Date The CEO.com

Chapter 102: Patience is a Virtue

'Since when was the air inside the elevator suffocating?'

Eve took a deep breath. She focused on her breathing. If not, she might just faint from

claustrophobia. Her stomach became queasy, churning the chicken fingers she ate earlier. Maybe fried food really wasn't all that great.

She stood a meter away from Ambryan, purposely out of his peripheral vision. Her mind began to wander. It questioned how he felt when he said those words in front of the world. Was this too fast? She did raise that point but he protested.

Maybe she just wasn't used to being called that way.

At least, when not dressed as Evangeline.

Leaning on the wall behind her, she closed her eyes and felt her phone vibrate again. 

The notification said, ``Private Message.``

Eve's flew wide open at the sight of it. Her back became rigid and her senses were on high alert. Only one of her apps had its message encrypted which meantshe glanced towards Ambryan, spotting him on his phone. 

He had contacted Evangeline! 

She quickly turned off the vibrate mode and hid her phone away. Despite everything, they still had their original agreement. There wouldn't be any chatting while working. It was all good. Nothing to worry about at all.

The only thing left to do was play it cool.

Taking a deep breath, Eve fixed her glasses and what little bangs she had. She straightened her legs. She rolled her shoulders until her posture was fixed. Her teeth trapped her tongue, 

Then, Ambryan shuffled his feet to the side until he saw her face.

She blinked. "Is there a problem, Sir Hathaway?"

"Nothing really," he mumbled, flickering his gaze towards the elevator doors. His chest rose as he inhaled deeply. 

Eve's eyes landed on his feet. Neither shoe tapped on the floor but she could see his toes breaking through one of them. They dug upwards, stretching the leather, and relaxed like he only tapped inside the shoe.

She pressed her lips together. 

It was a habit he did whenever something bothered him as Avery once told her.

Her fingers beat the back of her other hand. Her mind counted down the seconds. She watched as the floor numbers went up. It was only a matter of time before

"But, mother says you give sound advice," Ambryan spoke again. 

This time, he didn't look at her. 

"Do you need advice, Sir Hathaway?" Eve asked, trying hard not to tease. 

"It's not urgent or critical, only a passing thought."

"Well, I will do my best if you ever decide on sharing."

Silence stretched for a few floors. Eve spent the time peacefully. She checked on her fingernails, wondering if they needed to be trimmed. A frown tugged the corners of her lips. Should she let them grow for modelling? It sounded better than acrylics.

"What does it mean if a woman hasn't responded to your message?"

The question interrupted her thoughts. Her head moved up slowly. Ambryan still looked away from her. His violet eyes focused on the blank stainless steel doors. He didn't elaborate further, leaving Eve to her thoughts.

Was he referring to Evangeline's lack of reply?

Confusion knitted in her brows. "I'd think she's either busy or preoccupied."

"Hm."

Eve bit her inner cheek. He did remember their agreement, right? They hardly messaged while at the office for the past two weeks. What was the difference now? Her post? Suddenly, her phone weighed a thousand pounds.

This tempted her to read the message.

Was it something important?

"It is still working hours in most places," Eve continued to reason. "She might be busy with her job. It's a normal occurrence. No need to worry."

"Work from the comforts of her living room?" The words flew out of Ambryan's mouth before he could process them. 

Eve nodded eagerly. "Yes"

Then, stopped short, choking on her words. Right! She had used Andie's picture of their living room. If she was passing it as her own then, she was at home with enough free time to watch the whole conference.

Well, Evangeline did say that she was an online tutor but Eve couldn't possibly know that. Thinking of something to say, she peeked at Ambryan.

He hadn't moved an inch.

"If she's at home then, maybe she is taking a shower," Eve suggested in the end. "There is no need to think about it too much. It's possible to ask her when she replies."

What went in his head exactly? A while ago, he had extraordinary composure and eloquence. Now, he had trouble waiting for a response from one person? Why did it bother him so much?

Was he falling for Evangeline?

Eve quickly shut the idea down. 

It sounded like a mess of trouble.

"Hm," Ambryan hummed. The 'hidden' foot tapping had ceased. Whatever disturbed him before did not disturb him as much now. Maybe he finally saw a bit of perspective.

The elevator almost reached the top floor. At this point, Eve chose not say more. She had nothing else to say anyway. There also still had work to be done and both of them needed to focus. 

Speaking of focus, she should check that message as soon as she has the chance. The curiosity would kill her! 

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"Hello, Ms. Ambryan Hathaway's Girlfriend. Did you enter the wrong apartment? I believe this is not your boyfriend's house unless he bought it. In that case, I am short of a million bucks."

Eve rolled her eyes, putting away her heels. 

Andie hopped over the couch's backrest. Her feet thudded against the floor when she landed. She barely felt the pain from the giddiness that snared her nerves. She had waited for some action and she finally got it!

"You are so slow. Can't believe Mr. CEO actually beat you in terms of vocal PDA." She snorted, following Eve into the kitchen. Her stormy blue eyes had a bit of sunshine today. "I mean, it's just two words I know but, at least, they are explicit!"

Eve grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. She uncapped the lid while glaring at her best friend. "In case you forgot, it was Evangeline's first public appearance. There was a reason why was cryptic"

"Yeah, yeah," Andie brushed off, having heard the story before. "But, man how did you feel when you heard it? I did see it on TV but I'm sure it's different being in the same room."

Eve took her time at drinking the bottle.

Andie raised an eyebrow, aware of what she was doing. This manner of stalling won't work on her. The galloon used to be full but it was now halfway finished. That meant that it still had 2 liters of juice. 

There was no way her best friend would finish it all just to avoid a topic. There was also no way she'd let Eve get away with it! This hesitation proved that something did happen. Her best friend couldn't deny it.

And she was dying to find out what it was!

Sitting on a stool, Andie laid her arms over the kitchen island. "Come on, Eve! Talk to me! You finally get the love life I always wanted for you but you won't share it with me?"

Eve sighed, joining her at the kitchen island. The bottle had one-fourth of juice left. "What is there to say? I was shocked that the reporter even knew my account. I didn't think anyone would see it that fast. Ambryan's words placed a strict wall between his personal life and the company."

"It was well-calculated," she finished before taking another sip of juice. That should do it, right? None of her statements were lies. She had mentioned her shock. She had mentioned her analysis.

It should be good enough. 

"Did you blush?"

Eve spat out her drink.

"Aha! You did!" Andie cheered and cackled loudly It could be heard all the way to the second floor. "Ohohoho, he is getting under your skin and into your heart. I love it! You two are progressing so well. What do you plan for your first monthsary?"

"I plan to"

Andie leaned in closer, not wanting to miss a single word

"... survive this weekend first." Eve rose to her feet and put away the juice bottle. She gave Andie one last cheeky smile before escaping to her room. "Who says we have to celebrate it anyway? Worry about your own upcoming anniversary."

Then, she disappeared from sight.

Andie grumbled under her breath. "Can't she fall for him faster?"

Eve closed the door behind her. That had been a close call. She took out her phone and tossed it onto her bed. She didn't want to see it for a while. 

It seemed like withdrawals didn't always lead to being cured.

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``Yan: You were watching?``

``Lin: Am I not allowed?``

``Yan: That is not what I'm implying. Are you a reader of the book? What did you think of the script?``

``Lin: I do believe changes are inevitable but I think the scriptwriters don't know what tone to use for the adaptation.``

``Yan: And what tone should it be?``

``Lin: My, my, Mr. Hathaway. I thought your girlfriend isn't involved with your work?``

``Yan: I'm asking you as a reader not as my girlfriend. Also, don't go anywhere without your bodyguard. There are more eyes on you now than before. Be careful.``

``Lin: No one spotted this redhead out of her house these past two weeks. Don't worry.``

``Yan: Then, why did you take time to reply?``