Chapter 122: The Morning-After (S)Pill

Ambryan set the silver tie aside. 

He sat in his home office, checking for any urgent emails, when a message ping caught his attention. The document on the monitor had been untouched for half an hour now. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

A coy smile peeped at the corner of his lips. His present was a success. The designer from the manufacturing company had done a good job. They started off the conversation by talking about the possibility of a custom design. 

It wasn't the easiest decision. The product had to check off several points in a criteria:

> small

> highly valuable

> eye-catching

Of course, it had to be one Evangeline would love. 

"Meow," Kiri purred, hopping onto the work desk. She walked over the keyboard as if it was air. Nothing on the monitor changed from her light footwork. She hummed to herself while her white bushy tail swayed behind her.

Her pale purple eyes zeroed in on the silver tie. She circled around the box, assessing her target. 

Ambryan shifted his attention towards her. His hand caressed the top of her head. Then, she'd continue her pacing and he'd brush her back while her tail hit his cheek. He chuckled. "What do you think, Kiri? Is silver my color? Someone seems convinced of it."

The Siberian cat sat upright. Her back faced the same direction as his. She tilted her head to one side. "Meow."

"You think I should try it on?" He joked. "Will you be able to answer then?"

Her head snapped and met his gaze, her tail sweeping back and forth. A low rumble churred at the back of her mouth. It was soft but loud enough for Ambryan to hear. Unblinking purple eyes stayed on his face like they were waiting for something.

It was a silent demand.

"You—Fine," Ambryan relented. He undid the tie he wore and switched it with the silver one. He rotated his swiveling chair until he faced the floor-to-ceiling windows. His fingers did a quick knot. He wore a combination of blue and black clothing. The silver easily stood out.

Just like Evangeline mentioned it would.

He sighed, turning the chair back. "So? What's the verdict?"

Kiri rose to her feet. Her nose touched the tie, testing its smell. The tip bumped it several times. Her eyes lit up and she nudged her head against him. The repeating motion was gentle just like the moments she craved for attention.

"Meow, meow!"

"You like it too, huh?" Ambryan shook his head. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "Well, get a good look because I don't know when I'd wear it agai—"

His eyebrows slowly knitted together. An idea seeped through his head. Evangeline had mentioned that the tie would be noticeable since it was outside his usual style. Anyone who knew him would spot the sudden change.

Now… How accurate was that statement?

…

…

…

…

…

Heels clacked on a concrete floor. The sound reverberated around the underground parking lot. Eve let out her loudest yawn yet. Hot coffee in one hand, she hung her head and stretched her back. She did the same with her free hand and arm. 

The private elevator drew closer.

With each step, she debated whether to call in sick or not. There was still some time. Darryl would surely take her side. He had lectured her more than once about taking too much overtime—something she'd most likely do at this point if she'd stay this sluggish.

"Morning, Ms. Hart," the security guard greeted with a nod, his brown mustache and beard bushier than normal. "Well, aren't you tired. You still look lovely as ever though."

Eve yawned for the nth time. Her energy was too depleted for her to counter his last statement. If it hadn't been for Nanzie and Andie, she would have looked like a literal zombie. 

Groaning in frustration, she spoke about her struggles.

"More than tired, I'm exhausted. I haven't had a proper sleep over the weekend. My body also feels so sore and stiff. If I was that shameless, I would have asked for a week's leave. Alas, I can't. I remembered the surprise audit was this week."

Darryl clicked his tongue. Propping his elbow on his standup podium, he rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "Had a rough weekend, huh?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that but it was fairly active," Eve clarified. She craned her neck from side to side. "Especially yesterday. The entire day was full of activity. It lasted until night time. It didn't help that I wasn't able to sleep prior to that. I don't know how I lived through it."

The security guard shook his head. The story astonished him more than he'd ever care to admit. A light sigh flowed out of his lips. "Youngsters really do have a lot of energy."

"Huh?"

He patted her shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. His other hand gave her a thumbs up. "You'll be alright. What's important is that you enjoyed it, right? That is what makes the pain worth it."

Eve scowled. Confusion casted out of her brown eyes. "Uh, I guess… I wouldn't say that I'd do it again any time soon. I'd rather be lazy in bed for a few weeks."

Darryl considered her words. He straightened his spine and opened his report book. Grabbing a pen, he jotted down a few notes. "Will he be alright with that?"

"Who now?" Eve blinked, becoming more confused. Was she missing something? When did she mention a person? Her mind did a quick cross-examination, finding no implication of someone else in her story—let alone a male.

The security guard met her eyes. He waved his hand as if lecturing a class. "Him. Who else? You know. Him. Your new boyfriend."

"My what?" Did he know? Eve rooted on the spot. Only her heart remained in motion. It pumped out more blood at a rapid rate. The beat drummed in her ears. 

How did he know that it was her without meeting Evangeline?

One look and Darryl realized that still didn't get it. He added more input to help. "I mean, once the relationship reaches that level, it's harder for a man to keep it in his pants if you know what I mean."

"You… oh. Oh. OH. OH! Darryl! That is NOT what I meant!" Eve half-hissed and half-squealed. With her heart already beating fast, it didn't take long for the blood to flush her whole face and neck. 

She took a sip of her hot coffee and hoped it hid her obvious blush.

"There's no need to hide it, dear. It's totally normal at your age," Darryl tried to reassure her but she kept shaking her head. He decided to change tactics and nudged her shoulder slightly. "Maybe someday you could bring him here. I'd totally want to meet this guy."

"Meet who?"

Eve spat out the coffee.

It happened so fast that even she was surprised—in fact, no one felt that emotion stronger than she did. She fished out her handkerchief and dabbed her chest. It was a good thing that she picked out a dark top. 

Otherwise, the stain would be more prominent.

Ambryan frowned. "Eve, are you alright?"

Eve finished cleaning up and turned around to greet him. She stretched her lips as high as the corners could go. Her hand positioned the coffee cup in front of the stain. "Mr. Hathaway! Yes, I'm quite alr—"

"What is it?"

She gulped before she could choke on air. The words faded to the recesses of her mind. She had forgotten about the coffee stain as well. Staring at his chest, her head nodded slowly while her voice came out breathily. 

"N-Nice tie."

Ambryan raised his eyebrows, amazed by the immediate reaction. He adjusted the knot. Since he wore blue and black yesterday, he had no choice but to wear an all-black suit—minus the striking silver tie.

"It really is. I might just buy one for myself." Darryl backed up. Then, he flashed a cheery smile, lighting up his facial expression. "Good morning, boss. Where did you get the tie by the way?"

"My girlfriend gave it as a gift."

He whistled, sensing defeat. Even if he found the tie one day, he probably wouldn't get it anymore. It held a different meaning to him now. "She has marvelous tastes. Then again, she already did when she fell in love with you." 

Eve clamped her mouth shut. For a second, she wished that she was Evangeline right not to rebut that claim. Then, she realized that she wouldn't be able to succeed. 

They had an image to uphold.

This was a reaction they looked for.

Darryl's gaze switched back and forth between his two companions. Tears swelled up in his eyes. He brushed them away in a dramatic fashion. "I always knew this day would come. Now that it's here, I could hardly believe it! Congrats you two! You found such loving partners."

Ambryan shifted his focus towards Eve. His raised eyebrows were back. "Eve as well? You have a boyfriend? Do I know him from somewhere?"

.

.

.

Eve didn't know which was more shocking,

a) the irony that he was the one asking, or

b) that he actually showed interest in her personal life