Jordan saw the parchment fall on the floor.
"Woah, what's going on?" He blurted out.
Mikael and Cale turned their heads towards Eve who had gone pale white. She avoided their gazes, retreating to her thoughts. The guy had some nerve. Either he followed them when they left or he already knew which hotel she stayed at.
Whichever it was, Eve detested him for it.
She marched up to the staff behind the desk. The manager next to the staff opened his mouth to compliment her but she cut him off. "Miss? I'd like to donate these flowers to the hotel."
Both him and the staff member stiffened from her words.
"A-Are you sure?" The female worker stammered, looking at her manager for help.
"Positive." Eve beamed to assure them. Then, she moved the flower vase in their direction and used a sanitizer to clean her hands. "And, if more flowers come in without a sender's name, please help yourselves to them. Thank you."
With that said, she picked up the card and tore it to shreds. Who cared if she offended an influential person? She was done with them at this point. Her heels clacked on the floor louder as she walked back to the hallway.
"Ms. Reed!" The staff worker called out but she ignored it.
Cale jogged to catch up to her. "If the flowers aren't from Ambryan then, who sent them?"
"A pest," Eve scorned. She opened her chat with Ambryan, rereading their conversation.
.
```Lin: Which enemy of yours has terrible blonde hair and ocre eyes?```
```Yan: That's quite a description. Any reason why you're asking?```
```Lin: Well, a guy who looked like that came up to me in a French bar, bringing up our relationship. He didn't act like a fan so I concluded it's someone who doesn't like us.```
```Yan: Did he do anything to you?```
```Lin: Other than flirt? No.```
```Yan: I'll have Wen investigate.```
```Lin: Please do.```
```Lin: Also, don't stay up late :*```
```Yan: I'll promise you that if you stop going to bars.```
```Lin: Then, we shall call this an impasse.```
.
"Is it that guy from last night?" Mikael guessed, a step behind Eve and Cale.
Eve placed her phone away. "Yes."
Cale darted his eyes between the two of them. "What guy?"
Mikael explained the encounter briefly. He instinctively glanced towards the hotel entrance. Then, he realized the person could also be staying here. It didn't help that they didn't have a name, causing them to be even more on edge.
His attention shifted back to Eve who had her back straight.
Her grip on her purse didn't scream that she was terrified. Instead, she seemed ready for battle—a far cry from her calm approach to things.
"Did you tell Ambryan?" Cale asked. He sent a quick message to Avery about the incident. They were in a foreign country away from everyone. It was not a time to act brave. They were in a vulnerable spot.
"I did, asking if he knew anyone in that description. I didn't get a photo so it's a little harder." Eve tsked at her missed opportunities. It was clear that the person wanted to be discreet, making himself even more suspicious.
She entered the restaurant first and scanned the area. It was available to every hotel guest. Mikael did the same since he caught a glimpse of the stalker before. Jordan appeared last, trying to take all the information in.
"Come on, let's eat," Eve said after a while. It wouldn't do them any good to stay by the entrance. "Just keep your eyes open for him."
More flowers came for Eve over the next few days like she suspected—each one grander than the last. They eventually replaced the flower arrangement in the hotel lobby. No hint had been dropped yet that the culprit was also in the hotel. None of the staff they asked recalled any guest that fit the description.
That told Eve that it could have been a disguise.
"This guy sure has a lot of time to be doing this…" she muttered after seeing another flower vase come in. She could tell it was from the same person because the delivery man was always the same.
At one point, he had sent chocolates and she had given it to the staff. The delivery man was also the same for that one. She started to wonder if the person really was a delivery man or an assistant to the sender.
Eve shook her head.
The people back home should be able to identify him soon. She shouldn't worry about it for now. What needed to do was pay attention to her current surroundings. As luck would have it, she got a modelling side project while in Paris—for a product that she had wanted to get:
Contact lenses.
Each color had a different theme. The studio had six sets, three on each side across from each other. Their color palettes matched the colors of the contact lenses to enhance them—which also meant Eve had to let her red hair go for the time being.
It was the perfect opportunity for her to merge her current looks with her old one.
Then, it was just a matter of slowly changing her public info to include her real name.
It would be like it has always been available for anyone to view. It would only be a matter of time before someone noticed it and word would spread, creating another media frenzy.
That had been her grand plan before Ambryan thought of making their story into a movie.
.
.
.
.
.
Ambryan sneezed all the way from Maize City. He rubbed the tip of nose, thinking it was because of the change in season. Hannah stood by his desk while he reviewed her work on the reports. She hardened her legs muscles so they wouldn't tremble. Her hands nervously played with a loose thread on her blazer.
It was the first time she did something by herself.
The feedback would either make or break her spirit.
What actually made her think she could do this? She wasn't Ms. Hart. The previous secretary was on another level she could never reach. No one could keep up with the CEO better than her. Hannah wished Ms. Hart had never left.
She would have been spared from this mental anguish.
"This is good," Ambryan remarked, closing the folder. He put it away along with the rest. "I have a meeting with Wen in a few minutes. Why don't you go home?"
"Huh?" Hannah blinked. Her clipped bangs fell over her black eyes.
"Go home," he repeated. "There's only half an hour left. It wouldn't make much difference."
Hannah struggled to reconnect her brain cells. They had worked non-stop for the past two weeks. She even had taken overtime like she had anticipated because her pace was still slow and there were many things needed to be done.
The point was that half an hour could make a huge difference.
"Take it as a small bonus for a job well done," Ambryan concluded, resuming his work on his computer and forgetting about her response. He responded to email concerns while waiting for Wen and failed to notice when Hannah left.
A knock came from the door to announce Wen's arrival.
"Come in."
Ambryan finished the last of his urgent work and shifted his focus to his head bodyguard. Wen wore her blonde hair in a low ponytail like usual. She pulled off her sunglasses since they were inside, revealing her vivid blue eyes.
"Wen," Ambryan greeted her.
She bowed her head in return. "Mr. Hathaway."
Violet eyes darkened. "Did you find him?"
"I believe so," Wen stated. She took out the tablet tucked under her arm and browsed for the files. "The team in France said that he's being discreet. He hasn't approached Ms. Reed since they met at the bar. All the information about him is in here."
Ambryan's gaze immediately went to the photo as soon as he held the tablet. Then, he noticed the name. Pieces of the puzzle came together in his mind. The temperature of the room dropped from his menacing aura. It didn't matter how much the person changed his appearance.
He could still recognize the same arrogant expression.
"The twerp," he spat.
Wen chose not to react to the comment.
Instead, she said, "Kyle Rivers, heir to Peitho Entertainment."
According to several media sources, Kyle Rivers was Ambryan's rival in the business of the film industry. Ambryan never agreed with those articles. Kyle simply didn't have the brains or the diligence to maintain a company. He believed those in power wouldn't even let him make any company decisions without a proper vote from the board.
His delayed succession was proof enough of his incompetence.
Unlike Ambryan who earned his spot a year younger than Kyle was now.
The CEO leaned back on his chair and read the rest of the gathered information. He put together what the current situation looked like. "He's trying to woo my girlfriend as we speak."
"It seems like that is the case," Wen said. Her hands balled into fists at her sides. The fool was only playing with fire. It would only get him burned if he kept walking in this path.
Feeling his phone vibrate, Ambryan peeked at the lock screen.
It was a notification from Mikael Davis.
Crease lines wrinkled on his forehead. He feared the worst had happened as he opened the message. It contained a single photo of a studio filled with a large number of people. They stood around the runway where two people occupied the front end.
One of them had the same face as the tablet showed.
A text message soon followed the picture one.
```Mikael: It seems like we have a guest for today's modelling session.```