Date The CEO.com

Chapter 295: Prepare for Trouble

"Ambee~" Ambryan heard on the phone. His hand froze over the keyboard. Kiri and Blueberry slept soundly on his home office cough. He gripped his phone tighter and narrowed his gaze.

Two hours had gone by since his girlfriend bluntly ignored his warnings on her liquor. Judging by her sing-song voice, she had a few drinks. "Ambee, Ambee, Ambeeeee, are you there? Hello? Is this working? Helloooo?"

"Eve, how much did you drink?" He finally responded.

"Um…" The conversation became silent as Ambryan waited for a reply. He could hear the faint sound of music in the background and concluded she must have been in a less crowded area.

That thought didn't sit well with him. 

Was she alone?

"I forgot." Eve giggled in his ear. "But that's not the point! I have to tell you something very very important."

"Alright." He sighed, bowing his head and massaging his temples. "What is it?"

"I don't want four kids."

Ambryan slowly lifted his head back up. An image of a pregnant Eve came to his mind, tinting his ears pink. He cleared his throat. "What brought this on?"

"I was talking to this woman when I grabbed another drink at the counter. She's a mom and explained how painful giving birth was!"

"It doesn't explain why you specifically said four."

"Oh, she has an aunt who has four kids. Her aunt said each one was more painful than the last. So the fourth child meant 4x the pain!" Eve rambled on, panicking a little. He tuned out most of it and made a mental note to tease her about this conversation when she was sober.

Then, she said, "So you better not knock me up four times!"

Ambryan choked at the bold declaration. She just had to bring that up. Ever since that night back in Cornelia Town, he could never be satisfied. It was a foreign feeling that he found to be natural. He now understood why some people became addicted to it.

"Don't worry, Eve," he spoke softly on the phone. "I'll make sure to help you forget the pain for a long time before we decide on a second child."

"Hmph!" She huffed. 

Shaking his head, Ambryan grabbed the chance to change the subject. Pressing matters needed to be addressed. "Where's Cale?"

"He disappeared. I remember he was seeing someone before but I guess they might have broken up."

"What about Mikael and Jordan?"

"They have their own agenda. Jordan wanted to prove to Mikael that mingling wasn't all that bad and left to flirt with a hot girl."

"Mikael?"

"He went to the restroom."

Ambryan lowered his voice on a dangerous level. "You're alone?"

Eve sat by herself on the table she had with everyone. One bottle of beer remained in front of an empty seat. Her glass of martini was half-empty. She leaned back on her chair and smiled cheekily. "What do you mean? I have you."

"Eve, find one of them," Ambryan told her.

She pouted and sank deeper into the chair, hugging her jacket. "I'm waiting for Mikael."

Ambryan paused for a moment. It did sound reasonable. It wouldn't have made sense if she stuck by his side to the restroom. Reluctant, he gave a sigh. "If he's not back in five minutes, go find him. You gave Nanzie the night off, right?"

"Yep. She's probably close by though. She never listens."

"I'll be giving her a call. Don't move."

"Sir, yes, sir."

The line went dead and Eve pursed her lips at her phone screen. The photo of Ambryan with a dog filter stared back at her. She poked his fake dog nose several times. "For someone supposed to be smart, you should have realized that I'd be safer if you stayed on the line. At least, you'd know what I'm up to or if I'm in trouble."

Eventually, she folded her arms over the table and laid her head on top of it. This wasn't how she pictured the night would go. It was Cale who insisted on going out but he had found a different companion. Now, she was stuck with Mikael the Party Pooper.

They should have gone to an arcade bar. 

She could have entertained herself with a pinball machine.

"How about that scotch on the rocks, miss?" A familiar voice said.

Eve felt her muscles hardened. Her hands clenched into fists as she tucked her phone away. She would have ignored the person but judging by his presence alone, he didn't seem to be the type to get the message. She peeled herself off the table and straightened her spine.

A subtle fire flared in her brown eyes. 

Her tone didn't match it and feigned innocence instead. "I'm sorry but that seat's taken."josei

The pair of ocre eyes simply twinkled. "I can give it back when your companions return."

His hand played with his scotch on the rocks, twisting the glass on top of the table. Short strands of dark blonde hair fell over his eyes. The grin on his face deepened when it happened—as if he was aware of how attractive it made him look.

At least, to anyone but Eve.

She snatched her glass and swallowed a mouthful of her drink. Gnashing her teeth, her lips barely moved. Their corners had curled up in a fake smile. "I'm guessing you're one of those people who love to test another's patience?"

"It does have some entertainment to it," the man admitted with a shrug. He heard her click her tongue and knew she was about to ignore him again which wouldn't be as fun. And so, he said, "You're Evangeline Reed, am I right?"

The tip of her martini glass stopped near her bottom lip. Eve steeled her muscles, exercising caution. Her gaze narrowed in his direction. "And how do you know that?"

He blinked and held up his hands in surrender. "We live in the same country."

"I don't think I'm that famous."

"Give yourself more credit." He chuckled, clearly enjoying her negative reaction. He lifted his glass off the table and mumbled a few words. "Your boyfriend practically worships your feet. That knowledge has reached far and wide."

Eve lowered her drink but held onto it. "And what? You want something from him?"

"Now, how could you say that?" He snorted and glanced over her head. Rising to his feet and stepped away from the chair, he leaned down close enough for her to hear him whisper. "Last time I checked, people aren't objects."

She snapped her head in his direction but he had vanished. Her eyes scanned the area, failing to find a trace of him. She cursed under her breath and pulled out her phone. ```Lin: Which enemy of yours has terrible blonde hair and ocre eyes?```

"Who was that?" Mikael asked as soon as he came back. 

"I don't know," Eve replied curtly. She watched her phone screen, waiting for a reply. "But I don't have a good feeling about it. He was the same person who annoyed me a while ago. And as far as I know, I'm not famous in France. He's most likely from Maize City."

Mikael raised his head and tried his luck on finding the guy. "It might not be the last time we see him then. Do you have a taser on you?"

"Yes. I should get a stronger one."

He gave her a look. "It's not meant for killing."

"Who says I want to kill him?" Eve blinked up at him.

"You will if you get one that has higher voltage." He shook his head and grabbed his beer. "Anyway, I'm guessing you told Ambryan? Finally communicating with him about your troubles, I see."

"It was hard to adjust, okay? Especially given his position," she quickly defended. Sure, outside the office, they weren't a superior and a subordinate. It wasn't as if she'd bare her soul to him so easily—not even Andie always had that privilege.

Mikael arched an eyebrow. "You mean that was because he was your boss and not that you naturally you'd feel guilty for using his influence?"

"How did you—" Eve stopped short and lowered the volume of her voice. "And don't say that so casually."

He propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin on the base of his palm. An amused smirk spread across his face. "So they never told you that I found out about it. Wanna guess how long have I known?"

Eve looked back to her encounters with Mikael. 

The memory that came to her mind was the picnic when Ambryan insisted that she had a thing for the male model. Mikael had shared that he believed she was interested in someone else. He and Avery also escaped the situation quickly—like BOTH of them knew something they shouldn't blurt out.

That was weeks ago which meant Mikael had figured it out a lot longer than that.

"How. Long?" Eve uttered, emphasizing each word. Her gaze never left his radiant blue eyes.

Mikael looked up at the ceiling and rubbed his chin. Eve felt her temple throb. He was doing it on purpose and she knew it. "Tell me before I pour this martini over your head."

He shifted his attention back towards her, both eyebrows raised up. "You're a lot more aggressive when intoxicated. I'll try to remember that next time."

"Spill it, Davis."

"Do you remember the launch party for the Rainbow Collection?"

Eve gaped at him. "You knew from the beginning?"

"Well, not the beginning. I met you in both identities before that night and didn't know," Mikael explained. "It was the most absurd thing I've ever heard of. Lying to the world like that for the sake of some petty scheme."

She drew out a long breath, his words ringing true. "What changed your mind?"

"Nothing. It was still wrong."

Eve hung her head and closed her eyes. Someday the public would also know. 

She crossed her fingers that it would go well. 

"But you gave modelling your best effort even when it's only for pretend," Mikael added after a few seconds. "That was something I had to acknowledge."