Date The CEO.com

Chapter 234: A Dangerous Thought

Eve sort of lost her hearing. 

Static slowly overpowered the surrounding clamor. Not even Andie's voice could reach her head. The possibility of her thought being true swirled upwards and outwards like a tornado. It consumed her mind, repeating the words over and over again.

Andie observed that her best friend zoned off into space. It temporarily distracted her from her worrieswhich was easy to achieve given how Eve looked like she saw a ghost. The latter's fair skin gradually turned paler and paler.

Before Andie could ask, Ambryan jogged back towards them.

"Well?" Eve said, blinking out of her daze.

"It's too soon to tell but I'll look into it more," he told her. Then, he shifted his attention towards Andie. "In the meantime, do you want another source of income? I'm positive that mother can sell anything you make. Evangeline can vouch how wide her social circle is."

Eve nodded in agreement. "Very wide. And as confusing as a maze."

"I-I'll think about it. Thanks for the offer." Andie averted her gaze and touched the side of her neck. She acted thick-faced when Jarrett needed the help. Now that she was on the receiving end, she felt sheepish. They both extended help when she didn't even ask.

It suddenly seemed like she was a burden.

Ambryan must have read her mind. "Anytime. If you need anything, just reach out."

"I appreciate that." Andie smiled up at him. Then, she placed a hand on Eve's shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows. "Have I ever told you found a really really good man?"

"Feeling better, I guess?" Eve snorted. She gave Blueberry back to Ambryan and hugged her best friend. "Is there anything you want from the grocery? I can stop by and we can pig out later. It's my treat, of course."

"Not ice cream or anything with sugar, I hope," Ambryan protested. "Especially not when you'll still be eating very late in the day."

The pair started a debate. One side argued about a healthy diet while the other brought up the topic of cheat day. The former had stated that it didn't hurt to break rules for a day. The latter merely reminded him about it. 

Safe to say, the outcome was already decided.

Andie shook her head, interrupting them. "It's okay. You should go back to your date."

"Nonsense!" Eve objected. She linked arms with her. "Sisters before misters, remember?"

"I also need to help this guy settle in." Ambryan lifted his arms. The cat stared at the women. His blacktail swayed in the air. "Kiri might mistake him as a trespasser. My hands will be full."

Sensing defeat, Andie darted her gaze between the two. "Are you sure?"

Eve pulled her closer. "Positive." 

There was no room to reject. The couple had already made up their minds. Rather than a burden, Andie felt like a child in front of her parents instead. Their affection came naturally. Their willingness to change their plans for her was also touching.

She could only utter one word. "Alright."

Eve stepped away from Andie, keeping their hands connected, and stood on her toes. She pecked Ambryan's cheek lightly. "I'll call you later."

He stole a kiss from her lips before she was out of reach. "Not if I call you first."

"The offer to get a room still stands." Andie joked.

Ambryan bid them goodbye. "Take care, ladies."

"Do you mind if we meet back at the apartment? I have a bit of a situation"

Andie didn't need to be told twice. She smirked and let her best friend go. "I'll be there in half an hour. I need to call Jarrett about this. He wouldn't like it if I kept it from him for too long. I should do it here while I could still get some answers if he has a question."

"Okay. 30 minutes. Got it."

Eve sank into the backseat of a black sedan. A cold and indifferent gaze projected out of her hazel eyes. Her hands clenched into fists under the crooks of her arms. If her instincts were on the right track, she couldn't let this continue. 

She needed to do something.

But what?

"Nanzie." Eve nearly sneered, startling her bodyguard.

"Yes, Ms. Evangeline?" Nanzie asked from the driver's seat.

"Have there been any reports about someone following me lately? Like Every. Single. Day?"

Her bodyguard picked up the implication. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. Alarm rushed into her veins. "Not at the moment, no. But I'll look into it deeper."

"Hmmm."

The car ride became quiet. 

At the rendezvous point, Eve changed out of her disguise slowly. She wasn't a fool. Compared to her, Jane held more power. The disadvantage was a heavy one. Something she couldn't diminish over night.

But if she seeked outside help, there was a big chance that Jane wouldn't let her guard down. 

Eve had to know what that woman wanted.

She reached for her cell phone and opened the mail app. It took a few minutes for her business email to be logged in. Her thump tapped on the search button. 

The hunt for a special email began.

Then, a draft slowly composed itself.

```

Dear, Ms. Wilson,

I had thought about your offer. 

My childhood best friend faced a crisis today. I never felt so helpless upon hearing the news. She deserves the entire world if I had anything to say about it. Coincidentally, Sir Hathaway and Ms. Evangeline Reed chanced upon the scene. They quickly offered their aid.

It sickened me. Not only is that woman trying to steal my best friend but also she uses Sir Hathaway's influence. Maybe I'm not any better than her for coming to you like this. But I can't stand to lose to her anymore. 

Tell me where and when I can meet you to discuss this further.

Regards,

Everlee Hart

```

After rereading the response, Eve hit the send button.

Her hands quivered from the sensation. She had taken the bait. The best way to approach this was to play it safe. She couldn't let it slip that she knew Jane was behind these incidents. Instead of accusing the latter as the villain, Eve thought it best to fawn over her as a savior.

And since Jane tried to entice her by promising to make Ambryan notice her, a hostile impression of Evangeline Reed from Eve should be believableespecially with her boss' dating history. Pent up envy, inner turmoils, ignored presence and rejected affection...

Jane should be able to relate to them to some degree.

Then, Eve would have to wing it from there.

.

```

Ms. Hart,

I'm thrilled to hear back from you. This may be the new beginning of a beautiful relationship. If you're still interested, meet me at the Caf Locktart tomorrow after your shift. I advise you to not speak of this with anyone. The consequences may be severe.

Regards,

Your fateful encounter

```

.

Eve rolled her eyes at the pretense. Jane probably thought of it as a precaution to never state her own name. She deleted the entire email exchange, wondering if it was a good thing that Jane wasn't using her personal addressnot that she'd want that but still.

Andie opened the front door when she knocked. 

"Hey, something wrong?" Her eyebrows scrunched. Eve had been acting weird since they met earlier. She and Ambryan looked like they were getting along well so Andie threw out that theory. It had to be something related to the bakery.

But she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Yeah" Eve sighed. She placed the paper bags on the kitchen island. They thudded against the wooden surface. "They were out of chocolate syrup at the grocery! Can you believe it?! How can we make the ultimate deadly sin if we're missing an ingredient?!"

Andie checked the bags, taking out the contents one by one. "Then, you should have grabbed an ice cream flavor that had chocolate syrup as a topping. Have I thought you nothing, young grasshopper?"

"It must have slipped my mind oh, wait! Here it is." Eve held up a tub of double dutch ice cream. The flavor consisted of vanilla ice cream, cashews, chocolate chips, marshmallows and swirls of chocolate syrup. 

She set it beside everything else. "I grabbed every type of chocolate candy from the shelves. Of course, I still bought more marshmallows. There's also fudge brownies because I have been craving for these."

"We're going to regret this in the morning."

"I know right?" Eve chuckled. "So, how did the call with Jarrett go?"

Andie sat on the stool. She propped her elbow on the counter and rested her cheek on the palm of her hand. "He took it better than I thought. He initially wanted to meet but I said you called dibs so we can see each other tomorrow instead."

"What did I tell you? Sisters before misters~"

It was her turn to chuckle. "I might just take on Ambryan's suggestion. There's bound to be a ton of leftovers tonight. Maybe I can whip something up. You'll have to let him taste for approval."

Eve arched an eyebrow.  "Let a sour candy lover be your adviser on sweets? You might go out of business faster than a woody woodpecker."

"Don't jinx it!" Andie warned. "We still don't know what tomorrow may bring. I'd very much like it to be as fluffy as these marshmallows, thank you."

"Right we won't know unless we try."

"Exactly."

Busying herself with the things they need, Eve set her own worries for tomorrow as well.