Chapter 43

After walking along all the shops at BDT mall, Amanda decided to start her day at one of the high class spas. She has been working hard ever since being appointed as Derek's secretary. It is rare that she has time for herself to wind down; and she was going to fully utilise the time available to her.

Her spa experience there was indeed one of a kind. The female masseuse was very skilled, applying lavender oil all over Amanda to help her relax and be comfortable. With the soothing background music playing, Amanda subconsciously fell asleep, while the masseuse skillfully massaged her body, relieving the stress from Amanda's body.

Ninety minutes went by and Amanda's massage session was finished. She woke up, feeling more refreshed and she could feel her body being less tense. She finished off her spa experience with a nice jacuzzi session.

After a wonderful spa visit, Amanda felt it was time to visit a salon. She had wanted to change her hairstyle for sometime and now was her chance to do so.

She found a very reputable salon in the mall and went in. The receptionist was very courteous and professional, giving Amanda a very good impression.

By the end of her salon visit, Amanda went from having a perm to straightening her hair via rebond. She also decided to add some colours to her natural red hair. So she added some orange and blonde highlight streaks to give her hair some colour variation.

'My little tribute to the Quinton's Angels' thought Amanda, referring to herself, Jocelyn, who was blonde, and Kimberly who had orange hair.

Before she knew it, the whole morning had passed; but for Amanda, it was a morning well spent.

After having a quick lunch, it was time for phase two of Amanda's retail therapy day.

First stop for her was to a Bottega Veneta shop on the first floor. After thirty minutes, Amanda walked out with the latest leather purse that was previously displayed in their showcase window.

The second and final stop was to get a dress, suitable for her date with Derek later in the evening.

There was only one place in Amanda's mind....JL boutique. In Amanda's opinion, they had a dress for every occasion.

Without hesitation, Amanda made a beeline to JL boutique, where Joanne Lopez was having a conversation with her brother Nick.

"Hi Joanne!" greeted Amanda as she entered the boutique.

"Oh hi Ms Amanda! Nice to see you here today." Joanne replied. "Nick, you know Ms Amanda right?"

"Yes I do. She the top secretary working for the Quinton Consortium, the new owners of BDT mall. In other words, our new landlords. Pleased to meet you." said Nick.

"Likewise, Nick." replied Amanda and they both shook hands.

"So, what brings you here today, Ms Amanda?" asked Joanne.

"Well I have a date tonight. Do you have an outfit for a high end dinner date?" asked Amanda.

"You came to the right place, Ms Amanda. Follow me." replied Joanne.

"Guard duty for me as usual. Haha." Nick joked as Joanne and Amanda went to back of the boutique and to the fitting rooms.

Twenty minutes later, Amanda came out of the fitting room with a JL boutique shopping bag in hand, while Joanne went to the counter with Amanda's credit card in hand.

While waiting for Joanne, Amanda's phone rang. Picking it out of her purse to answer it, she realised it was Derek.

"Hi Derek...yes I'm out shopping....yes...OK that would be nice...sure thing...I'll see you at my place later....Yes, we can go from there. OK, see you tonight. I can't wait. Bye." said Amanda before hanging up.

'Did I hear her right? Did she say Derek?' thought Nick.

"Err...wow Ms Amanda. Looks like your date can't wait. Who's this lucky guy Derek?" asked Nick, hoping to pry more information out of Amanda.

Sadly for Nick, Amanda caught on quickly and replied, "Oh, he's a friend of mine. We were introduced to each other through a mutual friend of ours."

"Oh I see. That's nice." said Nick, with a slight hint of disappointment and suspicion.

"Oh, my card is charged. I have to go now. Nice meeting you, Nick. Thanks for the dress Joanne." said Amanda as she took back her credit card and left the boutique.

"Brother, what was that all about?" Joanne asked Nick.

"Did you hear Ms Amanda's call earlier? She mentioned Derek." said Nick.

"So? What's the big dea....wait a minute. You don't think....?" Joanne started to understand Nick's question.

"I'm not 100% sure. If it is true....then that may explain Derek's turnaround. He's dating Amanda." said Nick. He then took his phone out and texted in his MNS group chat.

'Emergency! MNS meeting! Spy update on Derek! Tonight!' texted Nick.

As evening approached, Derek was dressed in a fancy maroon suit and black shoes. He stepped out of the Quinton Mansion and drove off in his new Rimac Nevera, heading towards Townsville Hillside condo.

Amanda was waiting at the drop off point. She was clad in a stunning long dress, similar to her new hair colours. The top of her dress started red, fading to orange in the middle and fading to yellow towards the bottom. The dress was a perfect fit for Amanda as it allowed her to show her sexy curves all around. She wore hot red heels and carried her new Bottega Veneta purse.

A few minutes later, Derek arrived at the drop off point. Stepping out of the car, Derek had a bouquet of fresh red roses in hand and gave it to Amanda.

"You look sensational tonight." said Derek, kissing Amanda on the cheek.

"Thank you Derek. You look amazing yourself." replied Amanda.

"Shall we?"

"Yes. Let's go."

Derek opened the passenger door for Amanda and escorted her in before closing it. As he was heading to the driver's seat, he received a message from Desmond on his phone.

'Hey boss! Big boss Quinton told me about your date tonight! No need to worry. I've dispatched a security at Giannos. Enjoy yourselves!'

"Thanks, brother." Derek mumbled.

Then it was the driver seat for Derek as they both drove out of the condo and on to Quinton Hotel for dinner at Giannos.