Date The CEO.com

Chapter 275: Now was Found

Eve walked out of the apartment complex. 

On the driveway, Ambryan had his head turned away from her. He leaned against his car with his hands tucked inside his pant pockets. A deep scowl reflected on his face. Eve grabbed this chance to admire his figure.

The dark trench coat emphasized his height. He left it unbuttoned, revealing the black turtleneck he wore underneath. It fitted him well while underlining his muscles and built. The trousers and leather shoes completed the aesthetic appearance.

Seeing him in casual clothes like this made Eve realize that he had a sense of classy fashion.

She strolled towards him, dressed in a white coat over a blue jumpsuit. A simple smile stretched on her lips when she reached him. "Hey."

Ambryan shifted his attention towards her. The scowl vanished but his expression merely turned into indifference. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better." Eve bowed her head and licked her lips. This wasn't the atmosphere she expected. Did something happen that she didn't know? "Having a sleepover party with Andie and Nanzie was more fun than I expected."

The corner of his lips curled upwards. "I'm glad to hear it."

'It didn't quite meet his eyes', Eve observed. She decided to risk it. "So what brought this on?"

Ambryan pushed himself off the driver's side and accompanied her around the hood, opening the door for the passenger seat. He tilted his head sideways as a nudge for her to hop in. "I figured you'd want to relax after what happened. A change of scenery seemed like the best idea."

"Don't you have work?" She pointed out, her eyebrows scrunching. It was Friday but there should be a lot of last minute work, especially when he used some of his time to focus on Stuart's money laundering schemes.

He shrugged. "Madison and Riffle can manage."

"..." Eve climbed inside the vehicle. Shecould almost imagine how stressed Riffle was. With Madison's infamous behaviour to procrastinate and neglect his work, most of the load rested on Riffle's shoulders. 

Then, a thought occurred to her. 

"Maybe you should consider Riffle for the promotion you offered me," she said as soon as Ambryan sat on the driver's seat. At least, the amount of work Riffle did would receive some justice.

He considered it for a moment, pausing in the middle of buckling his seatbelt. It only happened for a second. "I would but that would mean he won't be able to babysit Madison if the need ever comes."

"Isn't Riffle your secretary now though?"

"If I can handle it, I ask him to check on Madison sometimes."

It was Eve's turn to shrug. The car drove towards the gates and three sedans followed behind them. Her brown eyes flickered to the rearview mirror. There were usually only two. "You hired more bodyguards?"

"It's a long trip. I want to be as careful as possible."

She chose to not reply and watched the city sights pass by. 

About half an hour later, the establishments and building dwindled. They entered the expressway where mountains could be seen from a distance. Most of the scenery was made of nature but there buildings and small homes popped up every now and then.

Sneaking a peek, Eve debated if she should make conversation. This shouldn't feel unnatural but they had grown closer through the past few weeks. It suddenly seemed foreign. Her gaze landed on the music player. 

She pushed its on button.

Soft jazz music played from the speakers. Eve chortled a laugh. She hurled forward but the seatbelt yanked her back. Eventually, her voice faded and she clutched her stomach. It became hard to breathe with how much laughter erupted in her system.

Ambryan glanced her way for a second. "What's so funny?"

"Is this your personal collection?" She said, surprised that she managed a straight sentence. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. This music brought so many memories. She almost missed hearing it.

"So what if it is?"

"Because it sounds exactly like the elevator music back in Eros Headquarters."

"And?" Ambryan prodded. He didn't understand why that would be funny.

"Nothing. I either imagined you telling the workers to change the music or that you liked it so much so you wanted to hear it more." A few more giggles flowed out of Eve's lips. Then, she relaxed and inclined the chair back. "Do you mind if I catch on sleep? I barely had any last night with how much sugar we had."

"Of course that's what happened," he muttered with a shake of his head. "Go ahead. I'll wake you up when we get there."

The quiet drive allowed Ambryan to be alone with his thoughts. Behind him, a brown envelope laid on the backseat. He propped his elbow on the thin ledge under the window and pressed a knuckle against his lips. 

The journey should take about three hours, enough for a short nap if Eve was exhausted.

Meanwhile, his mind floated and replayed a conversation he had the other day.

.

.

.

.

.

A knock came from his office door. "Ambryan? Are you free?"

Ambryan immediately stopped working. His violet eyes flashed on the desk briefly. Then, his head slowly tilted up. Only his mother's head peeked out from behind the food. He blinked twice at the sight of her shy face. 

"Since when did you learn the habit of knocking?" He asked. 

Avery rolled her eyes and let herself in. "You're being dramatic."

He turned back to his documents, affixing his signature. "I think that statement fits you better."

The madam slowed down her walk. Her book bag swung against her hip. She took the time to admire the room's interior design with each step. Most of it matched the colors Ambryan usually wore. Her mouth opened to make the joke but she closed it again.

After a while, she found herself in front of his desk. 

She just sat on one of the two chairs before Riffle arrived in the room. He used long strides and served them tea. He had unpacked the biscuits Avery brought and transferred them into a glass bowl. 

Before leaving, he waited for Ambryan to finish signing the documents.

Avery helped herself to a biscuit. It gave her some extra to think. She scanned the room once more, thinking that it should get some color. Maybe she'd be able to find a painting to put up. Her son should be able to tolerate a new addition to the walls.

Riffle bowed when he received the documents and walked out of the office.

Ambryan placed his pen back on its holder, lacing his fingers together and placing them on the desk. His eyes watched his mother carefully. She had been acting unusual since the incident. His father even called to warn him about it and to ask him to act normally.

It was rare for his father to request a favor so he granted it.

"So, what is it you came for this time, mother?" Ambryan said. "Do you want to go back to show business and star in one of our upcoming movie projects? All I can is father has the better influence since he's part of the board."

The madam couldn't bring herself to smile. But, in her heart, she appreciated his gesture.

Her gaze finally met his. Somehow she mustered enough courage to say what she wanted. The corners of her eyes drooped in tenderness. "I'm here to apologize."

Ambryan leaned back on his chair, saying, "You already did that but, if you still insist, I think I'm not the one who you should be apologizing to."

Avery visibly flinched. She actually went to see Eve before this. It was hard to tell if the poor girl was forcing herself to be strong or if she was really feeling better. They had a quick chat. Most of it consisted of Eve trying to convince her that she understood why things happened the way they did. The madam didn't need to apologize at all.

She almost slipped when she heard it. 

But it was only natural for Ambryan to hear about it first.

"No, it should be you," Avery spoke softly, averting her gaze. "I'm sure of it."

Ambryan tilted his head and rested his cheek on the back of his hand. It seemed like the situation was as bad as his father made it out to be. Without opening his mouth, he took a deep breath and said,

"Go on"

The madam took out a white folder from her book bag. "I want to cancel the contract we made."

She looked up just in time to see Ambryan freeze in his seat. If things weren't awkward at the moment, she might have laughed. It was rare to catch him this off guard.

"What?" He breathed out. Then, he seized it from her hands and assessed the documents inside. It had the copy of the contract plus a formal writing that stated his mother's desire to cancel it. Only his signature was missing for it to be finalized.

Avery played with her hands. They had begun to shake. "It's useless now, isn't it? You and Eve are dating as both your choices. I read through the clauses and I don't have a problem with any of them. I'll fulfill them all as part of the cancellation I initiated."

Ambryan set the folder and its documents on the desk. His eyes still remained wide by a few millimeters. "You mean"

"Well, why should I be against it?" The madam attempted to brush off with a laugh. She looked at any direction but his. "I promised what I promised. And like you said, if I cancel the contract then, it should still stand that you receive your side of the deal because you had been in good faith."

The office became quiet.

It was almost suffocating. Avery much preferred it if her son said somethinganything at all! Even yell at her if he really wanted. Her heart clenched when she checked on him. He hadn't moved a muscle.

She showed him a tight smile.

"Go see your mom."