Date The CEO.com

Chapter 220: Apology Gone Sour

Eve ruffled her hair and buried her hands in it, her head bowing over the desk.

Weeks had gone by since her last conversation with Ambryan at the park. Their work relationship was a rewind to their first year together. Neither of them spoke unless necessary. Even then, communication stayed mostly non-verbal. She stayed a distance whenever they walked around and retreated to the shadows.

Between them, she believed she had it harder. 

His messages to Evangeline hadn't changed for one. Work was never the topic whenever he reached out to her. But she could tell—well, she knew—this current setting bothered him a lot. And she did her best to distract him from it or cheer him up.

As time went on, it became more difficult to pretend that Evangeline was still the same.

Eve threw herself back and looked up at the office ceiling. This had to stop. The tense atmosphere suffocated her. Her brain racked for an idea. There had to be something. Something she had buried into the corner of her mind—

Then, her back went rigid.

She clicked a few buttons on the telephone and ran for the elevator. Her computer locked its own screen due to inactivity. Eve tapped her pockets, confirming she had both her phone and her wallet. Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest.

This was crazy.

But she had to do it.

"Ms. Hart?" Darryl exclaimed when she stepped out of the lift. "Where are you—"

Holding up a hand, Eve assessed her surroundings. She spun in place and looked for the direction she should head for. "No time to talk, Darryl. If the boss asks where I went, tell him that I needed to buy something urgently."

The security guard made a face. He glanced over his shoulder and found no one to deal with her unusual behavior. "What could be urgent that you need to leave your desk?"

"Say that the red sea had decided to relocate and bother me today."

"What are you—Oh! Okay. I see. Sure. Got it. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Eve pumped her legs, realizing where she needed to go. There was a convenient store just around the corner. She crossed her fingers and hoped it had everything that she needed. The sales clerk looked up from his magazine when she bursted through the door.

Without a moment to lose, Eve searched for the candy aisle. Her eyes glazed over the different packagings and price labels. Not a nook nor a cranny was overlooked. It could be hidden from plain sight. It could have fallen somewhere. 

Either way, she wanted it to be here so she wouldn't need a trip to another store.

Her luck ran out. Even the sales clerk expressed his apologies.

Thankfully, he knew the nearest store. Eve thanked him and ran outside. She wouldn't rest until she found it. If she'd need extra time to do her work later, she'd give it for free and not demand overtime pay. That became her promise to the heavens.

Hopefully, they'd answer her prayers.

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Ambryan exited out of the virtual meeting. 

He checked the time and continued his report on the expenditures made by the studios. The ratio of it against the amount of investments made wasn't looking well. The stockholders and lenders would demand the reasons behind this. Not only would he need to explain it but also come up with a solution until the numbers reduced to an acceptable margin.

A knock came from his door.

"Come in," he answered, scrolling through the proposals made by the appropriate departments.

"Sir Hathaway." 

His fingers paused. Then, he looked away from his screen. His secretary stood in front of him. Her hair stuck out in different directions. Her eyeglasses crooked in a weird angle, and her hands gripped her knees, keeping her from stumbling to the floor.

Alarm rang inside Ambryan's ears. "Ms. Hart. Is there something you need?"

Eve straightened her back, stretching its muscles. The time in the elevator was too short for her to catch her breath. She stepped forward and placed a purple/pink-colored box on his desk.

"This is…" He mumbled as he picked it up.

"I'm sorry." Eve panted. Her gut told her that it was now or never. "I shouldn't have talked to you that way. The truth is I'm grateful that you had decided to share some of your life with me—even if it's just advice on a present or sharing your favorite candy or asking my opinion on an important project. My behavior was inappropriate compared to the trust you have extended to me." 

Ambryan held the box with both hands. His fingers grazed the surface as drawings of tiny cartoon blobs created chaos over the rocky pattern. He shook his head in astonishment. 

Eve clasped her hands behind her and hopped from one to another. "What I'm trying to say is… I'm sorry that I recicropated in such a way. I still can't tell you who I like because I can't say it out loud directly and it's embarrassing but my throat gets clogged whenever I try."

At this, Ambryan peeled his eyes off the NERDS candy box. josei

"Okay."

"Okay?" Eve exclaimed. Here she was pouring her half of her heart out and he wasn't even the tiny bit fazed? She even bought him his favorite candy. He probably didn't think she'd remember it. "Is that all you have to say?"

He held up the box for her to see. A small smile curved at the corner of his lips. "Thank you for the candy."

"You're welcome." She huffed and wiped the sweat off her neck. Her body warmed up from the exercise despite the chilly weather. 

"I should haven't pushed," Ambryan continued, setting the box down. He leaned on the backrest and met her brown eyes. "You have a right to decide how much you're willing to share with me. You had mentioned that you had no interest Mikael. That was all I was asking yet the moment I heard that you did have someone you like—I tried to push you again into admitting the details." 

He rose to his feet and walked around his table until they stood a foot apart. His hand touched her shoulder. "And for that, I am sorry."

Eve pressed her lips together, bowing her head. Blood rushed to her cheeks. "You're forgiven."

"Now…, are you perhaps interested how your scene with Mr. Davis turned out?" Ambryan asked to change the topic. He sat back down and opened the folder containing the ad placement shots. "I have no hidden intentions I promise. I figured you might want to see it before the public does."

Considering the idea, she shrugged. "Okay."

It was better for her to know before anyone else. Heavens knew how much Andie gushed over her photos plastered on the magazines. Before that moment, she never thought of looking at her own pictures. 

But now, she'd rather know before her best friend started praising and showing them off.

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"There is no way this is going public."

Eve stared at the frozen screen. The scene ended with an outside shot of the shop. Mikael and her could be seen through the display window, holding hands while admiring the ring. A series of curses floated in her head. 

'No wonder Ambryan thought we had something going on. The chemistry was undeniable,' she groaned to herself. 'It was just like that photoshoot Evangeline and Mikael had in World of Adventure—which had been used against them.'

"Why not?" Ambryan quizzed, replaying the clip. "Athon Luxury loves it. Luna is over the moon. No pun intended. It also fits right into the narrative since the episode is about the protagonist's parents and their love story."

If he put it that way, Eve became guilty of her selfishness. It was a good shot. It was well edited too. It would be wasted if she asked it to be removed or replaced. "Maybe… but I don't know. What about you? Do you like it?"

Her head chanted in the hopes that he'd say no.

"It's alright." Ambryan paused the video. He commended the lightning and the camera angles. The music also drew people in. It really belonged to the starting scene.

"Alright?" Eve frowned.

"Luna approves of it. Director Sam approves of it. That's a rare thing as you know," he explained. The two did clash when it came to these scenes. "Think of it this way. This is a reminder of how well you managed the crisis at the time. You pulled it, the cast and the crew together in order to get this done. That is something worthy to be acknowledged."

Eve's shoulders slumped. It was a unanimous defeat. Her gaze flickered to the monitor once more. The rose gold ring returned her stare. It fitted her finger perfectly. She recalled that ad lib vividly. Her hand flexed its fingers as if pretending the ring's weight was there.

She cleared her throat and gulped, hiding the hand behind her back. 

"Well, it's not like I won't ever hope this scene was shot with the person I like," Eve joked, trying to lighten both the atmosphere and her mood. "But no matter how much I wish for it, Mikael is the ambassador and actor for this scene."

Ambryan pushed his chair away from the desk. He interlaced his fingers above his lap, his elbows resting on the armrests. His violet eyes regarded her expression. 

"Does that mean you want to marry him?"