Fated to the Ruthless CEO

Devlin woke up nursing a hangover. He had too many drinks last night. He was at the bar past 5 pm. He did not exactly remember how he got home. He just remembers Jackson calling him on the phone, mentioning Amber. Thinking of her right now, he felt bad that he left her all by herself. He did not come back for her.

He went to the kitchen and made his own cup of coffee. He is in his bachelor’s pad right now. He must have been dead drunk last night for not remembering anything else after his call with Jackson.

The only person he believed could bring him home was Jackson, his trusted right-hand man. Only Jackson knows about his properties. This was the closest place that Jackson could take him. He has three houses. He got the bachelor’s pad, the condo unit where Amber is staying and a sprawling mansion. He only has the maids there. That would be his house for his family in the future.

Suddenly, thoughts of Raven flooded his mind, echoing her words from yesterday. He felt so defeated hearing what Raven said to him, especially that she is trying to protect her relationship with his brother. He felt so lost knowing that the woman he loves the most is with someone else now. Despite everything, he still has high hopes that they could get back together. His brother is no saint. He knows what he has been doing in his job. He is not as clean as what the others thought of him. He has secret under-the-table transactions. As a renowned corporate lawyer, companies are vying to get his service.

Devlin needs to be patient. One false move from his brother and everything would turn to his favor. And when that time comes, he will be there to comfort Raven. And he is not going to leave her side again. With that in mind, he decided to go with his plan to visit Amber today and apologize for what he did.

He already called his secretary informing her that he will not report to work today. He still has something else to do. He is glad he has a very efficient secretary who can take care of his paperwork without him.

After taking the time to shower and get dressed, he is now on his way driving to the condo. While waiting for the traffic to move, he saw a flower shop. He decided to drop by the place.

The incessant ringing of the doorbell made Amber quickly finish her shower. She just got in the shower like five minutes ago. She poured shampoo quickly and rubbed on her hair. Then, she immediately lather a soap on her body and quickly rinse. She finished shower in record time. She was still in her bathroom robe when she decided to check who kept ringing the bell. She was surprised that her visitor was none other than Devlin. Although she hesitated for a bit, she opened the door after a few seconds. She does not have time to change, Devlin has been ringing the bell nonstop.

“Devlin, what are you doing here?” She asked shyly while clinging to her bathrobe. She suddenly became conscious that she was not wearing anything underneath her robe.

“Good morning, Amber. May I come in?” She opened the door widely for him. He then handed her the bouquet of tulips much to her surprise.

“It’s for you. It is an apology offering.” He said seriously while scratching his eyebrow. He hopes that she would not make a fuss over what happened yesterday.

“But you don’t have to apologize. I was worried about you. I could not contact you at all.” Amber’s words surprised Devlin. It is not what he expected she would say. The other women he had gone with would make it a big deal if he could not just pick up the phone right away. He had to give them something like flowers or jewelry to compensate for his shortcomings. But Amber… she wasn’t even bothered that he did not come back for her. She did not think of herself. In fact, she worried about him. She is really an interesting woman.

“No, it was my fault. I did not come back for you yesterday. Something came up and I didn’t have the chance to check my phone. I am truly sorry.” He commended himself for acting so casually when he lied about everything. He suddenly felt a slight pang of conscience.

“Thank you for these flowers. They are so beautiful.” Amber sniffed the flowers while smiling.

“Can I leave you here for a sec? I will look for something to set these flowers.” Devlin simply nodded. He made himself comfortable on the sofa. He even turned on the television to watch some shows while waiting for her. It didn’t escape his attention though that she just took a shower. Her hair was not even brushed yet. And she is just wearing a bathrobe. Something stirred in him and he had to shake off his head. What was he thinking?

Amber quickly put on her clothes while in her room. She chose casual gray shorts and a white t-shirt. She just brushed her hair quickly. She did not want Devlin to wait any longer for her.

“I am sorry to keep you waiting.” She said as she was walking to the living room . She already brought the flowers inside the vase. She set it on the centerpiece table.

“It is okay. I don’t mind. So, that’s the new haircut you got? You look very nice with your new hairstyle. Did you get all the services they offered in the package?” Devlin asked candidly. He did like her new hairstyle. She took a medium length layered haircut.

“Yes, I did. Thank you so much. They were actually very nice and accommodating.” Amber said while consciously touching her hair.

“Don’t mention it. I owe you more than that.” Amber’s eyebrows crossed. She doesn’t understand what he meant by what he just said.

“So, do you have any plans for today?” Devlin asked to change the subject.

“You know I just stay here in the condo. I don’t have any plans except maybe to do a movie marathon.” She laughed. Devlin was staring at her for a while. He likes the way she laughs. It is very pleasing to the ears. What has gotten into him? He has been thinking weird lately ever since he met Amber.

“In that case, can I invite you out? Then, we can go to a movie theater after that. What do you think?” He smiled widely at her this time. He did not realize it but Amber has been staring at him for a long time when he was not paying that much attention. She has been carefully observing him, his gestures, the way he talks… She could not help but admire him. Although she did not have a good start with him; he seems to be a nice person. He would never offer his place if he is not concerned about her, she thought to herself.

“Hmmm…” Amber tried to tease him by delaying her answer. “I think… I think your idea is great!” She immediately said while both of them laughed at the same time. For some reason, Devlin enjoys Amber’s company. She is actually easy to get along with.

“Alright, do you want to change? I think you already look great!” He said while checking her outfit. It made her conscious of her look and she turned red. She just tried to pretend to do something by fixing the cushions.

“Okay, just let me get my pu– purse.” She immediately retreated to her room. The moment she closed the door to her room, she took a deep sigh. Ever since she met Devlin, her emotions have been on a roller coaster. She admits that she admires him but there is something more to it. Every time she hears his voice or sees him, she just feels those butterflies in her stomach. She could not contain her happiness when she was with him. Right now, she is imagining that they are going out on a date instead of just a friendly gesture from Devlin’s part. Well, she can silently admire him. He does not have to know. Even if she promised his grandmother to marry him , that is not an assurance that they would go do the marriage.

Together, they went to the car. They went to a mall at first, just looking around. Then, they went to have lunch together. They ended up going to an Italian restaurant to try the best pasta in the city according to Devlin.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Indeed, he was right. They shared a delicious lunch over a glass of red wine. She wanted to protest about the wine but Devlin cut her off.

“Just enjoy the drink. It is good for a heavy meal.” And he winked at her. She smiled at his playfulness.

During their lunch, Devlin talked about his company. He started his business right after he resigned from his first job. He had enough money which he got from his grandma to invest in a construction company. He started from scratch until he was able to grow his business. Four years later, he is at the peak of his career. He is one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Then, not too long ago, he joined the list of the young billionaires in the country.

While listening to Devlin, she could feel how proud he is of what he has achieved. He does not brag about it but just being proud to talk of all his hard work. She noted though that he does not talk much about his family. So, she took the courage to ask about them since he started to open up about himself.

“So, how are your parents? Are they always busy?” Amber asked. A sudden sadness crossed on Devlin’s face before he answered her.

“Yes, they are always busy with their work. I grew up not seeing them that much. When they finally took the time off to be with grandma when she was sick, I was already distant from them. In fairness to them, especially my mom, she did try to reconnect with me. I was young at that time. I was in my teenage years. I closed the door for whatever chance we could have as a family. And my brother… we had a long history of sibling rivalry. It could have been avoided had not some of our family friends and relatives started comparing us. They started to compare our achievements particularly in school. Dalton started school early. He was a consistent first honor student in his class and graduated as valedictorian from highschool. And of course, he graduated with the highest honors in college. He was immediately accepted to a famous law firm in the country right after he passed the bar exam. He is a corporate lawyer.” He ended while he had that distant look on his face.

He would never forget that day when everyone gathered together to celebrate Dalton’s graduation from college. They all cheered for him, even Devlin himself. Deep inside him, he was happy for his brother. However, it is the people around them that made him resent his brother. It was only his grandma who made him understand that no two people are alike. That he should continue with his dreams by not basing on what people would say about him. That’s when he really pushed himself to take his school seriously. And up until now, he has always been hard working. He worked hard to achieve what he has today. The moment he became successful, people started to notice him more than his brother. Before, he was called the lawyer’s brother. Now, he heard people would call him the young billionaire. He has surpassed his brother in terms of achievements but he is not happy at all. There is still something missing in his life. And he knows that it is Raven. He needs to get her back.

“I am sorry to hear that. It is never too late to fix things between your family. I also had that issue before when my mother decided to marry again after my father’s death. I stayed with her new family together with my step siblings. However, we never got along well. So, I chose to stay with marmee. And for years, I resented my mother for what she did. I felt that I was abandoned by her. But later on, when I got older and wiser, we finally made up. That was on my 18th birthday.” She said while lost in her thoughts.

“Wow! How old are you? You sounded too old for your age. I am five years older than you yet the way you talk is full of maturity and wisdom. I wish I could be like you.” He frankly said.

He still could not stop the feeling of animosity he has towards his brother. At least right now, he tries to be civil towards his brother despite their present situation. In time, he would get back the woman he loves the most. And he will completely find peace in his heart…