"Think about trying and you'll wish you've never been born, Kyle Rivers."
The light of realization shined on Eve's brown eyes. Above her, the ceiling had parted and revealed the heavens. Angels ca down to play her a tune with their harps. A steady heartbeat pounded near her ears, comforting any traces of her worry left inside.
Behind her, Ambryan breathed in her scent. Little did Eve know, the effects he had on her were also the exact effects she had on him. Word reached his ears that Kyle had attempted to drug Eve last night. He saw red the mont they stated that Kyle had gone off their radar and cornered Eve.
The drive from the airport to the hotel couldn't have been more dangeroussqueezing through narrow spaces, beating the red lights and going over the speed limit. Foreign authorities had
"Kyle Rivers? That does sound familiar," Eve remarked, the heel of her shoe still pointed at Kyle. The na even felt aquantainted by the muscle mory of her mouth. The answer was literally at the tip of her tongue.
Ambyran peeked at her through the corner of his eye. "Don't you rember, honey? His family runs Peitho Entertainnt."
She snapped her head towards him, eting his gaze with wide eyes. Her voice softened into a breathy gasp. "That... twerp??"
The Infamous Self-Proclaid Rival of Ambryan Hathaway? The articles about the both of them ca into her mind wave after wave. She rembered being furious by the comparison. Any ti she encountered Kyle in the sa room, he bragged about his past achievents or what his parents thought of it.
So of them were even from his childhoodirrelevant information among businessn. He vowed to outrank Eros in the stock market. So ti later, he had stopped appearing in social events. No one knew the reason behind it except for a number of people.
He had tried to double their investnt through gabbling the principal amount.
Anyone who had heard of it knew it was only for his self-satisfaction. His family had cut off his personal allowance but he still had access to company resources.
With those mories in mind, Eve now had a better idea of Kyle's intentions.
Ambryan grinned at her aghast expression. "I knew I liked you for a reason."
"And here I thought it was my charming good looks."
"It's a close second."
Kyle bared his teeth. The couple acted like he wasn't there. This sort of treatnt wasn't new to him. But to think, the people who he considered as his enemies also belittled him like his family did. Just one mistake and they started questioning his thods. Although they disagreed with him, at least, his plans got the job done.
He patted his back pocket and pulled out a bread knife.
"I'd drop that if I were you," Wen warned behind him. She twisted his wrist in one swoop. A strangled cry erupted from his lips while the knife fell to the floor. Nanzie grabbed it with her gloved hands and secured it in a ziplock bag.
Wen nodded at Ambryan and Eve, locking Kyle's other wrist. "We'll be taking it from here. There's enough evidence to warrant a case."
Ambryan granted them his permission. "Good work. Inform once the Rivers Family respond to the allegations."
"Yes, Mr. Hathaway."
More bodyguards surrounded Kyle. He had nowhere to run. He thought back to where it all went wrong. It should have been a simple plan. He had declared himself as a fan of Evangeline Reed, crushing any suspicion on his motives.
Weren't celebrities supposed to be fond of their fans?
How co she never once gave him the benefit of the doubt?
When the group left, Eve finally let her arm drop. The pain from holding it up for too long slowly seeped into her consciousness. She rolled her shoulder to soothe the pain. "Since when were you here?"
"Enough to see you throw a shoe at him," Ambryan answered, beaming from ear to ear. He side-stepped and turned her around to face him. His hands clasped together behind her lower back. "I've never been more proud to call you my girlfriend."
"Oh, please." Eve scoffed, rolling her eyes.
He chuckled and tucked a loose hair strand behind her ear. "Figured out what he wanted?"
Eve pondered about it for a mont. The strings pulled together like a spider's web. Each new thread connected the facts available on hand. The angel chorus beca louder as she slowly figured it out.
Ambryan resisted to kiss her scrunched nose, fearing that she'd lose her concentration and bla it on him.
Was it his fault that she looked cute? No. His actions were rely responses to reality.
"He knows I'm Eve and that you and I had an agreent to fake date..." Eve thought out loud. Then, her brown eyes flickered towards Ambryan's face. "... it's because of the script, isn't it? The one we made to get back that investnt from Venus. He got his hands on it."
'I love you,' Ambryan spoke in his head. His chest swelled twice its size. He didn't know whether it was because of how long they've seen each other or how she threatened Kyle for him or how her brain matched his own.
Eve squinted at the silly grin on his face. "What?"
Ambryan shook his head. The curled corners of his lips never wavered. "Nothing. I missed you."
Her heart leaping in joy, Eve stared straight into his violet eyes. Ti and place diminished from the front of her mind. Her senses perceived only him: his touch, his face, his sll
The only thing that was missing was taste.
She rose on her tiptoes, her eyelids half-hooded.
"Now, wait a minute!"
Eve snapped her towards the end of the hallway. Steel gray eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. Curly bronze hair stuck out in different directions. Thin lips stretched into an 'O' shape, Richard had a finger pointed at the couple. His hand trembled slightly.
He breathed through his mouthaudible enough for Eve and Ambryan to hear.
"Mr. Kingston?" Eve replied out of reflex. She clamped her lips and corrected herself, her voice shrinking. "I an, Richard. You're also here."
"Kyle knows what now?" Richard asked, his eyelashes fluttering. "That you're Eve? Is that what I heard just now? You're Eve? Forr secretary of Ambryan Hathaway in Eros Productions?"
Eve averted her gaze and puffed out her cheeks. Just how many people did she know? How many more personal reveals should she expect?
Richard shifted his attention to his best friend. He wagged the finger, yanking it down to the floor. "You told the assistant part of the script was for dramatic purposes!"
Ambryan moved back to behind Eve. The palms of his hands rested on her stomach. "Well, Eve wasn't my assistant now, was she?"
"..."
Eve offered Richard a sympathetic smile. Ambryan knew no rcy at tis. For soone who figured it out much later than Mikael did, he sure acted arrogant. He could petty sotis despite what most people thought.
And she was more than privileged to know that part of him. Just how many tis would she fall for him?
"Out with it." Richard sighed after a while. He placed his hands on his hips, pulling up the hem of his silver blazer. "What else do I need to know? I'm sure you've thought of telling . It's not like I'm a stranger and not your closest friend."
"Don't worry, Mr. Kingston," Eve replied. She squeezed Ambryan's handsa silent warning not to tease Richard further. "Ambryan didn't know until months later. And I saw him almost everyday."
Ambryan had other ideas. "She's the childhood crush I told you about."
Richard nearly had another heart attack. "WaiWhatWhy is that not in the script?!"
"Childhood crush?" Eve craned her neck to look at Ambryan. "That's the first ti I heard of it. Are you sure you're not making this up to tease him?"
Ambryan raised his eyebrows at her. "I wouldn't kiss just anyone as practice for a play I'd never step on stage for."
Eve gulped, her ears growing hot. "Y-You rember that?"
"You were very bold."
"I was not! I stuttered the whole ti!"
"And that's why I kissed you. For you to stop shaking. I wouldn't be that thoughtful unless it was you."
Richard glanced up the ceiling. He spun on his heel and clapped his hands, holding them in position for a prayer. "Oh, higher power in heaven, please spare from this dog food. Spare my single soul from these public displays of affection."
Eve pursed her lips and dropped her gaze. The Blood rushed into her cheeks. Since they were on topic, she might as well say it
"I-I liked you too."
"Oh, have rcy on my weak heart. It is as fragile as talc, the softest mineral on Earth. Its weak delicate nature doesn't define its worth just like my"
Ambryan closed his eyes. Then, he opened them in Richard's direction. "Don't just pray for things. Take actionsuch as leaving us alone."
"I'll see you both tomorrow then. Goodbye."
Richard fled for his life. At least, he got under Ambryan's skin even just a little. How dare his best friend not tell him the most important details about his romantic life?
What would he say in his wedding speech if he didn't know about these things?
Eve placed her arms around Ambryan's neck, playing with his hair. Her lips gradually stretched into a smile. They were alone once again. The sa sensation ca over hertheir surroundings faded away.
"What is it?" Ambryan suspected with narrowed eyes.
"Nothing." Eve said, shaking her head. She could hardly see his face because of how wide she smiled. "I missed you."
Then, she pulled him down and closed the distance between their lips.
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