Fated to the Ruthless CEO

The next day, she had some dark circles below her eyes. She did not sleep well last night. She kept moving on her bed. And when she thought she was asleep, she felt that her mind was busy thinking. She woke up tired and still sleepy. If it wasn’t for the continuous ringing of her phone she would not want to get up today. It is the weekend. It is her time to relax.

She reached for her phone to check who was calling. It’s her friend, Jillian.

“Hello, Jillian?” Amber answered her friend.

“Hello, Amber! I heard you are back. You never even called me when you arrived at the airport. I could have picked you up. And, you even went to your office to work yesterday! Unbelievable!” She exclaimed. Amber had to put her phone away since Jillian’s shrieking voice hurt her ears.

“Calm down.” Amber softly chuckled.

“You know how very hands-on I am with my work.” She said while moving to sit on her bed. Her friend, Jillian, always complains about her hectic schedule.

“Why did you call anyway? It is still early.” Amber said while stretching lazily.

“What do you mean early? Did you check the time?” Amber immediately checked her phone and it was past 10.

She could not believe that she had slept that long. Even if it is the weekend, she always wakes up early. When she sleeps in, she usually wakes up around 8 am. She did not even realize what time she went to sleep last night.

“I slept in. I didn’t really sleep well last night.” Amber said while yawning. She really would like to go back to bed right now.

“Are you excited about your award then?” Jillian blurted out which made Amber confused.

“What award are you talking about?” Amber asked. She has no idea what Jillian is talking about.

“Great! Seems like you didn’t know anything.” Jillian laughed from the other line.

“Let me be the first one to congratulate you, then.” Her friend said excitedly. It made her all the more curious.

“For what? I really have no idea what you are talking about.” Amber sounds impatient right now. She didn’t sleep well and her friend kept talking in riddles.

“Congratulations on bagging two awards this year. You got the Best Entrepreneur Award and Company of the Year.” Jillian said excitedly.

It took Amber a few moments to understand what her friend was talking about.

“Are you serious? You know I am not in the mood for your jokes.” Amber said with a warning. She has been nominated for the said Entrepreneur award for three consecutive years now.

“Of course I am not joking! You finally made it this year plus a big bonus. Your company is also given an award. I am so proud of you, Amber.” Amber was tearing up while smiling. She couldn’t believe that all her hard work paid off.

“And by the way, I just found out in the news and mom told me last night.” Jillian added.

She became friends with Jillian when she arrived in New York. She met Jillian through her mom who was one of their first customers in her company. From then on, they became inseparable. She was glad to have Jillian in her life. She reminds her so much of her late best friend. Her bubbly personality is really infectious. She used to be just like her before she met Devlin.

“We should celebrate! And I have another great news for you!” Jillian sounds more excited this time.

“Wow! I can’t wait to hear what you are going to say.” Amber sounds excited as well.

“Well, we are going to have a double celebration. To celebrate your awards. And to celebrate my engagement!” Her excitement could be heard all over. She was literally screaming.

“Oh my…Congratulations! When did it happen? You never told me at all.” Amber is so happy for her friend. She deserves it.

“Well, it just happened last night. I tried contacting you immediately after Jacob’s proposal. Your phone just kept ringing last night.” Her mind must be too occupied to even notice the phone calls from Jillian.

“I must have been taking a bath at that time. I could not sleep well so I decided to take a long bath.” It didn’t work for her. She still could not sleep well after her bath.

“So, are you free tonight? Let’s celebrate. Jacob would join us to celebrate. Some friends would come, too.” Jillian said enthusiastically while she went about narrating what would happen tonight.

“Of course, I will come. I would not want to miss your celebration. I can arrange my victory celebration next time.” She ended the call with Jillian feeling much better.

She could not believe that she won the most coveted award this year. She doesn’t really expect anything everytime she gets nominated for Best Entrepreneur. And her company has won as the Company of the Year. It is indeed a time to celebrate. She wants to celebrate it with her employees. Everyone else who made her journey to success possible.

She checked the local news regarding the award. Then, she saw her name and the name of her company on the top list. There was even an article written about her. She scrolled further for more news about the award. Suddenly, she stopped when she saw a picture of her and Devlin together. That was taken during the business dinner five years ago. The article goes:

‘Ms. Amber Adams was seen before with the dazzling Mr. Devlin Wesley. Together, they attended a business dinner five years ago. There were some pictures of them that would make you think that they had been an item before. Mr. Wesley is in the city to attend several business events, including the awarding ceremony for local companies. Will they cross paths in the said event? People are excited to see the two leading personalities in the business world.’

Amber could not continue reading anymore about her and Devlin. They made more articles about them. Now, she is not sure if she would like to attend the event. However, that is such a huge event to let go. And she got one of the highest awards. Why would she not attend just because of Devlin? She can always find a way to ignore him. She is sure that he will not make any scene if ever they met each other at the event.

She browsed through her email. She got an official email last night from the organizer of the awarding event. Since she was too occupied with the thoughts of Devlin, she did not notice the email message. Usually, before she goes to sleep, she checks her emails before calling it a night.

She put aside her thoughts about Devlin. She took a shower. She then ate her brunch. She will attend the party for Jillian and her fiance tonight. She checks her closet for a nice dress to wear. It is a semi-formal party just between their close friends and immediate family members. She chose a lime color strapless sweetheart neckline mini dress. It would look good on her. She also chose a long gown for the awarding event that she is going to attend soon. She bought the gown from Paris.

Later in the day, she spent her time watching some new shows on the TV. She got interrupted many times as she received endless phone calls from her clients and business colleagues congratulating her.

When she thought that she could relax after several phone calls, her phone rang again. She wanted to ignore the call but something in her wanted to answer it. She doesn’t know why. The number is unregistered. She should not waste time on it. However, her hand pressed the received call before she could stop herself.

“Hello…” She answered casually.

“Amber?” Of course, she would never mistake his voice for anyone else. She doesn’t know what to say to him. She is not ready to see him nor talk to him at all.

“Amber? Are you still there?” Devlin could not hear Amber’s voice. He just wanted to congratulate her. He could not wait to see her at the event.

“Yes.” Amber said briefly. She just wanted to end the call but she also does not want to appear rude. She also does not want to make him think that she is still affected by his presence.

“I just want to congratulate you. You did a great job!” She could not see him but she felt that he was proud of her.

“Thank you.” She said with an awkward voice.

“Is that all?” Amber asked after a long silence from him.

“Yeah.” He only said. He wanted to invite her for dinner but he could sense her awkwardness from her voice. He better invite her in person. At least, there’s a chance that she won’t refuse his offer.

“Alright. I am still doing something. Bye.” She said and abruptly ended the call. She is glad she did that. She was holding her breath while talking to him. She is disappointed in herself. It is obvious that she is still very much affected by him.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.