Date The CEO.com

Chapter 263: Night Three: The Red Card

"Come on, it's not that bad."

"What doesn't kill you make you stronger!"

"Okay, it literally won't kill you since you're not allergic but you are welcome to puke in the toilet."

Ambryan disgustedly stared at the bowl of red soup. His nose scrunched up as its scent floated up in smoke. The surface somewhat glistened under the indoor light but it didn't make it less unappetizing—much like the smiley face Eve drew with the parsley garnish.

Eve sat on his left, waiting for him to take a bite. "Maybe you'd want to dip that grilled cheese sandwich in the soup instead so there is something else to taste other than tomatoes."

His scowl deepened. "That would be cowardly."

She raised an eyebrow. "We both know you wouldn't eat this soup on its own though. Only the first bite if you're dead-set on it."

Scooping a small amount, Ambryan lifted the spoon up to his lips. Eve leaned forward and watched in anticipation. He let it linger in the air. She imagined that another round of debate was going through his head. It was like watching a child eat his vegetables for the first time.

Her hand reached for the plate of grilled cheese sandwiches so she could offer him to take one.

But then, he ate the spoonful of soup all at once.

Eve saw him visibly froze once it hit his taste buds. 

Ambryan stopped breathing. His consciousness only registered one thing and it was the sweet, tart and tangy flavors in his mouth. He felt this throat constrict as his gag reflex came in. He tightened his grip on the spoon, forcing himself not to throw up. 

Beside him, Eve started to feel bad for putting him up to this. She reached over to pat his back. And just before she could touch it, Ambryan swallowed the soup. He seized his glass of water and washed down both the taste and the after taste. 

Eve rubbed his upper back, nonetheless, and offered him the grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Good job," she couldn't help but say. Then, she rose to her feet and planted a kiss at the corner of his mouth. "That's for not throwing up. Otherwise, I wouldn't be near your lips."

"So kisses cost now?" Ambryan asked. He gripped her chin and held in place, stealing another chaste kiss. "I haven't been informed that I need to set my price."

"I mean, an extra kiss," Eve corrected with an eye roll.

Ambryan pressed his lips together. He still didn't let her go. "Hm, extra… a word used in marketing to attract humans by saying they could get more than usual."

"Which is my point."

"Which also means I could get more for each bite," he grinned, finally releasing her chin. He stirred the soup and stared at her by turning his bowed head in her direction. "I have to admit that it's a good strategy for me to eat tomatoes. But I'm sorry, m'lady. This is the first and last time I'd eat them for you."

Eve merely chuckled. She pecked his temple and said, "It's alright. At least, I know my cooking is good enough for someone that detests tomatoes."

Her phone started vibrating in her pocket. 

"Hold on."

Ambryan was back to where he started. He should have promised one bite instead of one serving. True to what his girlfriend predicted, he took a grilled cheese sandwich and dipped the tip in the soup. Then, he made sure to take a big bite so the cheddar and ricotta cheese overpowered the tomato taste.

Taking out the phone, Eve glanced at the screen. Andie's name flashed underneath a candid photo of herself with her cactus mug. Eve frowned but answered the call. "Hello?"

"Eve!" Andie screamed into her ear. "What are you doing?"

"Just having my second dinner," Eve sneaked a peek at Ambryan. He had eaten half of the sandwich while had only taken two bites of the soup. Her gaze flickered to the plate of grilled cheese. 

She had a feeling they wouldn't long.

"Get online now!" Andie instructed her, speaking in a rush. "I mean it! Do it now!"

That caught Eve's attention immediately. "What's going on?"

Rushing into her room, she grabbed her laptop from the nightstand and booted it up. Her mind pondered on what the fuss could be about. Nothing else had happened since the photoshoot at the Zehell Castle. There shouldn't be anything for the public to talk about.

She clicked on the web browser and typed in her alias.

"Andie, what am I supposed to be—"

> Evangeline Reed: From Princess to Rags

```

Hello, gossip lovers! 

Over here, we deliver the hottest gossip at the fastest time possible. And this time, it's about the lady who had taken the recent spotlight everywhere! That's right! More Evangeline Reed news!

This famous name has seen many ups and downs since she joined the modelling industry. Her life has always been kept private even to the most devoted fans. Questions were raised on what could she possibly be hiding. Something scandalous perhaps?

We are here to satisfy that curiosity!

A photo of Ms. Reed has turned up recently and is taking the world by storm yet again. The rising model was spotted along the red district with a different rich male companion. That's right, folks! It's not Ambryan Hathaway!

My, my, my…, seems like Evangeline is an expert at seducing the wealthy hearts in the city. No wonder she had made it to the top of the ladder in romance!

Will she have another target after Ambryan? Oh, we can only wonder.

```

Eve scrolled down the article, searching for the photo. 

Her eyes widened at the sight of not just one but three pictures. They had been taken during night time so they came out grainy. She gritted her teeth and glared at the forged photos. A sense of deja vu spilled over her head.

Only one person could have possibly made this believable.

On second thought, there were two potential suspects and they could be working together.

"Did you see it now?" Andie asked from the other line. Her best friend had suddenly gone quiet. It was the only thing she could think of that happened. She sat in the living room of her apartment, Twittah taking up the screen of her laptop. "I swear! These people should freaking leave you alone. First, you're having an affair with Mikael. Next, you have a bitter ex-boyfriend. Now, you are not only a gold digger but a slut?" 

"Why are people buying this?" Eve thought out loud. "No one can even see my face."

"Ugh, I know. They made such an effort to match everything about you. I'm surprised they didn't go all the way and had the woman undergo plastic surgery. She could even take your place, pretending to be you everywhere."

"Please don't give my enemies ideas."

"Hey, if you're gonna do it, do it right!"

Eve snorted, propping her elbow on the mattress and scratching her head. "I'd rather be lucky that the person isn't the smartest. That makes things easier for me to clean up."

She logged into Twittah and read the trending topics. Her name was up there alright but the community had come up with creative words to describe her. Since this wasn't the first time anymore, she had grown immune of this attack.

Her only worries were about her important people and her current career.

This should affect her projects again like before. 

"You have a game plan?" Andie tilted her head sideways and trapped the phone between her cheek and shoulder. She typed on her laptop, attacking a ridiculous post. "Babe, I'm all ears but my best solution is to whack them with a shovel named Phil."

(A/N: Hi, Hatchi, Phil and Joey!)

Eve bit on her thumb. "Not yet."

"What's going on here?" Ambryan stopped at the door. Crease lines wrinkled on his forehead. He walked over to the bed and sat beside Eve. "You were taking too long. I figured something must have happened."

Her laptop showed a series of tweets under the hashtag, #CurseEvangeline.

.

``@bitch: EvANGELine? More like she's the dEVil. That romantic photoshoot was too good to be true. Why did we even try to believe it? Fairy tales don't exist. There's no cleansing this much dirt. #CancelEvangeline.``

``@hoe: If she is such a goody goody, why do these keep turning up? It's really fish.``

``@dunce: I had no idea what to expect by looking into this hashtag but I'm actually disappointed that it's not about witches, spells and/or horror enchantments.``

``@tramp: A person's true colors always show up eventually.``

.

"What are they talking about?" Ambryan sneered under his breath. He seized the laptop away from Eve and checked the search engines. Gone was his playfulness. He had become the CEO once again. "How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know. Probably only recently."

"But there are thousands of them."

"The mystery of the internet." Eve sighed, checking her phone. The call between her and Andie was still connected. She wiped down her face. People would take longer forgetting this news compared to the previous ones.

How could she prove that the photos were fake?

Ambryan got up and dialed Wen's number. He walked out of the room, leaving Eve alone. "Wen? How come I haven't heard about this recent scandal about Evangeline? It's been hours since it came up."

"But you instructed me not to disturb you."josei

"This is an important matter. It's an exception."

Eve drowned out his loud voice and resumed her reading. None of them were really creative. It was almost insulting that they were generic. "Want to take a guess who is behind this, Andie?"

"Let's see…" Andie said. She tossed a popcorn in the air and caught it with her mouth. "There's that stalker fake ex-boyfriend and that desperate weirdo who wanted to seduce Ambee."

"Which one do you think it is?"

"Well, that stalker has the better skills. But I thought that was already okay?"

"It should be…" Eve trailed off. "Except these pictures almost don't look fake."