting for the friendship between us both to get a little stronger first.

"I –"

"Nope, don't say anything. Excuses are for losers. You should work on yourself as well. He is not the only one in the relationship. In a relationship, both the parties should work their own part for it to stand for a very long time strongly."

As much as I wish to deny it, I know Thymia was right.

I also did not do anything to convert friendship between me and Devon to a romantic relationship.

"Then what should I do? Aren't I supposed to make him jealous now?"

"You should but for him to feel jealous, you have to very talentedly and skillfully seduce him as if you did not mean it at all."

Seduce Devon!

Will it even work?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello Sweeties,

Next chapter is here. Enjoy!

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Lady Prim