Date The CEO.com

Chapter 86: Challenge Number One

"Evangeline is" Ambryan paused, his violet eyes on his tea. The cup hovered right above the tray. He stroked the handle as if rubbing his thumb and index finger together. His eyebrows knitted as words repeated themselves in his head. 

'It's you who would be challenged.'

He glanced towards his father. 

Jackson remained in position, ready to absorb any given information. Prior to today, he used any free time and connection to initiate the search. Alas, Avery knew of his tricks. She had been prepared for his onslaught of research.

Instead of being upset, it only drove him more to investigate.

Now, here he was.

Ambryan set down the cup and leaned back on his chair. He saw the hunger for knowledge in his father's eyes. Initially, he chose to speak of the truththat he and Evangeline forged an agreement about their relationship. He knew it wouldn't be leaked to his mother. Jackson would take his side and even help out. 

Except, doing that would rob his chance at taking on the challenge.

If he had to convince anyone that he loved Evangeline, it would be his father.

"First, tell me what do you think of her so far?" Ambryan asked, tilting his head sideways. His hands clasped together with his elbows on the armrests. He waited for the answer.

"I haven't really met her to form an opinion," Jackson pointed out. He relaxed from his position and straightened his spine. "Everything I know only came from published articles and public opinion."

"I believe there should be a mix of both good and bad."

"Of course, there is. There always is. Sometimes one side outweighs the other or sometimes both are equal," he continued. The masses were vast, thousands of individual minds. It would be next to impossible for everyone to choose the same side. 

Ambryan picked up another biscuit and coated in jam. "So?"

"So what?" Jackson frowned. 

"Which side are you on?" Ambryan bit into the biscuit. It snapped into two. 

His father scowled, unsure of where this was going. Overall, Evangeline Reed had widespread favorable feedback. Theories had sprouted of her external motives towards Ambryan, of course, but his dating history proved that he never directly assisted his 'lovers'.

It was the women who used his name insteadwhich he didn't stop during the course of the relationship. That extended influence simply would die after Ambryan breaks it off. Some of them liked to cling to that power by fabricating stories. It would be effective until Ambryan gained a new 'lover'.

In Evangeline's case, no evidence had sprouted that she used his name for the time being. However, they did show a bit of PDA during the launch party which raised eyebrows. 

Did it mean this one was different? If so, how different was it exactly?

"I'll choose later," Jackson replied after a while. The media could tell him many thingsexcept for his son's remark on the subject. That weighed more than half of their claims.

He reached for his cup and sipped the tea.

"What if I tell you that I loved her?" Ambryan tested.

Jackson choked. The warm beverage trickled down his chin. He put the cup down and coughed out the rest from his airways. His teal eyes widened with accusation.

"You're lying!"

Ambryan merely smirked, drinking from his own cup of tea. "Tell me, father. Have you ever seen me in love?"

"Of course not." Jackson snorted. He pulled out his violet handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped his mouth. "If that was the case, this conversation would have happened before."

"Then, how would you know if I'm lying?" 

His hand stopped at the corner of his lip as his son's point hit home. He finished the cleaning and nodded along. "Okay, then. Let's play this your way. Why do you love her?"

"Why do you love mother?" Ambryan retorted. His gaze darted between the handkerchief and the necktie. Both had the same shade of violet which matched his mother's eye color. 

That would explain why his mother insisted on the red tie for the partyeven when he hated wearing the color. 

"Rebuttal denied." Jackson smiled. He raised a biscuit towards his son. "No reversing the question. This was your idea."

Ambryan took a deep breath. He reached to the recesses of his memories with Evangeline. He searched for a common factor. Something related to him and not on her personal traits since the question touched on his feelings. 

So where would they stem from that is unique to Evangeline compared to other women he met?

"I'm never bored when I'm around her," he shared. It was true. It had been that way since they met on the website. She managed to catch and hold his attention for every time they were in the same roomwhether virtual or not. 

She could be by his side or across the room or at a completely different location with just the two of them or with other people 

She had that magnetic and compelling aura around her. Something he found hard to explain.

"You're off on a good start but not enough to be convincing," Jackson remarked, biting his inner cheek. He had leaned on the backrest with his arms over his chest. He had seen Ambryan engage in conversation with several people and had witnessed his son being invested in certain topics.

There had to be more than that.

Ambryan worked his brain harder. Highlighted moments flashed in his mind: 

> the commitment she displayed over the contracted deal she had with his mother

> the dance she did when they entered the rink 

> the way she walked down the stairs

> the mischief in her eyes while she fixed his tie

> the whines she made about being hungry

> the unfiltered curiosity in her questions

"She's always expressive," Ambryan thought out loud. His mind became filled with her messages, her voice and her expressions. "She's unafraid of me in the way that she knows only to talk about relevant things. By that, I mean we never bother each other while at work unless necessary."

Jackson considered the words for a moment. What had he expected really? The couple only met a few weeks ago. It was the beginning stages but he could definitely spot his son's interest towards Evangeline.

That part was true, at least. 

Unless this turned out to be an elaborate lie and Ambryan gained top notch acting skills to drop the right emotions in his voice and manner of speaking.

"What is your first impression of her?" Jackson asked next. 

"That she's not afraid to speak her mind which I mentioned." Ambryan chuckled, recalling the first conversation. "If you have to know, mother introduced us to each other."

"Of course, she did." His father sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. It now made sense why Avery went out of her way to not only refuse his request for information but also to block them. 

"Mother made me promise to respond and we chatted longer than we expected."

Jackson opened his eyes and narrowed them, still feeling skeptical about the ordeal. "What did Evangeline first tell you?" 

"I think I tried to buy her cooperation so we could fake our conversations for mother," Ambryan half-lied through his teeth. "She rejected it more than once, adding in a lecture about how that wouldn't make mother happy."

"And you believed her refusal?"

He blinked in recoil. "Do I have a reason not to?"

"What is one lump of money when she could get more?" Jackson exasperated. This woman could be a master manipulator for all they knew. The use of Avery's happiness in the conversation added to that theory.

"By doing the opposite of gaining my favor?" Ambryan clarified. He saw what his father meant but the truth consisted of more than one girl. He couldn't reveal all the details which would lessen the doubts.

"Fair point but you receive that a lot. It would be logical to do the opposite," his father elaborated. It was a clever move despite being slightly predictable. It must have been done well. "Now that you're dating, you've spoiled her much more than the bargain you offered."

At this, Ambryan smiled.

The sight caught Jackson off guard.

"Would you like to take a guess at the most expensive thing I bought her?" Ambryan teased. He could already imagine what the reaction would be.

"Thousands?"

"Two Smiley Meals."

His father's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"I'm not. Actually, it might be the roller skating rink," Ambryan second-guessed. Then, he shrugged. "But, that doesn't have the same impact as saying 'Smiley Meals'.

"That's it? Are you sure?"

"That's it. I am sure."

Jackson clicked his tongue. That did change things a bit. It supported the claims of how Evangeline hadn't used their influence for her own personal gain. It hadn't been that long but he had a good impression of her so far.

Hopefully, it would stay that way.

"So you trust her?"

Ambryan thought for a moment. "I trust her more than most people."

"Alright," Jackson relented. "I'll accept that for now since you just started dating. Now onto my next agenda when will I meet her?"