“Will he tell people?” Avery frowned, staring at the closed door. She heard the faint footsteps fade away as the model left the premises.
“Mikael? No. He wouldn’t. He just needs time to digest everything.” Cale exhaled sharply. One thing he could count on Mikael was his skeptical nature. Although he had strong opinions, he wouldn’t share them outside of his close circle.
It could take a while but the model eventually saw the light.
Frown lines creased between Avery’s brows. “Is it really that big of a deal?”
“Well, how is it not?” Cale snorted. “Not only did a woman become a part time model but that same model is also dating her boss.”
It had been a fun ride so far. Although, it wouldn’t always stay that way. He “I’m surprised Mikael actually got that far into it.”
“Yeah…” Avery sighed. She rubbed her chin, rethinking the whole idea and doubting it. “Makes me wonder how Ambryan would react when he finds out.”
She had hoped for the two to fall in love. In the process, she guessed that Ambryan would eventually figure it out. Both parties came to this agreement with their own motives. She thought that he’d be able to understand when the time came.
But, what if he didn’t?
What to do then?
“Hey…” Cale spoke softly. His posture relaxed once he saw her worried face. He rubbed her upper back in comfort. “Stay positive. If what you said about your son and about Eve is true, I am willing to bet that they had an arranged proposition about their relationship.”
A light chuckle escaped his lips. “They probably agreed to fake date without knowing that they’re on their way to falling in love.”
…
…
…
…
…
Eve stretched her arms upwards. Her back muscles clenched from the movement. Then, she rolled her shoulders, keeping the momentum. “You have to admit. I am a genius.”
Ambryan glanced from the driver’s seat. Endless night sky filled the windshield. Street lights and other vehicles illuminated the road before them. Nothing played out of the radio. They simply spent the ride with each other’s chatter and silence.
The pressure was gone.
No one could see them through the black-tinted windows.
“How so?” Ambryan asked as he turned back to the street. The route they took had lesser car traffic. It allowed them to enjoy a smooth and steady trip.
“Acting drunk is the best way to get permission to leave a party,” Eve boasted, still feeling smug about her performance. It had gone better than she thought. “Did you see how fast Mr. Wilson and Mr. Kingston let us go? Pure genius.”
“It didn’t work on Luna though.”
“Oh, and that’s my fault?” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Leaning on the backrest, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Work is always running in your head. You went into business mode when she spoke about the advertisement. And it was a joke!”
“But you didn’t interrupt it with your ‘acting’,” Ambryan explained. He made a right turn, entering the road that outlined a cove. The sea crashed against the rocks below.
“Well, why would I? I know work is important to you.” Eve shrugged. She turned her head towards the passenger window. The moon reflected on the waters. “Besides, it wasn’t just you. Luna was also into it. It would be rude to interrupt.”
Ambryan kept his eyes straight ahead. A soft hum flowed into his ears. It brought a small smile to his face. It seemed that someone had the party’s music stuck in her head.
“I thought you’d want to stay longer though. What’s with the sudden urge to leave?” He asked, sneaking in a glimpse.
Eve held up one finger in his direction. Her hazel eyes narrowed into slits. A playful smirk stretched her corner lip. “I have one word for you.”
She paused for effect. It became more comical by the second. She held her breath, containing her laughter. A part of her hoped that he’d try to guess—even just once. It made her curious about what he’d say.
Although, it wasn’t likely to happen.
Instead, it was likely that he’d ask her about it.
Ambryan scowled at the dark road. “And that is?”
“Food!” Eve cackled. Her prediction came true, making it even funnier. “I’m hungry. Those finger foods wouldn’t cut it for me. Let’s get something to eat.”
Her stomach rumbled on cue. She wrapped her arms around it and groaned. It had been hours since lunch time passed. She saved her stomach for the party but it had less food than she anticipated. If she had asked beforehand, she would have eaten before they left.
“Where would we go?”
“WcDonald’s.” Eve beamed. As the car drove back to civilization, she could almost see the familiar ‘W’ logo against the blanket of night sky and above the other small buildings. Her mouth salivated at the thought of fried chicken nuggets.
Ambryan frowned. “Fast food?”
He slid the car into city traffic. His violet eyes squinted when bright beams of light came from the opposite lane. With the amount of vehicles available, he couldn’t see their need to use the intense setting for headlights. The normal one should be more than enough.
“Yeah…” Eve drawled, unable to find his problem with it. “Because it’s the fast way to get food?”
Fast or not, her craving wouldn’t go away at this point. She yearned for those chicken nuggets—and maybe some fries. A juicy burger also sounded like a good idea. She’d have them if all possible.
“It’s unhealthy,” Ambryan reminded her. Models had to maintain their figure. A big chunk of fast food wouldn’t be good. They contained a lot of calories and carbs that she’d need to burn.
Eve had none of it.
She waved her hand and brushed off his concern. “It’s delicious. That’s what matters.”
“There are other places with delicious food.”
“Are they fast?”
“A little waiting isn’t the end of the world.”
“Okay…,” she nodded, taking it into consideration. Except, it only lasted a second. She poked both of her cheeks and smiled. “But do they have Smiley Meals?”
The traffic light became red and Ambryan hit the break. He faced her fully since they got inside the car. Her facial expression stayed the same. “And why would you want that?”
Eve shrugged and drew a square in the air. Her mind filled in the vacant space for her, recreating the image. “The toys make up a doll house. You need to collect all four in order to complete it.”
The pieces connected like a puzzle. Each one had a doll and a fun quirk. They formed a stationary set where one doll turned out to be a pen, one wall held up a pair of scissors, one roof which contained washi tape under it and one door showed the logo.
Ambryan shook his head. The light became green and the car accelerated across the intersection. “Again. Why would you need it?”
“Because why not?” Eve grilled, using a high-pitched tone. Did everything need an answer? Couldn’t she just want one for the sake of it? The idea of using the drive-thru appealed to her.
Ambryan merely gave her the side-eye.
She rolled her hazel ones and raised her hands up. “Fine, fine. It’s for my sisters. Happy? They’re missing one piece. I want to get it for them.”
It became a habit of hers to collect them the toys. Not only did she get a meal but also got them a gift. It was a win-win though others may not see it that way.
Ambryan pulled up on another traffic light. He took the chance and studied her, checking if she was stating the truth.
Eve never wavered from his gaze. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was something else but… she wasn’t going to back down.
“Alright. Just this once.” Ambryan exhaled sharply. The traffic continued on and he diverted the car towards the closest branch. On the inside, he remapped his schedule to have extra hours of exercise.
He’d need it to burn those calories.
Eve cheered when the drive-thru had no line. Her stomach now growled compared to its previous rumble. Looking at the menu, she might just order more than she planned.
“Medium fries and drinks too and add a sundae please,” she called out to the speaker. Ambryan frowned at her but she ignored it and said, “Your turn.”
“I don’t want anything,” he replied. His hand moved to roll the window back up.
“No, no, no,” Eve protested. She leaned over and grabbed his hand, stopping it from moving. An accusing glint sparkled in her eyes. “You need to get a Smiley Meal too.”
“Why?”
“To get the last piece.”
“But you’re already getting one.” Ambryan complained. After a quick calculation, he decided that skipping the meal would save him the most effort.
No matter how much he thought about it, a quick meal in his penthouse was still the appealing option.
“To get the last piece for each sister,” she scoffed and emphasized the last three words—like her motive had always been obvious and clear.
Then again, he didn’t know how many sisters she had.
“...”
Oops?
Eve straightened her posture and shrugged. Her tone became light, brushing off her previous outburst. “So I need two pieces which means I need two Smiley Meals to get both.”
At least, she only had two sisters.
If Eri and Edi were triplets, would he agree to share a 3rd Smiley Meal?
Not that she wouldn’t beg him to…
Ambryan’s left eye twitched. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Are you certain that you’re not drunk?”
“Positive.” Eve nodded, dazzling him with a smile. She held up three fingers and demonstrated her points. “Drunk? No. Tipsy? Maybe. Hungry? Definitely!”
ns 15.158.61.20da2
