Date The CEO.com

Chapter 248: Day One: The Beginning

Elias ended the call.

He shut his eyes and craned his neck over the backrest of his seat. After the photoshoot, he hoped that he wouldn't be pulled back in this soon. It was a pain in the neck since it meant more time given to something else other than the preparations for his studio.

He rolled his shoulders before turning back to his laptop and plugging the phone in.

After a few tinkers, his IP address became hidden along with any sensitive information that could lead to his location and his identity. Then, he opened a new email draft and typed a quick message, attaching the phone recording for the recipient to hear. 

It should be out of his hands now unless they asked a favor.

Initiating a new call, he heard it ring twice before it got picked up.

"Hello?"

Elias pressed the phone against his ear and clicked on the send button. "Hi, it's Elias Walker."

The other side became quiet for a while. Only static came through the earpiece. Elias waited patiently. They hadn't communicated almost as long as he hadn't spoken to Jane. It was only natural for the person to be cautious. 

But, finally, a response came. "What is it?"

"I sent you an email that you might want to know about," Elias began to explain. "A certain someone hasn't really given up on her goal. She wants to know what I have on strawberry that made the latter agree to my terms."

"Hold on. I'll check it."

"Sure. No problem."

While waiting, Elias resumed the editing he had been working on. He had finished the first draft of his photobook with Evangeline Reed in it about a week ago. This lookover was meant for him to fine tune the images and to try new styles for those he wasn't sure about yet. He also took into consideration the feedback from the early draft.

"Impulsive. Just like you said she'd be."

Elias snorted at the words. He grabbed a stale fry from his WcDonald's takeout. "She's easy to read. You should know that too, right? Given how you've known each other for a long time."

"We can only play our cards and hope she goes along with them," the person on the other line spoke. 

"So what am I to tell her in three days?"

Unwrapping his burger, Elias opened his mouth for a big bite. His question remained unanswered for about a minute. This needed a well-thought solution or it could lead into a big mess. 

"You could always tell her the truth."

Elias choked on his burger. "Excuse me?!"

He put the burger down and listened intently. "It's not like it's something she doesn't know. What you speculated was Evangeline was a false identity which was why she couldn't be looked up even with hacking. It doesn't change the fact that what Jane needed to do is figure out a way around those blockages."

"Maybe. But that also means she can threaten Evangeline about this like I did. It would only pick up where it left off," Elias pointed out.

"That's not a problem."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Aren't you?"

Elias frowned at the reversal. Was he missing something? Was there a backup plan to this that he should know about? 

Then, his chocolate eyes flickered to his monitor. A grim line shaped his lips. "Right. It shouldn't be a problem. You're on top of things, right?"

"It's better to know what she'll do than to mislead her. That way we can control the game."

"Has anyone told you how scary you are?"

"Sometimes."

Elias closed his eyes as a shiver went down his spine. This was far more than he signed up for but, between the two of them, he wasn't the one born with the bigger brain. 

"Alright. We'll do it your way." He huffed, already dreading the meeting. His acting skills needed to be in top shape for it. "If anything goes wrong, you only have yourself to blame."

"Nothing will go wrong," the person assured him. "Once you earn her trust again, you can become her confidant in this. We'll be counting on you then as well."

"..." Elias gritted his teeth. He just walked right into a trap. He should have seen it coming. Why couldn't they take her down with one go? What's with these games? 

Although he wondered about them, he knew the answer. The longer this dragged on, the more evidence they could gather. And who knows? Maybe Jane would expose herself at some point instead.

"Wish me luck then," Elias said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

A chuckle sounded in his ear. "Best of luck. Now, this is how it's going to happen."

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"How much further are we going?" Eve whined.

She lied down on the backseat and rested her head. The hangover wasn't intense but it still bothered her. Cale had opted to sit on the passenger side just to let her be comfortable. Nanzie drove the vehicle as always. 

Fallen leaves surrounded both sides of the car and covered the fields. They had left city premises for this shoot and rolled down the windows. 

Eve breathed in the fresh air.

She had never needed it more.

"Not much," Cale answered her. "We're almost there. Just close your eyes and relax. This photoshoot will take a whole day you know."

"I know." Eve groaned. She should have rethought the amount of wine she consumedbut she had been so distracted by her performance results that today's project slipped her mind.

Taking the advice, she closed her eyes and let the wind refresh her insides. The medicine should take effect by the time they reached the place. It was one of the reasons she felt impatient about the journey.

On top of a small hill stood a mansion that was roughly 109,000 square meters wide. The roofs slanted and pointed up with asphalt shingles. The trail they followed led them to the courtyard side of the building. They could see a large garden on an adjacent side of the courtyard.

Its edge couldn't be seen from their positions but the three rows of fountains stayed crystal blue in their pools. Bare trees outlined the garden while cemented paths divided the pools. 

Eve found it breathtaking.

But she believed it would be more beautiful during the spring season. She shook her head at the landscape. "I feel like I just stepped into 1800s London. This can't be a mansion. It has to be a castle belonging to a nobleman once."

"Yes, I think it has something like that in its history." Cale sighed beside her, also basking in the beautiful architecture and design. "The restoration of the castle finished over a month ago. It should be open for business in the winter."

"Ambryan said the advertisement is to use this place as a venue for parties and other events," Eve recounted. Her gaze tilted up until she could see the highest point of the castle. "Isn't this a little too big though?"

"It's also going to be a hotel but, yes, that will be their main goal for now. You have to admit that's better than a simple tour of the place."

Cale touched her arm and led her inside. "Come now. We have to get you ready. Most of the shoot will be inside because of the season."

The dressing room was on the ground floor near the front desk. The crew had already begun to set up around the key locations. Eve focused on where they pointed at and memorized the locations. 

"Sit here, miss," the makeup artist called out to Eve. 

The latter did as she was told and frowned at the large marble room. "Aren't there other models today? Surely, with this many clothes and space, there should be several shoots done simultaneously."

"No, it will be just you." The makeup artist cleaned her face first with micellar water. Dust had collected onto her skin from the open-window drive. "There's a theme for each room. We will cover them all today. There's no time to lose."

Eve gaped at her through the mirror. "You're serious?"

"Quite."

'Cale!' She inwardly screamed. This had to be the biggest project she had to date. When she heard the description, she figured it was something similar to World of Adventure where she pretended to be a customer and mingled with a crowd for parties. 

Judging by the outfits, they seemed straight out of a fairy tale!

"Close your eyes please." 

Eve listened on instinct, having done this numerous times. She used this moment to calm down and to adjust to the situation. It would take a few tries but she would get into the rhythm eventually. She recalled what she'd seen so far and pieced them together like pictured in a storybook or ballrooms of a fantasy film.

By the time she stood in front of a full length mirror, it was like she had transmigrated to a different dimension. Her breath hitched at the back of her throat. 

She'd never seen so much red hair. 

The stylist pinned it to the back for a half-do. Volume had been added to her roots, making it thicker when twisted into a halo around her head. Curls and waves framed her face. The tips stopped at her lower back.

On the other hand, the makeup gave the illusion of dewey skin. The blush and lip product added color to her fair skin while the eye makeup added a sultry effect in her gaze. 

"Evangeline? The camera crew is waiting oh, my." 

Cale stood in awe from the doorway. His aqua blue eyes followed the long train of the soft pink and powder blue ball gown. Intricate embroidery lined up to the open back like flowery vines.

From there, it stretched into a V up to the shoulders. The sleeves cascaded down her arms like a thin kimonowhere more flowers in gold thread lined up fabric.

Then, his stare met her gaze in the mirror.

He pressed his hands over his chest and smiled, almost like he was about to cry.

"You've never been more beautiful."