Chapter 110: No Place for Someone Like You

``Lin: Seems like this message is pointing at your name though.``

``Yan: And it seems like you need to review your lesson. Context clues would dictate that is not what the card pertains to.``

``Lin: You really have no romantic bone in your body, do you?``

``Yan: Why do you say that?``

``Lin: If you did, you would have sent a mirror along with this card.``

``Yan: How is a mirror supposed to be cute?``

``Lin: Haha! Never mind. Thank you for the flowers.``

``Yan: Don't forget. I'm picking you up at 1700 hours tomorrow.``

``Lin: Aye, aye, Mr. Hathaway! See you at 5PM sharp!``

``Yan: Good.``

.

"Wah, do you see that? You can totally tell who those are from!"

"Who knew Ambryan Hathaway could be so romantic? This is too much!"

"Who needs a thousand admirers when you have a guy like that?"

"She is so lucky! Her smile is also so beautiful! Totally different from what I've seen from her so far. This must be reserved only for her beau. It's so adorable!"

"It's just flowers. There's no need to be so hung up. She's way too happy over nothing. I've heard him give better presents to his exes. It's such a downgrade."

Eve hardly heard the noise. Her mental state was on the current chat. She took advantage of it in order to move on from her slip-up and to make it into something laughable in the future. She also asked about the details for tomorrow. 

She would be meeting Jackson Hathaway as Evangeline for the first time. 

Hopefully, it would be a success. 

She sat on the chair in her new outfit, the hairdresser giving her a new set of curls. This time the crimson wig flowed in alluring waves before being tied up in a high side-ponytail. She looked forward to it.

Pink tulle scratched her bare legs. Gone were the shirt and mini shorts. They were replaced by a cheetah-print skirt and vest over an off-shoulder blouse that matched the tulle. Black combat boots replaced the sneakers.

Barbie pink lipstick painted her lips while gold and black eyeshadow covered her eyelids. The winged liner had been thickened and elongated more. Her fake eyelashes were also doubled for a fuller and more dramatic look.

"These flowers are just so gorgeous!" The hairdresser remarked, admiring the bouquet. She gathered up the red hair and tested which position suited them the best.

Cale looked up from his phone and glanced in the same direction. "They are, aren't they?"

The hairdresser sighed dreamily. She took a hair tie from the table. "He must really love you."

Eve looked up. Her flashed in unexplainable alarm at the vanity mirror. "Love me?" 

"Why yes! Pink hydrangea means heartfelt emotion! And, of course, red roses mean love and romance. It's like he's saying that he loves you from the bottom of his heart. I've never seen a more touching bouquet!"

"Uh-huh…" she breathed out, shaking her head. This was probably not the only fabricated story around the premise. There should be more from the other spectators… but if the flowers had those definitions then, it should gather a lot of good publicity.

Ambryan had made a well-thought out move again.

"What's in the box though?" The hairdresser asked. She had been eyeing it since she came up to do Evangeline's hair. She inserted bobby pins on the ponytail for a better grip. Then, she grabbed a small comb and teased the curls for a messy party look.

"The box?" Eve scrunched her eyebrows and checked the flowers again. A peach-colored box peeked out from behind the vase. The wrapping matched the bouquet's dressing paper that it blended in the background. 

Instinctively, she reached for it. 

It was just the right size for a shoe box!

"Is this…" Eve gasped, her heart racing in excitement. It had to be the skates! It just had to be! She undid the bow and started guessing which pair it was. Was it a bestseller? Or the most expensive ones available? Maybe they were still unreleased. 

The last idea seemed to be his style.

"Everyone, head to the club. We'll start shooting in five minutes."

"Just in time," the hairdresser remarked. "All done!"

The models inside the tent rushed out. They half-ran for the club. It was near the back of the establishment. It was a long way from the tent and no one wanted to be late. Eve followed right behind them, leaving the gift box on her chair. Cale stayed behind to look after her stuff.

"Evangeline! It's been a while!" Jordan greeted her as soon as she entered the club. Mikael stopped talking beside him.

"Mr. Dawson!" Eve blinked, slowing down her pace and nodding her head. "It's been a while indeed. How have you been?"

"Good, good. I hardly saw you at the complex and you never answer when I knock. You kind of got me worried for some time. I even called Cale just to make sure everything is okay."

"Oh!" She gasped. A nervous chuckle passed through her gritted teeth. "I'm sorry about that. I stayed over at a friend's for the past two weeks. It's kind of lonely living alone so we hang out as much as we can if possible. Kind of needed it too, you know? Because I'm still not used to the limelight."

'... you mean you needed it because you had a day job as a secretary,' Mikael thought to himself. He continued to stay out of the conversation and glanced around the room. The workers set up the lights, replacing the bright ones for color.

"That's good!" Jordan assured Eve. He bumped her shoulder lightly. "Close friends are always good to have especially in this industry. Glad to know your relationship hasn't changed even with these new things in your life."

"It surely has been an experience," Eve said, keeping her smile up. "I'm surprised to see you both here. I don't mean that in a bad way though."

Jordan moved closer to her. He placed his hand near her ear and said, "You might not actually believe it but I made a bet with Mikael that he couldn't pull off neon clothing. It was only a bait but it worked because of his huge ego."

Eve snorted and covered her mouth. It did sound like something they'd do.

Mikael's radiant blue eyes flashed towards her. Then, he raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "I see you two are getting quite cozy. Don't let people misinterpret it. We don't want bad rumors with Mr. Hot CEO's girlfriend. It might bite us in the back."

"That's stepping over the line, Mikael. Even for you."

The male model merely scowled. "How long have you been in this industry? Do you still not know how it works?"

"Come on, man, chill!" Jordan exasperated. He shook his head and stepped away from Eve. "It's her second shoot. Cale is not with her and she's in a place with complete strangers. I'm just tryna help her out. Lessen the tension and all that."

"Then, don't do it by talking about me."

"Oh, wow. Is that your big ego talking?" He challenged. A whistle flowed out of his lips. "I see how it is. I'm sorry. We won't be speaking one word about you, Mr. All High and Mighty."

Eve raised her hands, directing them on each of their chests. Genuine worry projected out of her eyes. "Please don't fight. It's just a misunderstanding."

Mikael bared his teeth at her. "Don't act innocent. This is your fault."

"My fault?"

"You shouldn't even be here!" He snarled. His chest rose up and down as fury crawled on his skin. "This life has no space for someone like you."

Jordan grasped his arm. "Mikael, that's enough!"

Eve stepped back. Her shaking hands clenched into fists on either side of her. "I'm sorry to say this, Mr. Davis, but�� you don't have the right to say that."

Mikael yanked out of his manager's grip. He stood toe to toe with Eve and looked down to meet her eyes. Dark flecks enhanced in his gaze. "Why do you try so hard?"

"Why wouldn't I try hard?" She hissed with her own glare.

"His mother sponsors you, doesn't she? That's how you got into this. But you can avoid all of this and live the easy life. Does your boyfriend not support you?" 

He didn't understand it. Why was there a need to make an alter ego for her boss? Why couldn't they simply date as themselves? Was this a publicity stunt? If Ambryan wanted a girlfriend for the media to get off his back, he should be doing everything to make her live comfortably then! 

Who would drag someone in a lie that could potentially ruin that person's life?

This had far worse consequences than dating her real identity!

"He does support me." Eve answered, bringing him out of his assumption. "He supports me in what I do, not in money. I am here by my own choice. Don't associate all of my actions around him."

Mikael scoffed, not buying it. 

'Really now?!' He yelled in his head. He saw them together at that party. Ambryan had acted out of character much to the public's surprise. He also announced to everyone that they were in a relationship the other day. 

On top of that, Ms. Hart was pretending to be someone else! And that someone else was the said girlfriend! How could this entire thing not be revolving around Ambryan at all?!