The Business Dinner
They ended up watching an action comedy movie together. That was the only movie that would meet their movie preferences. Devlin likes action films while Amber is into rom-com movies. So, they decided to meet halfway.
“Thank you for today. It was really nice. I hope you had fun.” Devlin said while she was at the door to the condo unit. She only smiled at him.
“No, thanks to you. I had a great time.”
“Hmmm… do you want a cup of coffee?” She said after a few moments.
“Sure, that would be great!” Devlin replied without hesitation. He followed Amber inside while she put her purse on the center table in the living room. She went to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. Devlin followed her to the kitchen as well.
“How do you like your coffee? Do you want it with a creamer?” Amber asked while she was preparing.
“Black coffee is good.” He was looking at what Amber was doing which made her slightly nervous. She does not want to screw up things in front of him. Good thing that Devlin started talking to her.
“So tell me, how is your stay here in the condo? Is Jackson still doing well at his job? By the way, did the cleaning lady come here to clean?” Devlin asked casually. He went closer to her so he could get the coffee cups up in the cupboard. He saw Amber boiling some milk for herself. She prefers her coffee with milk.
“Jackson has been very helpful, especially with the groceries. And as for cleaning, the lady came although I always clean up every single day.” She simply said. She is used to household chores. It is no big deal to clean Devlin’s condo unit. It is actually a huge condo with three rooms but she was fine cleaning it.
She finished the black coffee for Devlin and poured it in one of the coffee cups he handed to her. She served it to him immediately. He is now seated at the small dining table in the kitchen. She hurriedly went to get the milk which had already started to boil. She made her own coffee, added some sugar and went to sit beside Devlin.
“This is really good!” Devlin even smelled the coffee. He kept taking some small sips.
“Thank you. I always make coffee for marmee so it is something that I am used to doing.” She gave him a beaming smile.
“That’s nice. I admire how you are taking care of your grandmother. I regret that I didn’t get to do that to grandma. She helped me a lot while I only gave her a lot of problems.” Devlin said regretfully.
“Don’t say that. The first time I met your grandma, she only had great words for you. She was so proud of you. It means you did something great for her.” Amber’s words brought comfort to him. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face while sipping his cup of coffee.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Anyway, tomorrow, someone will come to help you get ready before the business dinner. And I will come pick you up at 7 pm sharp.” Amber wonders why she needs help for the business dinner. It made her more anxious. She did not voice it out though. After finishing his cup of coffee, Devlin bid her goodbye and left.
Amber got nervous thinking about tomorrow’s dinner. It must be very important since someone has to come to assist her. She still could not believe how things between her and Devlin moved so fast. From a simple farm girl to someone who is going to meet some big shots. She feels uncomfortable. She doesn’t know how to conduct herself tomorrow night. She started to get restless. She decided to call her grandmother before she goes to sleep. They only talked about the regular happenings at the farm. Her grandmother also reminded her to stay safe all the time. After her conversation with her marmee, she felt much better and relaxed. She immediately fell asleep.
The next day she woke up slightly later than usual. She got up around 8 am. She allowed herself to sleep longer which made her all the more in a good mood today. She went through her usual day. Then, at 4 pm, she decided to take a bubble bath for almost an hour. When she finished, the doorbell rang. She quickly changed into shorts and a tank top. It must be the woman who would help her for tonight’s business dinner. She wasn’t wrong. It was indeed a lady in her late 30s. She came to do her hair and makeup. She even brought an assistant with her.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Adams. I am Claire Newton, your hair and makeup artist. This is my assistant, Chelsea.” Claire’s friendly demeanor made Amber forget her nervousness.
“Ms. Adams, do you have any particular style that you have in mind? I can do the style you.” Asked Claire, who is so nice and polite to her.
“I trust your judgment. Do what you think is good for me.” Amber only smiled. She has no idea at all on how to dress up or what makeup to use for a business dinner. She has never been to one.
“That’s great! You are not going to regret it. I will make you the most beautiful woman tonight. Mr. Wesley would definitely have his eyes only for you.” Claire chuckled while her assistant was beaming at her.
It would take more than an hour for Amber to finish her hair and makeup. When she finally looked at herself in the mirror, she could not even recognize herself. Gone is her medium- short hair. Instead, she is sporting a sleek bun updo that perfectly goes with her floor-length olive green Grecian style dress. It has a halter neckline and shows more skin at the back. It has a high slit to the side that goes all the way to the mid-thigh. She looks like a goddess, even Claire and Chelsea could not stop telling her how beautiful she is.
“You just look so amazing. You look like a goddess!” Exclaimed Claire who is so proud of her work. She definitely has highlighted Amber’s look with the makeup she used on her. Devlin would surely approve of Amber’s look.
“For the last touches…” Claire said while getting a rectangular black velvet box. She opened the box for Amber which made the latter gasp in surprise.
“These green jewels are emeralds surrounded by real diamonds.” Claired showed her a pair of earrings and bracelets.
“Mr. Wesley handed it to me for you to wear tonight. You look so beautiful. All you need to do is relax and smile.” Claire said with encouraging words.
“Really? They look so expensive that I am afraid to wear them anywhere.” Claire and Chelsea briefly laughed at what she said.
“No, don’t say that. You actually carry these jewelry so elegantly. For sure, Mr. Wesley would be impressed.” Said Claire whose admiration for her is visible.
Amber didn’t say anything after hearing what Claire said. She is focused more to make sure that the jewelry she is wearing is all safe with her. For sure, each jewelry cost a huge fortune.
Then, suddenly Claire’s phone rang. She excused herself to take the phone call. A few minutes later, she came back.
“We need to keep going. Don’t forget to bring your purse. Mr. Wesley called and he will pick you up soon.” Amber thanked both Claire and Chelsea before they left. She checked the time and it’s 6:30 pm. They still have half an hour.
True enough, just a couple of minutes later, Devlin came. The moment Amber opened the door for him, he was quiet while simply looking at her. His blank look does not tell her anything.
“Don’t you like it? I thought Claire did a good job.” Amber said nervously. She does not want Claire to get into trouble if Devlin does not approve of her look for tonight.
“Yeah, she did a good job. Are you ready?” He simply replied without even giving any comment on her look. Amber was disappointed but she tried to hide her reaction. What does she expect? It is not like they are going on a dinner date. It is a formal business dinner. And she must be the only available woman to accompany him to dinner.
Amber remained quiet even while they were in the car. Devlin put on some music and stayed quiet as well. She wanted to compliment him for his great look but she hesitated after his cold treatment towards her. He must be having some issues. And she should not worry about what he would think of her looks anyway. With that in mind, she decided to act as if nothing happened.
They arrived at the venue with so many reporters waiting at the lobby area. She has no idea that she is attending a lavish business dinner for the top businessmen in the country. Devlin did not inform her anything. Her mood has gone sour but she played her part. The compliments she received from other people made her confident. She really does not know what’s gotten into Devlin. One moment, he is very nice and friendly, the next is that he stays quiet and looks so serious. If they are friends, at least he could inform her that he may not be feeling well or he got into some issues. She is not good at guessing someone’s feelings.
“Devlin, who is this very beautiful woman with you?” Asked a middle aged woman who wears too many diamonds all over her body. Amber did not say anything but showed a poker face although deep inside she’s dying to get out of the venue. When she looked around, she saw a lot of the rich and famous people in the country. She doesn’t know how to carry herself in this kind of gathering.
“She is the granddaughter of a family friend.” Came Devlin’s short reply.
“Really? From which family?” Amber started to get more uncomfortable. The woman scrutinized her carefully like she is an interesting specimen.
“Hmmm… Devlin, may I use the restroom?” Amber asked, just so she has time to relax by herself. Devlin raised his right eyebrow at her.
“We have just arrived.” He simply said, dismissing her like a kid.
“I am sorry but I did not have the chance to use the restroom earlier since I got tense after I did the hair and makeup. I did not know what exactly this business dinner was like.” She is not complaining but Devlin’s indifference is not helping her to calm down. She tried to pretend that it was no big deal but looking around, everything was a big deal.
“Please don’t worry too much. All you need to do is to stay beside me. Just smile. You don’t have to say anything unless they ask you for trivial things. Anyway, you can use the restroom. I am keeping my eye on you.” Devlin said after a few moments just staring at her. He does not know what is going on with him as well. He has a goal to do and that is to take back Raven. However, Amber is distracting his mind lately. He does not know why.
Amber only nodded at him in response to what he said. She immediately excused herself to look for the restroom. On her way to the restroom, she got stopped a few times by some photographers. She politely told them that she needs to go somewhere quickly.
She was in the restroom, cleaning her hands when she saw Raven. She looks so stunning in her red gown.
“Amber? Wow! You look so amazing. How are you doing?” Raven said after recognizing her. They are still in the restroom. Raven washed her hands and put some lipstick on.
“Thank you. You look amazing as well.” Amber responded back. She was about to get out of the restroom but Raven asked her something.
“Are you with Devlin? I haven’t seen him since I got here.” Raven asked casually. She was just trying to make a conversation with Amber.
“We have just arrived actually. He must still be somewhere where I left him.”
“That’s good to know. See you around then.” Raven simply said. She felt that Amber is not comfortable talking to her.
“Nice meeting you, Raven.” She immediately left. She does not want to linger longer since Devlin is waiting for her. She made her way through the crowd without much issue. She tried to walk quickly as fast as she could so she would not get interrogated by the waiting reporters.
She found Devlin at the same place where she left him. He is now talking to some people. She slowly walked to bide her time but it can’t be helped. She needs to face these businessmen.
“There you are!” Devlin said loudly as she was approaching them. She tried not to create any attention. She already noticed that wherever Devlin is, the reporters and photographers keep following him.
“Everyone, meet my date, Amber Adams.” Devlin announced to those people around him much to Amber’s surprise. She already saw more and more photographers flocking towards them. She really can’t wait for this night to be over.