Date The CEO.com

Chapter 236: A Dangerous Choice

Was it too late to turn back time?

This scheme had to be one of the most ridiculous things Eve heard in her entire life. This woman was as crazy as she initially thought when they met. It took all her willpower not to break away from character. 

"So, do we have a deal?" Jane asked. Her teacup sat empty on the table. 

"This is" Eve breathed out. She stared at the table, her brown eyes glassy and uneasy. The consequences registered as she got over her shock. "This is insane. I'll be fired!"

Jane exhaled sharply. She forgot how loyal the secretary was. Was it a mistake to assume that her friends mattered more than her job? "If it succeeds and you need a new job, I'll help you."

That should do the trick.

But Eve proved to be difficult.

"I still can't do it. I owe Sir Hathaway a lot," she thought out loud.  "And I can't do that to him."

Her hands fidgeted, her gaze didn't know where to lookthe panic wasn't all fake. Just hearing it was already disturbing. To think that Jane would go to that extreme. Eve considered that she had an associate like her father. 

It was hard to imagine Jane managing the property transaction where the bakery stood.

This conversation had to be on impulse. It was sloppy. It was flawed. 

But Eve needed to get out of it. 

"What about your friends then?" Jane challenged. Her patience had been waning since minutes ago. She was this close to getting what she wanted but the secretary suddenly had second ideas. 

"II'll just have to find another way." Eve closed her eyes and covered them with a hand. Darkness crowded her vision. It allowed a temporary escape for her to think clearly.

"You make it sound so easy" Jane clicked her tongue. This was dragging too long. It was time to play the other cards up her sleeves. She heaved a sigh. "Finding a new job is hard, isn't it?"

Eve stiffened. Her heart thumped in her ears. The muddling thoughts in her head vanished. A new agenda came to mind instead. She gradually peeled off her hand from her face, staring off into space. Her body felt hollow with helplessness.

"Something will come up at some point," she 'tried' to convince herself.

Jane fluttered her eyelashes. "Aw, because Ambryan will help them out since his girlfriend asked? But he and his family aren't gods. Things always happen. Business can suddenly shut down. Management can change directions. People get cut off"

"You" Eve accused breathily. The false sense of agitation left her system. Her brown eyes burned like molten brass while her nails dug into the palms of her hands.

"Is it a shock to find out your boss is not invincible?" Jane mocked. She threw her head back and giggled. Maybe the secretary really wasn't so smart after all. 

Or was she blinded by love? "No one really holds ultimate power. It just depends on who has the upper hand. You've seen what happened at the new studio site, right? Everything was checked but one employee seemed to have lied and scales tipped over."

Eve heard the rumors about the incident. The investigation suspected that an old employee had betrayed the company and caused the fire. It hadn't been stated to the public yeteven Ambryan didn't want to make the assumption until the investigation was over.

"How did you know that?" She narrowed her gaze.

Jane rolled her eyes. The answer seemed obvious to her. "I have my own connections as much as the Hathaways do. And I'm not the only one. It's a matter of who can be your best ally, Eve. Yan won't ever look at you with love. Why should he care? Unlike him, I am extending my hand to you at my initiative."

She stood halfway up her seat and leaned forward, placing a hand over her chest. "I care."

Forgetting her intentions, Eve shook her head. "What makes you think he would be with you?"

"I'm not one to give up easily. If I do, would I really deserve him?"

Eve had to agree with Cale and Avery. There was something admirable about Jane's determination. Unfortunately, the negative impact outweighed that for Eve. The woman possessed a few loose screws. There was no denying it.

"Come on, Eve. With someone like your brain, I think this is child's play, " Jane insisted. She rose to her feet and stalked beside the table in order to wrap an arm around Eve's shoulder. Their heads hovered close together. "You help me sneak into Eros headquarters, slip a little aphrodisiac in his afternoon tea and quietly leave us in private"

Having it stated for the second time didn't make it sound any better.

Eve felt the blood boil in her veins. 

"Can I think about it?" She reluctantly caved. It should buy her some time.

Jane's smile stiffened. With a huff, she straightened her back and took out a compact mirror from her pocket. She held it at arm's length, checking her reflection. The tea had wiped off her lipstick.

So she grabbed a brown liquid lipstick that smelled like cocoa. Her lips smacked together. "Well, you know how to reach me like how people know how to reach two 10-year-old girls at their school or their home."

Ice cold haze clouded Eve's scorching blood. 

Noticing her reaction, Jane leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Want a tip? I heard it can happen faster once news spreads so I'd be tight-lipped if I were you."

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Eve left the caf a few minutes after Jane and her group did. 

She lied on her bed, wearing her pajamas and hugging a spare pillow. Andie had gone out with Jarrett for them to discuss their future. The laughter of her sisters echoed in her ears from their phone call earlier. Their day had been great. It eased her a bit of her gloomy spirit.

She hated this.

Was she this powerless unless she had Ambryan around? He had already done so much. 

Should it continue this way? She sat up abruptly and screamed into her pillow. Jane had backed her into a corner. Either she helped with the seduction or her sisters paid the price. Andie and Jarrett were just the warning signs. 

She displayed her power and how even Ambryan couldn't always save the day. It could take him a week, maybe even a month. Time wasn't something on her side right now. One wrong move and it could all go to waste. 

Should she still try to contact him?

The horror-stricken faces of her sisters blocked that possibility.

Eve threw the pillow away, frustrations pouring out of her skin. She had been a fool. Her body trembled all over. Neither choice was an option to her. She refused to give in. 

Adrenaline fueled her nerves. 

Her legs swung over the bed. She paced around the room, the speed matching her mind's. There had to be something. The conversation replayed in her head. It should contain a clue, a loopholeanything! 

Jane wasn't a clever person. A flaw would show itself eventually.

Something could still be done

Then, the world stopped spinning. 

Time slowed to a crawl. Noises shut off. 

Eve moved like an automaton and sat on the edge of her bed. Her pale lips crusted from dehydration. A way had reached the forefront of her mind. It hadn't been anywhere near her before. But, now, she played with the idea and analyzed it from various viewpoints.

The stress and anxiety gradually lifted off her shoulders as a plan formed. She turned her head and pressed her lips together. It wasn't going to be easy but she could think about the next step later. There would always be a way.

But right now, she had a crazy woman to get off her back.

Her hand patted the mattress, searching for her mobile. Her memory couldn't recall how it happened. Even if people asked, she wouldn't be able to explain it.

Because the next thing Eve knew, these words came out of her lips,

"Madison? I need you to do something for me."

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Ambryan reached his office floor. The secretary desk was empty. Despite the recent fire episode, Eve headed for the studios this morning. The only reason he allowed it was because the destination was the old studio site. 

A soft sigh escaped his lips.

He hoped she felt better than yesterday. 

On his work desk, Ambryan busied himself with work. It was a good distraction. At least, it should be but his mind had other ideas. For example, the idea of lunch came to mind.  Egg rolls, potato balls what else could Eve make?

And how could he convince her to cook for him too?

The door opened.

Then, a sing-song voice flowed into the room.

"Good morning, Yan. Lovely day, isn't it?"

Madison walked into the room with his secretary behind him. Their presence immediately lit up the room brighter than the sun outside the windowswhich was easy to accomplish when the CEO had a glowering expression on his face.

The President raised his eyebrows. "Wow, don't you look lonely. Missing your secretary?"

"King. Riffle." Ambryan acknowledged, standing up from his seat. He circled around his desk to meet them halfway. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

The President pressed his lips together. He had rehearsed his lines multiple times. But there was nothing wrong with going over them again inside his head. The best thing about it was the longer he took, the further his work got delayed. 

Riffle nudged him, having seen through the act.

"Oh, I came here as a delivery man," Madison admitted with a shrug. 

His secretary hid an eye roll. He listened to this line about a thousand times on their way here. Each one delivered in a different intonation. In the end, the President chose the first one he used. Riffle started to wonder if it was to piss him off.

Ambryan arched an eyebrow. "For what?"

Madison pulled out an envelope, saying, 

"For Eve's resignation letter."