Chapter 176: Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

"It's not sour though," Eve quickly added. She wouldn't want him to have expectations. 

"Thank you but I'm fine," Ambryan rejected. He retreated back to his thoughts. The airconditioning hummed inside the vehicle. Occasionally, a car occasionally would honk from outside. Why? No one bothered to find out.

Sensing that he wanted to be left alone, Eve undid the wrapper and popped the hard candy into her mouth. Sweet strawberry coated her taste buds. The added cream in the mixture gave the candy a milkshake or strawberry milk experience.

It wasn't popular in this part of the country. She rarely saw it in stores. 

Fortunately, Andie hadd found it a few days ago and bought a bag.

"What candy was that?" Ambryan suddenly asked. He didn't get a good look but the wrapper seemed familiar. It had registered a little late. 

"It's *Monami." Eve held out another piece, letting him read the label. 

(A/N: It seems many candy manufacturers have a creamy strawberry-flavored hard candy but this one is what I had in mind. It's a local product from where I live c:)

"Cream strawberry flavor…" he read as he took the hard candy between his fingers. Nothing much has changed. It still had the same hollow top design—where it curved inward. "I haven't seen this around the city. Where did you get it?"

"Do you like that brand?" Eve couldn't help but ask. 

"I haven't seen one in years."

"Yeah, I haven't found a store that sold it regularly either. Just by chance." She sighed. Pure nostalgia hit her when she saw that candy for the first time since moving to Maize City. One bag of 50 pieces didn't even last 12 hours.

She had wanted to savor that taste and refresh her memory of it.

"I expected it to be chocolate when you offered the candy."

"Is chocolate considered as candy though? Whenever I give it to someone, I call it as 'chocolate' and not as 'candy'," Eve explained. She sipped the hard candy, letting its juice flow down her throat. "I guess it could count as candy if it's chocolate-flavored instead of being pure chocolate."

Ambryan undid the wrapper and ate the candy.

He placed the wrapper inside his jacket pocket. The corner of his lips stretched upward, flashing a small smile. It tasted just as he remembered. He applauded the company's consistent production. It was a flavor that stood the test of time.

"Good, right?" Eve asked. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "I don't know what it is but I think candy makes anyone feel better."

"Thank you for the candy."

"No problem."

Ambryan let the candy sit on his tongue. His head laid on the cushion on top of the backrest. He closed his eyes. His focus concentrated on the candy as it melted, the flavor oozing out. Anything else on his mind had faded away. His head blacked out and relished in quiet peace.

The candy seemed to have developed that psychological effect on him.

That too also hadn't changed over the years.

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"These candies are too sweet!" An 8-year-old boy groaned. Twas the night of Halloween where the neighborhood stocked up on confectionaries to hand out to children trick-or-treating. He had gone as a pirate with a fake hook for a hand and a red bandana around his head.

It looked cool but it wasn't comfortable.

Ambryan tossed his bag of candies aside and crossed his arms over his chest. His violet eyes glared at the fireplace. "Why can't they give sour candies too?! Not everyone likes sugar! Ew!"

"Don't be like that," a woman scolded behind him. She picked up the candies that fell out of the bag and put them back inside. Then, she dangled it over his head and in front of his face. "These were given as treats. You shouldn't complain about things given to you. They're blessings."

"I still won��t eat them," he huffed, scooting away from her.

The woman sighed.

She checked the bag. There was a wide range of candies. Soft, hard, on sticks, bars… any kid would be happy to receive such a prize. She picked up one that had a combination of red, white and pink for its wrapper.

"Huh…" The woman uttered. She collected more of the same candy, saying, "If you don't like these strawberry ones, I can just give them to Little Swan."

Ambryan looked up with a frown. "Why would she like that type of candy?"

"Because I told her they contain magic." The woman chuckled. She sat behind him and placed the cream strawberry candy on the floor, searching the bag for more. "You know how she gets scared when on stage. I always give her this candy to calm her down."

"She's a wuss."

"Watch your mouth!" She scolded, shaking her head. Then, she set the bag aside. Her gaze flickered in his direction. "Don't you ever get scared?"

Ambryan puffed out his chest. "No. I'm a big boy."

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm never scared when I get on stage."

"That's not the only thing people get scared about." She poked the middle of his forehead and pushed it back. This kid never changed. His arrogance needed to drop a few levels. "Besides, Little Swan is not truly scared. Just worried that she'd mess up."

"So it's a magic candy for when people are worried?" Ambryan tried to understand. It was candy. There was nothing special about it. NERDS was an exception, of course. Most kids he knew couldn't handle the strong sour flavor.

That meant only strong people could do it.

And he was one of them.

"It's a magic candy for when people need something to cheer them up, to calm them down or to provide them what they need," the woman described. She would have used a simpler statement like 'comfort food' but the boy would only associate it to 'crying.' 

"So it's a wishing candy?"

The woman thought about it. 

"Well, that's one way to call it. But it only works if you're struggling with yourself."

Ambryan sighed. He grabbed a piece of the candy and expected it. There wasn't such a thing as magic. If Little Swan believed that tall tale then she must be stupid. He tossed the candy back onto the floor.

He was being tricked into trying it.

He just knew it.

The woman gathered the cream strawberry candies in one hand. "It can be anything though. Not just candy. Different people have different sources of comfort."

Ambryan scowled at her. "Mother, you're not making any sense."

Her indigo eyes crinkled at the corners. "Maybe not now but someday, it will."

He doubted it.

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Ambryan opened his eyes. The headquarters of Eros Productions loomed in front of the windshield. It rose high among the tall buildings. He pushed himself off the backrest and fixed his attire. The candy in his mouth had only melted by a fourth.

He and Eve walked over to the elevator while Wen parked the car.

"Hey, boss!"

"Afternoon, Darryl," Ambryan responded with the click on his tongue. He had pushed the candy aside in order to speak. Then, he placed it back.

Darryl bowed, his head matching Eve's eye level. He had trimmed his mustache so it wouldn't exceed the length of his mouth. White strands stuck out from his sideburns. They grew too fast for his brown hair dye to completely cover up.

"Is boss eating candy?" He whispered. It didn't sound like a bad thing but a few people frowned upon it, claiming it was unequitable and rude. Ambryan cared about professionalism. This sort of behavior seemed beyond him.

Eve took out three more from her pocket. "You want some?" 

"Don't mind if I do."

The elevator doors opened.

Ambryan stepped inside first, Eve hot on his heels. There was less than two hours before work was done for the day. Eve arranged the schedule for the rest of the week. The CEO would be out of office for the most part. She would need to email the other executives about handling part of the workload.

"I wonder what Evangeline is doing," Ambryan spoke. His eyes watched the floor numbers go up. He folded his arms over his chest. "Tell me, Eve. What does a female feel when their ex-boyfriend shows up?"

"I'm sorry?" Eve frowned. She fluttered her eyes. Was this a joke?

He turned his head towards her. "Don't you have any experience?"

"Absolutely not." She scoffed. "To answer your question, it always depended on the breakup. There isn't a guarantee that everyone would feel the same way. Each has their own story."

Ambryan considered her words. "What if the ex is acting like a stalker?"

"Then, it's time to get a restraining order," Eve muttered. It was half a joke but stayed as a possibility. It sounded harsh but if it threatened someone's safety, it was one of the best things to do.

"Hm."

Silence fell inside the lift. Eve pressed her lips together. Without the surveillance specs, she was, at least, safe from third parties to the conversation. Steeling her nerves, she said, "Is one of your previous flings disturbing you?"

"Not if they want to be ruined."

"Ms. Evangeline's…?" She asked as casually as possible. 

A dark expression painted over Ambryan's face. "He claims to be one."

Eve nodded her head, happy to hear the truth. If this could continue, Wen could be less suspicious of her—unless it did the opposite. "Is this connected to the interruption perhaps?"

"Yes. Any idea on how to catch him?"