Date The CEO.com

Chapter 166: The Real Winner

'What was air?' Eve struggled to answer. It sounded like something she should know but her knowledge had failed her. Her thoughts wrapped around Ambryan's stare. It reminded her of a predator that silently waited to pounce.

She could almost hear the low rumble in his throat.

Or it could just be her imagination.

"I'm aware of how you view our relationship," Ambryan continued. He moved back and straightened his posture. "But I'm not about to let him off. A fake ex or not, he's making a move on a committed woman."

Eve gulped. Never did she think Ambryan would say those wordsespecially directed at her. A heavy weight troubled her chest. She clenched her hands. How was an unromantic person like Ambryan able to sway another person's heart?

If he acted like this openly, he'd gain even more admirers.

"Well, let's just hope that he's after money. Then, we can catch him faster," Eve replied. She dipped a cookie into her coffee and took a bite. Ambryan gave her a skeptical look. "It's tastier than it seems. 

"So you say," he huffed, sticking with his tea.

Silence stretched for a minute. Kiri ate her fill happily. Then, she stalked out of the kitchen in search of her favorite pillow. A yawn escaped her lips. Not even cats were spared of drowsiness from a full stomach. 

"How long am I going to stay here?" Eve asked. Her eyes flickered towards his home office, following the feline's tail. "Do you need help with work or something? I have a system when it comes to organizing papers."

Ambryan wiped off the crumbs at the corners of his mouth and checked his watch. It was almost time for him to go back to work. But it would be a lie to say that he didn't want her to stick around despite his busy schedule.

"The designer sent samples for our outfits," he said, thinking quickly. He rose to his feet and grabbed both the plate of cookies and his cup of tea. "Would you like to browse them?" 

"Sure."

The pair changed locations. 

Kiri slept on the sofa inside the office. Careful not to disturb her, Eve opted for a chair by Ambryan's desk. It was positioned at the back of his computer monitor. He handed her a tablet for the design drafts.

Eve was amazed.

Each design contained themes that weren't limited to colors. The plum one had a sultry projection. The evening gown had a sweetheart neckline and thin straps. Its bodice hugged the upper body while the skirt fell in a straight line. The latter elongated the wearer's figure.

Then, there were combinations of pink. 

Rose shade for the female, coral one for the male; Chiffon pink off-shoulder with a slit, teal jacket and trousers; blush tone top and skirt, navy blue suit with a bowtie. The designer seemed to favor this theme. It portrayed an air of innocent admiration like pink roses did.

Eve held up the last photo for the pink theme. She kept it at arm's length, darting her gaze between the screen and Ambryan's half-exposed presence. "What do you think about wearing a pastel pink bowtie?"

"The only time I'd even consider that would be at my wedding."

Her ears perked up and she shifted her full attention in his direction. "You want to get married?"

Ambryan stopped typing. He replayed his statement inside his head. Now that she mentioned it, he asked himself the same question. Did he want to get married? He swept his gaze around the room until it landed on a pair of curious hazel eyes. Everything was part of his usual weekend at home.

Except for those eyes.

He went back to his keyboard and said, "What makes you think I didn't say that to emphasize how unlikely it is to happen?"

"Good point."

Eve shook her head and resumed her inspection. The theme had changed to red this time. Just like its color. The designs communicated a bold statement. She looked back to her red dress from the launch party and scrapped the color idea altogether.

It should be something new. Something the public hadn't seen.

Her decision led to the elimination of the plum one as well.

"I feel like I'm looking at prom dresses," Eve said out of the blue. A ballgown dominated the screen. Endless ruffles made up the balloon skirt, mimicking sea waves. It certainly had the drama they needed. "Is there a color you want? It might make this easier."

"I'm fine with anything."

Eve grimaced. She made a bet that if she had gone shopping with Ambryan, he'd say the two shoes she was choosing from looked the same. 

The search continued until her phone vibrated.

.

``Andie: Where are you? The videos of you and Ambryan are spreading everywhere. Are you really at his penthouse? Be honest with me!``

``Eve: Yes, I'm here. We talked about EliasWalker.``

``Andie: Him too! He's making the news. What is this guy's problem? Why is he claiming to be your ex?``

``Eve: If I knew the answer to that, I don't think I'd still be inside this penthouse.``

``Andie: Why are you replying so quickly? What kind of boyfriend ignores his girlfriend's presence in his home? He should be waiting on your hand and foot!``

.

"What's so funny?" 

Ambryan tilted his head sideways. He had executed a double take when he saw the smile on her face. The tablet laid on her lap, untouched. His eyes narrowed on her phone. Who was messaging her right now?

Who had captured her attention?

"Hm?" Eve reacted, sparing him a glance. Then, she went back to messaging her best friend. "Beatrice is just making jokes. It seems like EliasWalker achieved his goal though. The media is talking about it."

"So he did," Ambryan agreed, reading the same article on his computer screen. He laced his hands together and leaned back. "He might try to approach you next. Sending you gifts wouldn't also be surprising. He's building up his reveal to you."

To gain public favor, he would need to establish himself as the better man. Wealth was out of the picture. That would mean he'd amplify other aspectsparticularly romantic gestures. Those were things that could sway another person, including third parties to the relationship.

Ambryan felt his temple throb. If he had known, he would have pushed through buying that skating rink. 

Eve bit her inner cheek. 

Majority of the people believed it really was her in Elias' photos. He played the victim card well. Rumors had begun to circulate again. Analyzations and theories speculated her morals, accusing her like a gold digger.

Andie was on top of things. How did she manage to do that while at work? Eve had no clue. Her fan account questioned the credibility of the theorists and emphasized the counter statement she made on her first timed post during the day. 

.

``NDdgaf: Are ya'll blind? How come no oneliterally none of youpointed out how Evangeline said, ' After a lonely road of 26 years,' on her account? She is literally telling you that she has been single for that long before dating Ambryan Hathaway. This bias #BringBackEnE bull**** is sickening.``

.

Eve scowled. If the articles had been bad, the trending hashtag had worse content. The same crowd had been reawakened once again. With new evidence about her character, they pounced on the opportunity to declare that they had been right all along.

#CancelEvangelineReed

#EvanReedIsAGoldDigger

#EvangelineIsAFake

Then, a new post came up with the same hashtags.

.

``sourcandy: When people are quick to believe a stranger, are they human at all? Where had their brains vanished to? None of the photos display Evangeline's face. They are not decisive evidence.``

``sourcandy: Even if they were real, it's clear who is the better man. If the relationship is truly valued, what the rest of the world thinks doesn't matter. There is no need to hide.``

.

The name clicked in Eve's memory. It was the same person Andie had befriended from the previous scandal. She checked the profile activity. The user hadn't posted anything since that time until now. His timing was a bit unusual. 

Did he only appear when there was a scandal?

Although, it seemed like Andie was excited to see him. 

.

``NDdgaf: @sourcandy Well said, Noah! Say it louder for the people in the back!``

.

Eve looked up. Her eyes strained from staring at the screen for too long. She found the two mugs beside the plate of cookies. Ambryan wore his glasses as he worked. It surprised her that he did it on his own. She normally had to scold him for it.

Stifling a giggle, she took a quick photo snap and uploaded it.

``EvangelineReed: It's so quiet. Do you think I should disturb him? XP`` 

Not a second later, Ambryan glanced her way. "What are you trying to do?"

"It's just as sourcandy said,'' Eve shrugged. With the heat of things, the photo was quick to grab attention. The corner of her lip curled upwards. Her eyes shined despite the chaotic internet. "What the rest of the world thinks doesn't matter. They can yap all they want but I am right here. At peace. With you." 

She flipped her phone to show him the reactions made by the public. A smirk spread across her face. "It's like asking them on who's the real winner around here."