Fated to the Ruthless CEO

Devlin’s senses were dulled by the weight of alcohol that he consumed. However, he was not too wasted to not notice his surroundings. Looking at the familiar ceiling, he knows that he is back in his own room. Then, the door to his room gently opened. He saw a white figure standing just at his door. He tried to pretend that he is not aware of anything, that he is asleep like a baby.

He heard the soft sounds of her footsteps as she moved around his room. Then, he smelled her natural feminine scent which he started to get used to. Then, a few minutes later, he felt Amber slowly lifting his right arm. She started to wipe away the traces of his intoxication. She cleaned him so gently. Devlin was only feeling her presence. Her gentle touch, her show of care, her patience with him… all of those he took for granted because he saw her in a different light. He saw her as a scheming vixen.

He could not understand himself. Earlier, he was so angry at her that he thought he could hurt her real bad. That’s why he decided to go out and get drunk. But right now, suddenly things have changed. He knows that Amber has been taking care of him every time he went home drunk. However, he never saw how she took care of him except tonight.

Right in that moment, something stirred deep in his heart. He could not explain the feeling of someone taking care of him despite his ruthless treatment towards her. All his life no one really took care of him except his grandparents. The love and attention he longed for from his parents never materialized. They were too engrossed with their own world.

Everything about him and Amber started wrong. He used her from the beginning for his personal agenda. And Amber, she was dragged down into the mess simply because his grandmother was a hopeless romantic who believes love still exists in this present time.

Realization did hit him. And he felt horrible that he put Amber in this situation. She also got that same horrible treatment from his own family. He slightly opened his eyes to see what his wife was doing. The light in his room is dimmed so Amber would not be able to notice him watching her every move. She looks like an angel with her innocent looking face. While Raven has the sophisticated, beautiful look, Amber has an ethereal beauty. A beauty that would look even more beautiful as you keep looking at her face.

When she was done, she went closer to him. Devlin immediately closed his eyes. Amber combed his hair with her fingers. She touched his forehead and both cheeks. Then, she whispered softly.

“I am sorry, Devlin. I hope things were different between us. It hurts knowing that I have caused you to be like this. I hope you believe me that I know nothing of Grandma Olivia’s will.” Tears welled up in Amber’s eyes. When she noticed a slight movement from Devlin, she moved away, took all the cleaning stuff and left his room.

Outside his room, she could not stop herself from crying. If this is going to be her life, she is doomed.

On the other hand, Devlin heard every word Amber said. He felt the sincerity of her words and the care she showed towards him. Despite his treatment towards her, she took care of him. She takes care of him not only when he is drunk. She cooks for him. She cleans his room even if she does not need to do the cleaning. She has been very patient with him.

He saw the tenderness of Amber. What is he going to do with her? He can’t continue to punish her just because of what his grandmother did. And he already made that realization earlier on. Whatever her reasons for how she met his grandmother, that is not important anymore right now.

And he does not feel like using her anymore to get Raven back. He must admit to himself that Raven has moved on and she is happy now with his brother. Even if he is not on good terms with his brother, he can’t force Raven to come back to him. He already knew that even if he could take back Raven, things are never going to be the same between them. And he saw the look that Raven shows towards his brother. It is the kind of look he had from her before. He had to accept it. Raven was his past. He should live in the present. He felt relieved after taking these big realizations himself.

The next day, Amber walked up early to do her daily routine. She went first to Devlin’s room to check on him. He is still asleep. She slowly closed the door. She went for half an hour of exercise before she made breakfast for Devlin.

Last time, she made chicken broth. This time, she is going to make vegetable soup. She also made some mashed potatoes to go with sunny-side up and bacon. That would fill up his empty stomach. For sure, Devlin would be starving.

Right after she finished cooking, she put all the food on a tray. She checked the time. It has been more than an hour since she last checked Devlin.

The moment Amber entered the room, she saw Devlin slightly moving. Then, slowly he opened his eyes.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Good morning. I brought you breakfast. I made a good vegetable soup for you.” She opened the bowl and the aroma of the vegetable soup made his stomach grumble. He did not eat anything last night.

He sat down and was just looking at what Amber was doing. He excused himself and went to use the restroom. He closed his eyes when he got inside. He could not explain himself why suddenly he felt something else towards Amber. Gone is the anger he had for her these past few days. He does not know why. Probably, his conscience made him realize his mistakes. Maybe what he feels for her now is pity.

He quickly finished what he needed to do. When he got out, Amber was not in his room. He went to sit down on his bed. The food was on a small table he had in the room. He was checking his phone when Amber brought another tray of food. There was a pitcher of water and a glass.

“I had to heat up the soup so you can have it hot. And after you finish eating, I have medicine here. How are you feeling now?” She asked with her gentle voice all the while Devlin was just staring at her face. It made Amber conscious of her look. Why is he staring at her? Did she do anything wrong again? But looking at his face, he was simply staring at her with a blank expression. She had to clear her throat before she spoke up again.

“Uhmm…I was asking you how you are feeling.” Still, no answer from him but just continued staring at her for a while. Amber could not even stare back at him. She took a chair and set it next to the table. Then, she started opening the food.

“You should eat now before this soup will get cold again. Do you want anything else aside from these?” She was referring to all the food she cooked for breakfast.

“No, thank you. These all look delicious.” He said with a smile. Amber was surprised to see him smiling again. She did not say anything but started serving him.

“Why are you not eating with me? Did you already eat breakfast?” He asked with a soft voice. Amber is a bit suspicious why he is acting nice towards her. These past few days have been horrible for her.

“No, I just want to serve you the food first to make sure you eat well. Then, you can take the medicine. I hope you feel much better.” She said sincerely. She then took some food for herself. She did not see that Devlin was looking at her fantastically.

‘How come she still looks after me despite what I did to her?’ Devlin silently said to himself. They continued eating in silence. When he was done, Amber handed him his medicine and his glass of water.

“I am going to do some grocery shopping today. Is there any particular food you want for lunch?” Devlin almost said ‘you’. He only shook his head. He did not know where it came from.

“No, you can cook anything you like. I am just going to stay in bed for a while. My head still hurts.” He said, starting to get uncomfortable with Amber’s presence in his room. He felt a stirring in his loins just looking at her.

“You go with Jackson, okay?” He said before he went back to lay down on his bed.

Amber felt a bit strange from the way Devlin was acting earlier. It was like the way he treated her before he found out about their wedding and the last will of Grandma Olivia. What made him act differently earlier? She has no answer to her question. Probably, he was still having a bad hangover. He just wants to relax..

Amber always likes the nice, sweet side of him but she does not know whether those times when he was nice to her… were they real? She already knew that he was simply using him. Whatever… She should not keep entertaining negative thoughts or it will drive her insane.

She called Jackson to drive her to the grocery store. She only changed quickly and was ready before Jackson informed her he was already at the parking area. The shopping did not take that long. She just bought the important stuff for the kitchen and some personal things for herself. She is glad that no one was lurking around just like what happened last time when she did the grocery. If the media finds out about their wedding, they will hound her everywhere. She hopes it will not happen. She does not want to add more stress to herself.

When she came back, she quickly checked on Devlin who was sleeping soundly. He actually just went back to sleep. He made several phone calls earlier to ensure that none of what happened the last few days would get out in the media. He knows how cruel they can go just to get a scoop.

Meanwhile, Amber was busy putting away all her grocery items in the kitchen. She still has plenty of time to prepare for lunch. She decided to check her phone for some news online. She was glad that there was no news about her wedding to Devlin. Probably, no one has learned about it yet. That’s great for her peace of mind.

At 10 am, she was already busy preparing for their lunch. Devlin came down an hour later. He even offered to help her. She refused at first but Devlin kept insisting. She lets him do what he wants. He seemed to be in a great mood… Amber noted.

They shared a delicious lunch over pan-seared salmon and some salad. They even had a small talk about everything except of course the real issues they are facing. None wanted to discuss it. It was like a silent truce they made between them. Devlin even asked her to watch a movie with him. They ended up watching two movies together. Then, came night time, they went outside to spend a casual dinner.

Devlin was actually nice to her all day. She was happy but still she has the nagging feeling that there must be something brewing in his head. She could not just trust him readily. Especially him, who always has different mood swings.