Date The CEO.com

Chapter 288: Another Day Without You

"Sir Hathaway, this way please," Hannah, an Eros employee, guided their CEO to a conference room. She stood outside of its opened door and kept her mousy brown hair in a low bun, bowing as Ambryan entered the room. She didn't dare meet his eyes. 

A huge breath of relief flowed out of her system when he walked inside.

"Hey… Hannah!" Someone whispered harshly.

Her black eyes darted around in search of the source. Most of the hallway was empty while the office spaces were encased by glass windows as walls. Except for a few inches from the top and from the bottom, the glass was opaque for privacy—but not enough to give them full freedom.

Hannah found the person peeking from across the hallway.

"What?" She mouthed back with a frown.

"Is it true that the CEO is looking for a new secretary?"

Dread washed over Hannah's head. The applicants were lined up in the lobby, being screened through tests and first interviews. Ambryan found it inefficient and requested to interview those who already passed instead of waiting for all of them to finish. 

It took zero time before the news spread across the building.

"Yes," Hannah answered with a sigh.

"Do you mind sneaking me in a spot?"

"I'm pretty sure he's looking for a male secretary."

"I won't tell him that it was you who helped me out."

Hannah deepened her scowl. Because of her petite stature, most employees overlooked her presence. She neither excelled nor did her job carelessly. Only Eve consistently communicated with her since she joined the company. Then, people started noticing her.

And somehow a number of them thought they could take advantage of her.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Martin," Hannah rejected. She gripped her clipboard tighter and headed for the elevator. "But I can't do that. If you want to risk applying, go through the same process as everyone else. I wish you luck though."

The co-worker sneered and hissed under her breath. "Bitch."

Hannah chose to ignore it and stepped inside the lift when its doors opened.

Throughout the exchange, neither woman glanced at the conference room. If they had, they might have noticed that the door was slightly open. Ambryan sat at the head of the table with resumes and recommendation letters in front of him. 

He fished out his mobile phone, dialing a familiar number.

"Yes, hello, Riffle. It's me, Ambryan. Does Madison have any record on Hannah Moore?"

Riffle jerked in his seat. "Hannah from the support staff?"

"Yes, I remember Eve had good relations with her."

"Well… that is true…." Riffle trailed off, unsure where this was going. Then, he remembered his place and shook his head. "I'll gather her employee records for you. Do you need me to bring it to the conference room?"

"There's no need. Just email them to me."

"Got it."

Ambryan scanned the first batch of applicants, reading numerous impressive curriculum vitaes. Yet, none of them caught his interest. He didn't need a mere assistant who worked efficiently. He needed someone who would absorb the company's operations like a sponge—a mind that was open to learn and to grow, adding value to Eros beyond what the position asked.

For that, arrogance was an obvious downfall.

And overconfidence could be a problem.

Contemplating deeper, his mind wandered to Eve's interview from years ago.  josei

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"What makes you qualified for the job?" Ambryan asked, sitting at the same spot in the same conference room. He had worn an all-black suit and stuck out against the furnishings.

Eve sat across from him. The gap between their lives felt more prominent with the long table between them. She gulped and clutched the hem of her blazer. Her rectangular frames slid down her nose from sweat.

She pushed them back up just in time for the CEO to look up because of her silence.

"I understand that I don't have the edge of experience," Eve started to say, celebrating internally that she didn't stutter. "But I'm not someone who would quit halfway just because of how difficult the job turns out to be. I know my limitations and the areas that I lack. And because of this, I'm more than prepared and determined to make ends meet."

Ambryan narrowed his violet eyes by a few millimeters. 

Her brown ones stared back, not shying away from fear.

"We look for people that can be an asset to the company," he said. "Anyone of you is competent enough to learn the ropes of your role. What can you bring that's above the rest?"

Eve was glad that she thought of this as a possible question she'd face so she had an answer ready. But, still… she wished she came up with a better one. "As I have mentioned, I lack the experience but once I've understood how the company works and gained enough knowledge, I will let you know."

Ambryan arched an eyebrow. "Let me know?"

"For me, that question isn't easy to answer right now. I have yet to know what areas I can help the company improve on and what skill set I possess that would be of help." Eve cleared her throat. She second-guessed herself. Was she being a little too honest?

Silence fell between them.

The CEO assessed all of her responses. They were consistent and she never broke from under the pressure. Although she didn't have the experience others did, everything about her said that she could do this job—or more like,

She would make sure she fits into it.

Her confidence and resolve brought that across clearly.

"You may go, Ms. Hart," Ambryan spoke after a while. "Thank you for your time."

Eve felt cold blood seep through her veins. She rose to her feet, busying herself by tugging on her clothes. She bowed her head just before exiting the room. "Thank you for your time as well, Mr. Hathaway."

Back in the present, Ambryan had chosen a black dress shirt and matching light gray trousers and coat. A silver tie hung on his neck. He glanced at the other side of the long table. Eve's absence became apparent more than ever. She had chosen a different path.

And she most likely would never come back to this job.

While the CEO brooded over the excruciating process of finding a replacement, Eve walked on the floor of Paris, France. The modelling camp was inside a commercial building much like Lotus Agency. The facilities also reminded her of the training rooms she once glimpsed at back in Maize City.

She wore white stilettos for their current lessons. A small runway had been built in the center of the room. On either side of it, sets of curtains resembled the backstage where they would be dressed by fashion students before they could walk on the runway. 

Eve and the other models lined up beside the walls, following its outline. None of them could take a peek to see what was in store for them behind the curtains. But, they do know that most of the clothing involved layers over their current outfits of tank tops and skinny jeans.

Trainees made their first appearance on the mock runway. The instructions on how to walk and where to go only came once at the beginning. From here, they were also being graded for memory retention and comprehension for the rules.

Eve gulped as each trainee brought their own spin to both their walk and in showing off the clothes. The highlight of the event would always be the clothing and it would be their job to present them in the way the designer wanted.

'Everyone looks so prepared…,' she mulled in her head. Her brown eyes flickered towards the judges. Poker expressions painted over their faces as they watched the trainees. There wasn't a single hint on their opinions. 

The line slowly moved and Eve almost reached the front. 

When the staff gestured for her to enter the curtains, she didn't know what to expect. The fashion students immediately ambushed her with the clothes. One helped her into wearing the coat. Another fixed her hair and placed a hat on top of it. A third person applied makeup. There wasn't a mirror so she had to notice what colors they used and what areas the brushes touched.

"Go, go, go…!" The staff worker near the runway called out.

Eve tucked her hands inside the coat pockets and marched out already in character. The stage lights shined down on the shimmers over her peach eyelids. The makeup artist used a lot of gloss on her lips so Eve parted them open slightly, making them poutier.

She crossed the runway with newfound confidence.

Before she reached the front end, her hand grabbed the fedora and let her hair fall in waves. She did a turn, using the moment to pull the belt of the coat and opening it. Her head bowed to the side when she spun around to face the judges once more. 

She posed that way for a few seconds before putting the hat back on her head. 

Then, she strolled towards the back end of the runway. 

Her other hand remained inside the pocket all throughout while the one that held the hat previously swung on her side. Her walk had changed slightly to a strut. Doing this, she managed to showcase the outfit in two different ways—one with simplicity and sophistication and another with flare and assertiveness.

She could only hope it was enough to impress the judges.

Cale waited outside the room once the lessons had finished. He perked up as soon as Eve came out. Squealing to himself, he skipped towards her side and clapped his hands together.

"So…, how did your first day of practical lessons go?" He asked. A stray of platinum blonde hair fell over the middle of his forehead. His aqua blue eyes glimmered with pure excitement.

Eve flinched at his energy. They sashayed away from the other trainees, intending not to cause drama with the words they'd drop. She took a deep breath and said, "They haven't told us anything yet. We'll find out in the rankings tomorrow."