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Chapter 151: Two Hours of Torture

Inside a dark room, a rectangular ray of light illuminated against a wall. Moving pictures played over it in full-HD color. A young woman had her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a red silk robe over her nightgown. Her back leaned against the windowsill as she watched the night sky.

The only light source in her bedroom was a lamp.

A door creaked open off screen. 

Then, came the view of a rugged man. He ditched his coat jacket and left his vest over his dress shirt. Walking towards the window, he chose the spot across from the main character. The light from the lamp emphasized his chiseled features.

"Things won't be the same anymore starting tomorrow, huh?" The female lead muttered, her face turned away from the camera. 

"That's one way to put it."

She showed him a wry smile. "I guess I should be grateful that you didn't sugarcoat it."

He took a step forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be alright."

Her eyes glazed underneath his cold stare. She began to tremble, the shakiness reflecting in her voice. "Are you sure about that?"

"I wouldn't be true to myself if I were to say," the male lead paused. "That I am only here because I owed your father a debt I could never repay."

He tucked her hair behind her ear and lifted her chin. His eyes searched into hers. "I love you, Josephine. And I'll always be here whenever you need me."

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"Pfft," Eve snorted, pressing a hand over her mouth. Her inner laughter shook her entire body. It came to the point it was hard to control. She let her mouth go and cackled without a sound. Her back slid down the seat.

"What's so funny?" Ambryan whispered near her ear.

"I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?" She replied as she recovered her breathing. "That was just the most bogus thing I have ever heard. I couldn't help it. It was so fake. He is definitely not the male lead despite how they advertised it."

Eve fixed her posture and stuffed her mouth with a handful of popcorn. "What a timeless masterpiece. No wonder it still sells well on its anniversary run. Does your father regret rejecting to produce this film?"

Ambryan folded his arms over his chest. The exterior of his soda cup had moistened on the armrest holder. He shook his head at the screen. "I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or not."

Chuckling, it was Eve's turn to lean in his direction. She tossed one popcorn into her mouth. "Why are you whispering when you rented the whole venue?"

He threw a pointed look from the corner of his eyes. "Why did you hide your laugh?"

"And let the staff think I'm crazy? No, thank you." Eve scoffed. She pulled back and crossed her legs. The scene moved onto the next day. The female lead marched into the office building, wearing red from head to toe. "I'm surprised you're even watching."

Ambryan kept his gaze on the screen. The camera followed the young woman's back. Once she reached the top floor, she glanced over her shoulder. Her violet eyes gleamed against the studio lights. 

"What made you think I won't?" He asked. If it was possible for his expression to become harder, it did at this point. "That it's a romance film or that it's my mother acting as the female lead?"

"Both?" Eve cackled once again. She reached for her soda and sipped, cleansing her dry throat. "You have to admit. It does fall under two hours of torture."josei

Avery Mattie(-Hathaway) introduced herself to her new staff. Some of them were older than her. She chanced upon their conversation before she entered the room. Their eyes had sneered the moment they saw her.

In return, she presented a flirty smile and lured the others to her side.

Eve smirked at the sight. The transition had been smooth and natural as if Avery had done it multiple times. Eve chose not to comment it out loud, munching on more popcorn. "After this, we're going to eat, right? In exchange for forcing you to watch this, you get to pick where we eat and what we eat."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Well, I know you have good taste in food." Eve lifted another piece of popcorn to her lips.

Ambryan swiped it with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. "Hm."

He chewed slowly as he watched the rest of the film. The male lead entered his mother's office. Their eyes glued to one another like magnets. The tension inside the film crawled up to his skin and tickled behind his ear.

Maybe he'd take up that offer to do work after all.

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Eve found herself in an almost empty restaurant.

"Please don't tell you also rented this place." The theater had been more than enough. If the tickets hadn't been refunded by the time they got there, she would have asked for the people to join them.

Since that couldn't happen, she thought of it in a positive light instead—having privacy and ensuring their security.

"Of course not. Just a private room."

Ambryan took her hand and led her to the back. She eventually found a few customers. The restaurant had a coffee-kind of theme where the interior had dark wooden furniture and muted color walls. The ambiance also had that cool and silent feel of a library.

Eve pulled the hem of skirt, feeling underdressed. 

Her legs felt hot inside the pair of thigh-high boots.

The private room had a setup for a show.

A half-moon stainless counter and table joined like two Pringles' crisps. Chairs lined up the table side while another counter provided tools for the chef to freely use. An induction stove sat in the middle where guests could clearly see the dish being prepared. 

Eve pursed her lips, nodding her head. "Fancy."

Ambryan led her further inside. "Did you expect anything less?"

"No."

"Have a seat." He pulled the chair in front of the stove. 

Eve grinned and sat down. "Why thank you."

A waiter entered the room. He pushed a cart of refreshments and offered them to Eve. Each pitcher had a different color, depending on the beverage they carried. The presentation piqued her interest in what the unfamiliar ones could be.

But, in the end, she picked a blue lemonade. 

The waiter placed two glasses on the table and fulfilled her request.

Taking a sip, Eve looked over her shoulders. The seat beside her had remained empty even when the waiter left. Her eyebrows scrunched when Ambryan was nowhere in sight. 

"Does Asian-inspired cuisine interest you?" His voice floated in the air, reaching her ears. She snapped her head in its direction. 

Eve immediately placed the glass of lemonade on the coaster. Her back had gone rigid and her eyes had flown wide. 

"No..." she gasped.

Ambryan rolled up his sleeves, tucking in the cuffs for a better grip. "What?"

"You can't cook."

"And who are you to say what I can and cannot do?" Ambryan arched a brow. A tiny smirk teased her from the corner of his lips. He proceeded with his preparation and searched for ingredients. 

Eve blinked. 

Then, she pinched herself.

Her body jumped from the pain. In the five years they worked together, she had never seen nor heard him cook. Her eyes assessed the now full counter. Ambryan had chosen a simple recipe. She could tell from the number of ingredients.

The main ones included sausages and eggs. 

Ambryan took out a pot and filled it with water.

"Are you making Scotch Eggs?" The question flew out of Eve's mouth before she could process it. Her stomach growled at the thought. She hadn't had one of those in a while. She liked them a certain way too.

"How did you know?" Ambryan asked back, heating up the pan of water. He remained calm despite how others wouldn't have guessed until he wrapped the boiled eggs in sausage meat.

"It was just a hunch," Eve breathed out. It had been instinct. "I remember having them made with Italian sausage so that's what came to my mind when I saw the sausages."

She folded her arms over the table and propped her chin on top of them. "I could never get it right. Not even A—Beatrice could and she's a really good cook."

Ambryan closed the pot with its lid. He pushed his hands against the counter and tilted his head sideways. Eve gazed at the ingredients, already tasting the food in her mouth. Even if it wasn't the same, she appreciated a good Scotch Egg.

"Well, maybe I can help you out," he offered. 

Eve returned it with a skeptical look. "I don't know. I've never eaten anything like it anywhere. I'm convinced it was made of magic."

Ambryan chuckled, starting to prepare the meat. He cut the sausage in half and peeled the skins off. Then, he sprinkled bottles of spices into the bowl. "I can always try."

Eve watched him work—unaware of the smile she wore. Who cared if it wasn't like her favorite recipe? This was Ambryan Hathaway who was cooking. There was something more important to do than lament in the past—and that was to memorize the taste as best as she could.

When he moved to a side counter, she fished out her phone and opened the camera app.

A shutter sound pierced through the silence.