Date The CEO.com

Chapter 213: The Ups and Downs

"Effing…! Finally!" Andie yelled, her fist pumping in the air. Heads snapped in her direction. "It's about time that bitch got what she deserves."

She sat at the corner of a busy kitchen with an apron over her normal clothes. Phones were prohibited but hers kept ringing. Then, when she saw the news, she couldn't help it. She logged into Twittah and joined the storm. 

"Andie, keep it down!"

"Oops," she muttered as she composed a post to share with the trending hashtags. As Evangeline's top fan, she should be part of the fun! Her allies greeted her as soon as she came. It felt good to be on the winning side. 

Her supervisor soon left, feeling hopeless about the situation.

``NDdgaf: @sourcandy, yes, yes! Exactly! Elias was part of the scheme. He consented to this!`` 

"What's that about?" Another baker asked. He peeped from the side of the breadracks. The giddy look in Andie's stormy blue eyes were hard to miss. He tried to sneak a glance on her phone screen.

Andie stood up and tucked her phone back in her pocket. She brushed off the back of her skirt as well as her hands. There was a spring to her step when she headed back to the heart of the kitchen.

She hummed a tune in utter delight. Rolling up her sleeves, she washed her hands and returned to kneading the dough. "Just Charlee Edwards exposed for her schemes. Can you believe she hired a photographer to act like Evangeline's ex? And now the guy betrayed her and told the media everything. She is ruined for a long time."

The dough began to form under her hands. It was looking pretty good—probably even better than her best one. The heavens were abundant in their blessings. They even extended it to her.

The same baker positioned across from her, taking out a risen dough. "Isn't she that actress that got soda spilled on her in that scene from a TV series…?"

"I would agree with you…" Andie said. "But I have no idea what you're talking about."

Her co-worker paused to glare in her direction. She merely laughed it off. Eventually, he sighed and rolled the dough before cutting it into pieces. "Anyway, good for Evangeline."

"And her relationship with Ambryan is progressing so well," Andie gushed. She picked up her dough and placed it inside the bowl, covering it with cling wrap. "I couldn't be happier."

"I thought you said you'd only be happy if Eve finally has a boyfriend?"

"That's…" she paused, remembering those words. She could even recall when and where she had said them. "Well, close enough, I guess, since they're both my friends. Haha~"

Andie strolled to another counter and left her co-worker before she could spill anything else. On another note, she looked forward to heading home. There would be a lot to read and to talk about. Her inner gossip junkie didn't want to leave anything out.

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Meanwhile, back in Eros Productions, Ambryan read the articles. They stated how Charlee thought ill of Evangeline. The aspiring actress believed she wasn't worthy of someone with his status. Then, Elias explained how Charlee was confident that he and Evangeline would break up once someone better came along. 

But she could only think of someone that was on equal standing to Evangeline.

That was how she decided on a photographer to get in between the couple.

He leaned on the backrest, contemplating on Elias' apology. That was surely what this scoop was about. The one he claimed to do for atonement. The evidence he provided were copies of their conversations—even a few phone calls. Her voice was easily identified.

Elias had cleared up most of it.

But he still knew about Evangeline's alter ego.

Ambryan closed the search engine. As long as Elias knew about that, he was a threat. Who was to say that he hadn't figured out her real name? But chose to keep it for himself? It had to be for his own benefit—a source of blackmail to use against her.

And Ambryan hated that idea.

He leaned on the backrest, wishing that Evangeline would come clean. How could his mother expect that he'll be able to figure it out? Evangeline should be able to tell him now. The culprit behind her safety was gone. 

But is she really safe?

His eyes flickered towards the giant wine glass.

It now served as a decor at the corner of his office. Wen and the rest of the team inspected it for any hidden cameras and microphones. The security check came out clean. Still, he'd rather have it here than any of his private space.

The door opened for the last time that day.

"Sir Hathaway, these are the documents you need during my absence," Eve stated. She set the folders on his desk organized by priority. "I left my business emails to Riffle. He'll filter them out on my behalf. There is cold tea in the mini fridge. You only need to warm it up to have a cup."

"Is that all?" Ambryan joked. 

Eve returned it with a professional smile. "Please don't forget to use your anti-radiation glasses."

"I—"

"There is some medicine in the pantry in case you need any."

"What about—"

"Darryl has been instructed not to let anyone in. All your appointments for you tomorrow had been rescheduled." Eve beamed. "With that said, you can also work from your home if you prefer that more."

Ambryan took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. "Then, there's nothing left." 

"I'll be going first." His secretary bowed.

A small smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Enjoy."

"Thank you."

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The next day, Eve drove down the main streets of Maize City. Radio music flowed out of the speakers of her BMW M3. The sun shone in the sky, painting the sky a pleasing shade of blue. She wore a gray sweatshirt, black pants and blacks boots.

The monochrome look contrasted with the two girls in the backseat.

Her twin sisters wore vibrant jumper dresses along with long-sleeved white shirts. Black stockings and shoes covered their legs and feet respectively. Their heads bobbed to the music while watching out the window.

"Ah, I can't wait for Family Day!" Eri exclaimed, choosing the red jumper for today. She clasped her hands together and grinned at the ceiling. "We'll win the grand prize for sure!"

Eve gave a sad smile from the driver's seat. She stepped on the break as the traffic light matched her sister's outfit. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, sweetie. Jarrett couldn't come with us."

The event was more focused on the students and their parents. It's expected that both would show up for this special day. Of course, not everyone manages to fulfill this condition. The administration allowed other family members and friends as substitutes.

Except, it always fell on a weekday and not everyone was free.

"Yeah, yeah, and you're stuck with me," Gin groaned from the passenger seat. He had his arms crossed over his chest. His rusty brown hair seemed warmer under the yellow sunlight. "And I won't be joining any games."

Ede snorted, wearing orange for the fall season. "That's because you're a natural born killjoy."

Gin snapped his head over his shoulder. "You're lucky that I didn't have school today."

"Well, you're useless!" She retorted back with a huff.

Eri dropped her smile. She snapped her gaze towards the rearview mirror and tilted her head sideways. "But why would we need Jarrett when you have a boyfriend now, Eve?"

"You have a boyfriend?" Gin arched an eyebrow at the driver. 

"It's nothing like that," Eve corrected. She met her sister's eyes and sent a silent glare. "I'm sure Eri just mispronounced. We wouldn't want misunderstandings now, do we?"

"Not fair!" Eri complained, sinking into her seat. "She finally has a boyf—another male friend but we can't have him as the father figure for the event? I'm sure no one would find it suspicious since you are colleagues."

Eve shook her head. She pulled the steering wheel clockwise and made a hard right. "Eri, he has work. He won't be anywhere near the event."

"So we can't join in for the relays because Mr. Party Pooper won't even join," Ede concluded. It was the reason why Aunt Georgie forced him to go. But it was no use if he wouldn't participate. And Eve was too nice to push him.

Eri pouted at nothing. There was no hint of the previous excitement she wore earlier. The gloomy expression suddenly didn't match her bright red outfit. josei

It broke Eve's heart to see. Luck just wasn't on their side today. "Hey, there's still three of us. I'm sure they'll make an exception."

"But what about the pair competitions?" Ede pointed out. "One of us would have to sit out."

"I'm sorry, girls," Eve apologized. She drove the car into an empty parking spot and hit the brakes. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she turned around to face them. "If it makes you feel any better… if we find a poor guy to bribe and join us, I will make that happen."

"I'd pay to see that." Gin snorted.

Eve gave him a dirty look.

He raised his hands in surrender and averted his eyes.

"I'll tell you what…" she started again, shifting her attention back on her sisters. "Since this is a unique circumstance, you can also try to find someone to join us with the games. I promise I won't complain. How does that sound?"