Chapter 6

“Devlin? What are you doing here?” Asked the tall, beautiful lady who passed by them. Amber was a few meters away from them. She distanced herself further so she would give them some privacy. She must be his friend.

“Raven! Nice to see you. I am doing well. What about you? I didn’t see you during the funeral.” Devlin casually asked his ex-girlfriend. She is so beautiful wearing her white bandage dress that perfectly shows off her body. Amber noticed how he looked at her. She could see great admiration from his face for the woman. She felt a slight pain in her chest from what she had just witnessed. 

“I was actually there. Didn’t Dalton tell you? I came late but I also left quickly. There was an emergency.” Raven said regretfully. She did not say what the emergency was.

“So, who are you with?” She asked and suddenly looked at Amber. Devlin urged Amber to come to him by extending his hand. 

“This is Amber Adams, she is a very special friend.” Devlin said while beaming. Amber looked at him wide-eyed. She wanted to tell Raven that she is not his special friend. Just a regular friend.

“Hi Amber! It is a great pleasure to meet you. Is this your first time in the salon?” Raven hugged her instead of just shaking hands. 

“Pleasure to meet you, too. Yes, it is my first time here.” Amber answered with a cheerful voice. She suddenly feels awkward. She wonders why Devlin introduced her like there is something special between them.

“That’s great! Bridgette, please take care of Ms. Adams. This is her first time in our salon.” Raven told the receptionist. Amber heard what she just said. She must be the owner of this place. 

“Ms. Adams… I would like to talk with you more but I will have a meeting soon. I am sorry. I hope you enjoy the service here.” Her friendly smile seems genuine. Then, Raven simply nodded at Devlin and left the place. 

She heard him take a deep sigh while staring intently as Raven was leaving. Amber thinks there must be something between them. Just the way Devlin looked at her is way different. She has never seen that kind of look when he looks at other women.

“Are you close to her? You seem like you know each other well. And by the way, why did you tell her I am your special friend?” Amber asked without thinking. She is just curious.

“Why? Aren’t we already special friends? I mean our grandmothers were so close to each other. What would that make of us?” Amber only shook her head. She will never get a serious answer from him. 

“Alright, my special friend, what should I do next?” Amber teased him which earned a chuckle from him. However, she noticed that his eyes lacked the spark. He seemed sad after he saw Raven.

“Bridgette, please give her the best package you can offer in this salon.” Devlin ordered the receptionist.

“Amber, it will take a few hours for you to finish the package I chose for you. Please enjoy. They are very good here. Do you want anything else before I go?” asked Devlin. Amber only shook her head. She doesn't want anything right now. She still wonders why he looks sad.

“Alright, see you later then. I will call you. I will just have to go to the nearest coffee shop here. I will come back as soon as I finish.” He winked at her playfully which made Amber’s heart skip a bit. She simply smiled at him.

“Ms. Amber, this way please.” Bridgette led her to a door leading to the haircut area. She was given some magazines to check the hairstyle she wanted. Amber decided to go for a nice layered hairstyle and do some hair treatments. Then the pedicure and manicure will follow. This will take a longer time just what Devlin told her. There are more services offered in the package that Devlin chose for her.

Meanwhile, Devlin was in a hurry to catch Raven. He wanted to talk to her privately. He spotted her next to the coffee shop. She was on the phone. He waited patiently until she finished.

“Raven, do you still have time? Can we talk over a cup of coffee? You have been avoiding me for a while now.” Devlin said seriously. He did not realize that he tightly gripped her wrist until he saw her winced slightly. He immediately apologized.

“Devlin, what are you doing? Your date is in the salon. Or she must be your girlfriend now. And, I am not avoiding you. It is only right and proper not to talk to you privately. You know that I am Dalton's girlfriend now.” Devlin smirked at her.

“Dalton? You definitely went for a downgrade. I am so disappointed in you.” He said, mocking her. He saw how Raven controlled her emotions. She is very good at that.

“There is no use talking to you. It does not help that you are acting this way. Devlin, our relationship ended a long time ago. Please move on with your life. And that beautiful woman you have with you, I like her. She is far different from those women you have been dating.” Raven said frankly. She wishes that Devlin would find a good woman that would curb his behavior. They had their time together but their relationship did not work out the way they wanted it.

“But she is not you.” Devlin said with a pained voice. Then, he heaved a deep sigh.

“Devlin, please…” Raven is trying to make him understand that they are both grown-ups now. What they had before was great but they have grown apart.

“Raven, I just want to know why Dalton? He is my brother for goodness sake. You know our story. We never get along well.” Devlin looked desperate. He could not imagine that his ex-girlfriend would end up with his brother.

“That is because he acts like an adult. Please grow up, Devlin. You can’t just go on blaming your family for not getting the attention you want from them. You are an adult now, so please act like one.” Raven ended.

She immediately left Devlin who stayed rooted on his spot. He can’t believe he would hear those words from the woman he used to love and still is. He admits that he was such an idiot for letting her get away from his life. He may have felt better if she ended up with someone else, but not his brother. That is what hurts him the most. Ever since they were kids, there was already that sibling rivalry between them. Dalton is the achiever between them. When there are family gatherings, his parents would always proudly show off Dalton’s achievements. While he, on the other hand, would listen at the corner. 

When he decided to stay with his grandma, he started to get better. His grandma encouraged him to pursue his studies. She was very supportive of him. Now that he is a successful businessman and way more famous than his brother, why can’t Raven see that in him? Why can’t she take him back? Probably his brother must have told her something about him. Dalton is manipulative and controlling. That’s something he does not like about his brother.

Instead of drinking some coffee, he decided to go to a bar. He would have some drinks to forget about his pains.

Meanwhile, Amber was done with her haircut.  She is doing now her hair treatments.  Right after the hair treatments, manicure and pedicure will follow. So, she still has plenty of time.  She was wondering where Devlin was. It has been closed for half an hour now since he left. She is just going to wait for him until he comes back. So, she browsed her phone to keep herself busy.

She finished everything two hours laters. She waited for Devlin for almost an hour now. She tried calling him but she could not get hold of him. She has been calling him several times. She started to get worried. Then she remembers Jackson. However, she could not contact him as well. What is going on?

She decided to wait a few more minutes. If she could not contact any of them, she would just have to take the taxi.

“Ma’am, here is a refreshment for you while waiting for Mr. Wesley.” Bridgette offered. Amber accepted the drinks. The service in this salon is definitely amazing. Amber thought to herself.

“Thank you so much. You are very nice and I love your service here.” She said gratefully. She gave her a big glass of orange juice and some sweets. Amber waited another half hour until she started to get up and decided to leave the place. She just sent a message to Devlin.

“Hi, is everything fine? I have been trying to get hold of you but to no avail. I hope you are fine. I am going to take a taxi back to the condo. Thank you so much for everything.” She reread her message before she sent it to Devlin. She hopes everything is fine with him.

She was already outside the salon when she saw Jackson. He also spotted her immediately.

“I am sorry, Ms. Adams. I am going to drive you back to the condo. Unfortunately, Mr. Wesley is unavailable right now.” He said seriously. He is waiting for Amber to come with him.

“What happened to him? Is he fine? I tried calling him several times but he isn't picking up my calls. Then, at the end, I could not contact him anymore. I even sent him a message.” She asked with a worried look.

“I am sorry. I am not at a liberty to tell you anything. Mr. Wesley will explain to you what happened. Of course, everything is fine with him.” Jackson added after he saw her worried look. He has been working for Devlin for more than two years now. This woman in front of him is different from all the women Devlin dated before. She must be someone very special to him. He even let her stay in his condo unit. He never did that to any woman as far as Jackson can remember.

“Let’s go?” He asked politely. He even grabbed the shopping bags from her. She just followed Jackson. She appreciates how Jackson does his job right. 

When they reached the condo, she thanked Jackson and went immediately to the unit. She called Devlin again to check on him. Still, she could not contact him. She just sent him a message that she is back in the condo with Jackson driving her back home.

After a few minutes, her phone rang. It was her grandmother.

“Marmee, how are you doing?” They have been talking every single day with her grandmother, checking on each other.

“My child, I am doing good. Look at you! Did you just have a haircut?” Asked her grandmother while they did a video call. 

She went on to narrate what happened today. However, she didn’t tell her that Devlin did not come back to pick her up.

“It was great, marmee. I had fun today.” She said excitedly which made her grandmother laugh.

“I love your new hairstyle. It makes you look even more beautiful. I am glad that Devlin has been taking good care of you.” Her grandmother said sincerely. 

“Thank you, marmee. I got my looks from you.” She teased her grandmother.

“Oh… you really know how to make your marmee smile with happiness. I miss you, my child. When are you coming home?” She already asked that question last night. That's why Amber chuckled softly.

“I am not sure, marmee. Probably next week. I already told you that Devlin asked me if I could stay for a few more days. He was just being nice to tour me around the city.” She said with a smile but deep inside she is worried about Devlin.

“By the way marmee, this Friday, I am going to attend a business dinner with Devlin. He bought me some stuff for that dinner.” Then, Amber immediately took her shopping bags and showed the dress, purse and shoes to her grandmother.

“He bought all of those for you? Why would he bring you to the business dinner?” Her grandmother wonders. Amber has really no answer to that except what Devlin told her earlier. Probably, he has no one available to come with him to the business dinner.

“I actually don’t know why he asked me to come with him. Probably, he likes my company. So far, we are getting along well together.” Amber saw the teasing smile from her grandmother.

“Are you sure it is only a business dinner? Isn’t it a dinner date?” Her grandmother’s words made her turn red.

“Marmee! That is not what you thought it is. I guess we are good friends now. He is nothing but nice and friendly to me.” She said with a big smile. She is now in the kitchen, checking the fridge on what food to cook. She suddenly got hungry.

“Alright, my child. I am glad to hear that. Just always stay safe. Take care of yourself. I love you.” They ended their conversation after that. Amber went on to prepare her dinner. She decided to make some salad and a tuna sandwich. She went to the living room to watch a show. However, her mind is really not on what she is watching. She wonders what exactly happened to Devlin…