Fated to the Ruthless CEO

Why would she think of Devlin now? He is from her past that she thought she already forgot. Last time she heard about him, he was on the television with Fiona Ross. They were together during a ribbon cutting of one of the Ross’ group of companies.

He has moved on from her as much as she has also moved on from him. They both have separate lives now. He has expanded his company through the years. While she is also successful with her own company. There is nothing to worry that they would cross paths again.

That’s what she thought. Amber was driving back to her condo unit when she decided at the last minute to go dine out in a restaurant. Her plan was to order food from her place. However, she wanted to distract her mind from any unnecessary thoughts of Devlin Wesley.

She parked her car at an Italian restaurant where she is a regular customer. She is hoping that they would have a vacant table for her especially since it is Friday night. They are going to be really full of diners tonight. She silently castigated herself for her last minute decision.

“Ms. Adams, good evening. This way please, ma’am. I am sorry but you have to wait for about fifteen minutes before a table is available for you.” Said the familiar receptionist at the entrance of the restaurant. Amber knows her and she only nodded her head. Fifteen minutes is fine with her to pass her time.

“Ma’am, if you like, we can take your order now while waiting here. Are you dining alone ma’am?” The friendly voice of the receptionist is really welcoming. She even offered Amber a drink which she gladly accepted. She handed her the menu but she does not really need it. She knows very well what she would order from the restaurant. She usually comes to the restaurant almost every weekend. She even invites her clients and business investors for a luncheon or dinner meeting in this restaurant.

Amber was about to take her order when someone caught her attention from the entrance at the main door.

She could only see his side view since he was talking to someone but her heart suddenly beat faster when she was staring at him. He seemed very familiar. She gasped out loud when she finally saw his face. He was walking towards her without breaking eye contact. He had that smirked on his face. His face did not even show that he was surprised to see her.

“Amber Adams or should I say Amber Wesley… so we finally met again.” Devlin’s baritone brought a chill to her entire being. She was glued to her spot. She tried not to panic. She was trying to distract herself from thinking of him. Now, the devil himself is in front of her, smirking at her. He seems to be enjoying her uneasiness.

‘So stupid of me to come here in the first place. Now what?’ Amber groaned inwardly. She closed her eyes for a few moments trying to calm herself. She looked at Devlin’s deep green eyes. For a few seconds, she saw sadness in his eyes before he tried to mask it with his usual blank expression.

He has changed slightly. He still has that well-toned body but he lost some weight. What has happened to him? She heard from the news recently that he is facing new issues in his company. She remembered five years ago that he was also embroiled in a series of serious problems.

“Small world, Mr. Wesley.” Amber finally gets to open her mouth with a calm demeanor. However, deep inside her, she is panicking still. Why of all the places he would appear in this place?! Besides, what is he doing here in New York? This is the other side from Seattle.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

‘Well, he is a businessman, you know.’ Her mind answered her.

“Indeed it is, Mrs. Wesley.” He is smiling sarcastically at her. She hates how he could loosely call her Mrs. Wesley. She wanted to erase that sarcastic smile from his face. Who does he think that he could just make fun of her? Some habits really never die.

He looks around the waiting area. There is a family of four at a corner. Then, Amber.

“I see that you are alone. Join me for dinner.” Devlin casually said. He didn’t ask her. He simply ordered.

‘What the hell!’ There were so many curse words running in her head but she was too stunned to even open her mouth.

Amber’s mouth literally opened when he said that. She looked behind him and there were two men just a meter away from him. They must be his bodyguards. She remembered that she never saw him with bodyguards before. There was Jackson who ran some errands for him. He was like his assistant slash bodyguard.

“No, I am not alone. I am waiting for someone.” She lied. She is glad that she regained her composure. Devlin Wesley spells danger. Seeing him right now definitely shook her senses. He is the last person she would want to cross paths with.

“So, you are still good at lying, huh? But I know you so well that I just don’t take your words readily.” He said meaningfully.

Pained quickly crossed her face but she hid it immediately. She is not going to let his words provoke her. She will not be this successful if she doesn’t know how to handle people like him. Controlling, manipulative, ruthless…

Suddenly her phone started ringing. She felt instant relief when she saw who was calling.

“Excuse me, I’ll just have to take this call,” Amber said without thinking. She immediately left him without looking back. The moment she got out of the restaurant, she took a deep sigh of relief. That was close.

It was only her secretary Abby who called. Usually, she does not call after office hours unless they have plans to go outside to have dinner together or to unwind at the bar which rarely happens. So, without Abby knowing, she actually saved her from Devlin.

She answered her call while she was inside the car. Turns out that Abby only asked her briefly about work. The call only lasted for a minute. She was grateful to Abby for saving her at that crucial moment. Otherwise, she would still be in Devlin’s company right now trying to devise a plan to get away from him.

Her stomach started to grumble. She is really hungry by now. She blames Devlin for appearing out of nowhere. She just wanted to have a peaceful dinner by herself. She ended up ordering from a drive-thru of a fast food store. She drove to her condo while lost in her thoughts.

Now, Devlin is in the city, there is a high chance that they might see each other again. She will not allow that to happen. She has lived peacefully by herself for five years.

She went to check her schedule for this week. Thankfully, there was no appointment for any business conventions. She just took it as a mere coincidence that they met in that restaurant. People from high society frequently visit that Italian restaurant. So, there is no question that Devlin would also go there. She should stop overthinking about him.

‘So what if they met again?’ She has been rehearsing a million times how she is going to conduct herself if ever she would meet him again. And after five long years, she finally met the man who hurt her. She was speechless and shocked for a while during their encounter earlier. But next time, she should not put her guard down.

She thought that with her success from her company, she would finally forget about him. She made herself busy and focused on herself and work so she could move on quickly. She thought she did but there were times that Devlin would still visit her in her dreams. Who is she kidding? She still thinks of him whenever she is alone and lonely. There were even times that she would wake up crying.

She must admit that she never entertained any suitors because of her experience with Devlin. She thought all men could not be trusted. That they would use you for their personal gains. She could not count how many suitors she had turned down over the last five years. Is it really her experience with Devlin that is holding her back or the man himself?