Chapter 5: Offer of a Lifetime

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EverleeHart.exe stopped working.

Her brain wires overheated. They exploded into nothingness. Her head became hollow, almost completely blank. She neither registered Avery's face nor the surroundings. All of her senses shut down.

She became an empty shell.

"Eve?"

"I-I—" Eve stammered. She fluttered her eyes and shook her head, an attempt to get her mind running. Where was she again? What date was it? She hadn't transmigrated into another universe, had she?

She took a deep breath, focusing on the current moment. Her sight slowly cleared up. She knitted her eyebrows. "What did you say again, Mrs. Hathaway?"

Avery took a step back. She crossed her arms over her chest. She debated between a friendly expression or a firm one. In the end, she opted for the former and smiled wide. "How would you like to have the chance to date my son?"

'Is my hearing clogged?' Eve wondered. Did she forget how to English? That question sounded complex. Temptation prodded her to clean out her ears.

"Eve," Avery tried again. She set her fingertips on the desk. She leaned forward, capturing Eve's entire vision. "I will create a dating website for my son. For it to be a dating site, I am in need of females for him to meet. My goal is for him to discover what romantic love is. I think you're the right person to teach him that."

The secretary half-laughed and half-scoffed. Her? Teach her boss? About L-O-V-E?

"With all due respect, madam," Eve began to reply. She stared at the desk. "I don't think I have the qualifications to do that. I have zero dating experience."

That sounded like a reasonable excuse, right?

"Perfect!"

"P-P-Perfect?" She gaped, snapping her head up. "What do you mean by that?"

"Eve, are you a hopeless romantic?" Avery asked. She propped one butt cheek on the desk and folded her hands on her thigh. Her smile grew into a mischievous one. "When you were a kid, did you ever dream about your future wedding? Have you read, seen and listened to countless romance stories? Did they make your heart skip a beat? Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be the female lead?"

'That was oddly specific,' Eve remarked in her mind, 'Still, they hit the right spots. The only thing missing was for her to ask if I had been single all my life because of fictional men.'

"Don't a lot of people?" She chose to reply. If that would be the only reason, plenty of women had those attributes. They also had better backgrounds than her.

"Then, why not take this chance? Yan could be the ideal male lead," Avery said. She explained her points by counting her fingers. "He has the looks. He has the brains. He has the ambition. He has the power. He has money. He has charisma. Why not try to date him?"

One reason after another flooded Eve's mind. In the span of five years, one fact remained true. Ambryan Hathaway placed the business above all others. His tone would always be harsh. He would show no mercy, breaking any hope for pleads.

She understood that it was for work but…

… did he really have to publicly sue an actress for breach of contract because she got pregnant? Or maybe it was because she was Eve's friend that she held some bias?

She remembered the first time he started to date. The first breakup happened in his office. He had opened the door for the woman, asking her to leave. Eve hadn't seen it but she heard a raucous. The woman caused a scene. From then on, Ambryan refused to break up with the women personally.

He passed it on to Eve.

Now, who would want to be with a man like that?

It was his choice to date them.

He should be the one to break it off.

Eve clenched her hands into fists. She shut her eyes, composing herself. It wouldn't be good to let her temper get the best of her—especially in front of her boss' mother. Should she even reveal these incidents?

Wait… should she even consider this offer?

"Mrs. Hathaway." Eve cleared her throat, opening her eyes. She stood her ground and hardened her gaze. "I have no such desires. It is part of my code not to date my boss."

Rule #4 'Never interfere with his personal matters.'

She chanted it again and again. Then, she sat down, turning to her computer. She glanced at the time. Her imaginary wig flew off. Break time ended 5 minutes ago. She stood up and shifted her gaze towards the door.

She was in big trouble now.

Avery raised her eyebrows.

Eve walked around the table, completely ignoring the madam. "I apologize for my rudeness, Mrs. Hathaway, but I must prepare your son's office for his upcoming appointment."

The madam bolted for the door. She blocked it away from the secretary. She changed her expression to a desperate one. The corners of her eyes drooped, her lips mimicking the same movement.

"Please, Eve. There is no one else that I can think of that would be the right person for the job. Treat it as one. You came to this company because you needed money, right? You needed to save up for your siblings' education."

To say Eve was startled would be an understatement.

She almost went into a shock. She mentioned that information in passing. It happened years ago while the company had its Christmas Party. Since they were outside of work, Avery and her had a casual conversation.

"What year are they now? Did they graduate elementary already?" Avery continued. "I'll make a deal with you. If you accept this job, I'll give you enough money to fund their high school years. If you get chosen by my son, I'll also fund their college years in any university. I asked him to date for nine months, finish that… and I'll double the second offer."

"Mrs. Hathaway…" Eve breathed out.

Avery swallowed a whimper. No one knew her son better than Eve. She knew how to please him or, at least, how not to displease him. She would be able to tolerate him as well. She developed the patience for it. Background and wealth paled in comparison.

No one could master those easily.

On top of it all, Eve had strong morals. Avery knew she was the only one who wouldn't exploit her son. If not, Eve would have done it by now. She also wouldn't have rejected the initial offer.

The longer they talked, the more convinced Avery was of her choice.

She reached out to cup the secretary's hand in between hers. "Please think about it? You don't have work tomorrow because Yan would be on a trip. Meet me at the Café Loctart around 1400 hours. I'll be waiting all day. I hope you come."

Afraid that she'd overdo it, Avery left the scene. She refused to hear a reply until tomorrow. Her violet eyes focused on the elevator. She pressed her lips together, her body trembling from the rush. She had let down her pride.

Twice.

She prayed for satisfying results.

It would be out of her hands now.

Eve watched Avery walk away. Their gazes connected just before the elevator doors closed. Her chest squeezed. She groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She put the conversation to the back of her mind. She would address it later.

Right now, she had a job to do.

Her knuckles knocked lightly.

She turned the knob without waiting for an answer.

Ambryan Hathaway behind his desk, fully awake. He typed on his keyboard while he stared at his monitor. He had his jaw locked and his brows knitted. The sun hovered behind buildings. It created a hue of warm colors through the office's glass walls.

Without saying a word, Eve gathered the tea set.

She almost dropped the cup when she heard his voice.

"Did mother give you a hard time?"

Eve peeked from the corner of her eye. Her boss still had his attention on the monitor. His fingers left comments on different parts of a report. He preferred to do it himself, choosing to be in depth. He didn't want any misunderstandings or questions.

"Not at all, sir," Eve mumbled. She inhaled deeply and carried the tray.

"Are you sure? I can have her banned from the building if she troubles you."

At this, the secretary scowled. Question marks floated above her head. Then, it clicked. Her face shifted into a deadpan one. "Not to be rude, sir, but please don't use me as an excuse to stop the madam from visiting."

A tiny smirk tugged the corner of Ambryan's lips. "I could still do it."

"Maybe so but I don't have that authority. For it to happen, it would need your approval and she'd still figure out that it was your doing," Eve pointed out. She hid her eye roll from him, spinning on her heel. She headed for the wash room to clean out the pot and the cup.

The CEO flickered his gaze. He caught sight of her back before she disappeared down a hallway. He held his chin, muttering under his breath.

"I guess things went okay if she still has her smart mouth."