Chapter 87: Asks for Second Opinion

Eve resisted to glance at the door.

Neither gentleman reached out to her. Any concerns had been put to hold after she inquired about its urgency. Others asked about the CEO's online status which she responded diligently as a meeting with the Chairman.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Was it because she knew they were talking about Evangeline? Did the Chairman dislike her? To have personally visited… it had to be serious. Unlike the madam, the head of the Hathaway household mostly stopped by for business reasons.

This was, safe to say, quite unusual.

Eve caught herself staring at the door.

She shook her head harshly and went back to work. Her fingers tapped on the keyboard, accomplishing routinary work. It required little attention. 

The discussion had to be going well. She hadn't done anything wrong in Ambryan's perspective. It should be good. It should be okay. 

The phone suddenly rang.

Eve's elbow hit the table's surface. She hissed. Her face scrunched from the pain, her mouth opening in a silent gasp. She moved it with caution and reached for the handset. The receiver pressed against her left ear. 

"Sir Hathaway's Office. How may I help?" Eve winced. She switched hands so she could stretch her arm. The sharp ache dulled into a strain. A few minutes should do the trick. Then, the pain would be gone.

"Eve!"

"Riff?" She scowled, glancing at the door. There could only be one reason why this man called. It had something to do with another man currently talking to their CEO. They had a direct relation much like her and Ambryan.

"Ugh, not you too," Riffle groaned through the receiver. He never grew fond of that nickname. He found it unsuitable for his character. "Darryl must have rubbed off on you."

Eve fluttered her brown eyes, feigning innocence. "What ever do you mean, Riff?"

"Ha-ha. Very funny. Anyway, is Chairman there?"

"Yes, didn't he tell you?"

"He did except a major investor is now free because his meeting was cancelled. He is flying out of the country tonight and if we don't go now, we'd miss the chance to negotiate in person."

"Oh!" Eve bolted off her seat. The two were probably engrossed into their discussion. The Chairman must have missed the messages and calls. "I'll inform him about it now."

"Thanks, Eve. You're the best."

"It's nothing."

She put the phone down and headed for the door. Her hand paused mid-air. It should be good now. They had been discussing for almost half an hour. How much of Evangeline could they even talk about?

'Ambryan hadn't told the Chairman it was arranged, right?' The thought shook her awake. 

Eve knocked quickly and opened the door. She bowed in greeting after she made eye contact with her superiors. Her hands folded her abdomen as she straightened up her spine.

"Pardon the intrusion," she started to say. Her expression stayed neutral. "Chairman, Riffle Johnson called to say that an important investor is free at the moment. I believe he is to fly overseas tonight?"

Jackson stood up immediately. He reached for his phone, scrolling through his notifications. 

Then, he kept it and sighed. "I guess this conversation ends here, Ambryan."

Ambryan walked over to his side. He tucked his hands into his pant pockets. "Seems like it, Father Bennett."

His father gave him a deadpan expression. "Don't even start. I'm neither a priest nor a pastor."

"But we do have your blessing?" He teased. The reaction was as he expected. His father never really liked that name. It was also his fault why Ambryan ended up with his strange one.

So there would be two of them who'd suffer.

"Part of it," Jackson admitted. He headed for the door. "The rest would be decided when I meet this woman."

'Evangeline Reed…' He mused to himself. Not even his son agreed for them to meet soon. All of this shrouded mystery surrounding her made him wonder if it was a good thing or a bad one. 

"Safe travels then, father."

Jackson glanced over his shoulder and nodded. He grabbed the door handle, ready to close it when he left. "Work hard."

"Always do." Ambryan chuckled, heading back to his desk. His first agenda was to browse the concerns for the past 30 minutes and to assess their urgency. 

The door shut close. 

Jackson gripped the handle as crease lines appeared on his forehead. Despite all he said, the conversation left him unsatisfied. There had to be more sources. That couldn't be everything he could scour. 

Should he ask Luna about it? The idea vanished as soon as it came. The woman was his wife's friend. He'd find the same blockage there. 

Then, who—

A light bulb lit up over his head.

He turned around.

"Eve."

"Yes, Chairman?" She replied, standing a few meters away. It wouldn't be right to go back until Jackson left so she waited for him to enter the elevator.

It seemed like it wouldn't happen so soon.

He titled his head sideways, observing her face. "What do you know about Evangeline Reed?"

Eve felt her ears grow cold. Why was the Chairman asking her this? He'd never done so before when Ambryan dated other women. "Apologies, Chairman. I do not associate myself with Sir Hathaway's affair."

"But you were the one who delivers Ambryan's presents for his lovers, right? Even the one who tells them about the breakup?" Jackson insisted. 

"I was, yes," Eve smiled, realizing what the Chairman implied. "I hadn't experience such a thing with Ms. Evangeline Reed."

"Nothing? No presents?"

"None."

"Unbelievable…" Jackson mumbled with a shake of his head. The more he knew, the more absurd the situation sounded. "Wouldn't a woman be jealous if others were treated better than her?"

"Apparently not always, Chairman," Eve gladly answered. She personally knew how those women were treated by Ambryan. To her, the quality time they spent together outweighed those material gifts.

That should be a positive thing, right?

"It's still odd."

'Apparently not,' she thought. Her mind geared up for a better answer. The Chairman might not leave if he didn't get anything out of her. Riff would also blame her for the delay—even as a joke.

'Presents, presents…' Eve chanted. It was true that Ambryan always had a gift whenever the relationship started. She'd be the one to order on his behalf.

This time though...

"I believe they went to a Louisse Tonvui store together for Sir Hathaway to buy the presents himself. It just happened that Ms. Evangeline Reed refused them." 

How could she forget about that? No wonder that was his idea for a first date. It was the first thing he did for all his lovers. 

Jackson blinked at this new piece of information. "Really now? I haven't heard anything about it in the media." 

Eve's eyes widened by a fraction. That was true. When Ambryan asked her to browse the news, she hadn't seen anything about the visit to Parthenos Mall. It had to be deliberately excluded.

Panic rose inside of her. How was she to explain her knowledge about it? How could she be so careless?

"Ambryan must have ordered its exclusion," Jackson spoke as if he read her mind. Then, it was his turn to think out loud. "So he had acted like he normally did but it was Evangeline who rejected the gesture. Shopping together instead of asking you to deliver it. She really must be special then."

Eve gulped. Was it… was it really like that? Had she judged him too quickly? It wasn't uncommon to buy gifts even when there wasn't an occasion. Not only did he plan to buy one but also he had asked her input about the items. 

She just didn't answer.

So he went ahead and made the decision.

…

…

…

Was she actually feeling guilty right now because she failed to see his intentions at the time?

"Eve?" Jackson called, noticing that the secretary fell into a daze. Was it perhaps due to what he said? Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary to him.

"That's only what I heard, Chairman. The rest could only be supplied by Sir Hathaway," Eve breathed out. This did not turn as well as she planned. She actually slipped because she acted without thinking.

Hopefully, if the Chairman decided to ask his son, he would exclude her name. 

"Well, thank you for your input." Jackson receded. He should give up for the day if he wanted to meet the investor in time. At the thought, he looked at his watch and cursed. 

His head shook as he made his way to the elevator. "I really should leave. That man is hard to meet. Sometimes I wonder if he does it on purpose to see me squirm for last minute opportunities."

Eve smiled and escorted him all the way. "Have a good day, Chairman."

"You as well, Eve."

She cracked her neck from side to side and sighed in relief. It was finally over. Things could go back to normal again. Tomorrow should be a relaxing day with Andie. They could finally spend some quality time together. 

As soon as she reached her desk, the intercom rang. "Eve, would you come inside?"