Date The CEO.com - Chapter 325: SS1 02: Officially Meeting the New Secretary

Eve pressed her ear against the bedroom door. She had woken up over an hour ago and saw a message from Ambryan, greeting her just half an hour after the sun rose. Running water sounded from the other side which she suspected to be the sink.

Ambryan hadn’t mentioned what time he’d be leaving for the office.

But based on the time, it seemed like he’d be following his regular hours.

“Yes, Hannah?” She heard him speak faintly. “No, they can’t start anything without me. Setup is fine but only the crew and only outside my office. They aren’t allowed inside until I get there.”

Eve lowered to the floor and crossed her legs. She fiddled with her phone while waiting for Ambryan to step out of the penthouse. Her stomach grumbled in hunger. Just how much did he do in the morning? And how was he never late all this time?

The sound of scratching against a hardwood door triggered alarm bells in her ears.

“Blueberry? What is it?”

Like lightning, Eve scrambled off the floor and raced to the bathroom. She thanked herself from 15 minutes earlier for making the bed. The latch on the bathroom door closed with a soft click. Relief swelled inside her chest at her last minute escape.

She couldn’t tell which cat it was but when she found out—

Ambryan opened the door, his phone pressed against his ear. Blueberry stalked inside and leaped up the bed. “Meow~”

The CEO shook his head.

“Tell them I’m on my way,” he said on the phone as he picked Blueberry off the bed. Tucking his phone away, Ambryan raised the black cat up to his eye level. “You’re acting weird lately. Do we have a mouse?”

Blueberry openly glared at the CEO. Not one to give up, the feline scrambled off his hold and bounded for the front door. He stopped in front of the coat rack, placing his front paws on it.

He meowed at the dark coat Eve had left. It was buried under Ambryan’s overcoat so it wasn’t noticeably visible.

Ambryan followed behind the cat and took his own coat. He shrugged it on with his back against the coat rack. Blueberry kept trying to get his attention but failed miserably.

Kiri joined the two and bid goodbye to Ambryan. “Meow, meow~”

“Behave you two. I’ll be at the office.”

Blueberry jumped for the front door as it closed. He slammed against it with his front legs spread over the wood. He stepped back, growling intensely under his breath. Then, he turned around and faced Kiri.

A pair of sparkling purple eyes stared at him.

He opened his mouth and said, “Meow, meow.” (We should leave him.)

“Meow?” (Why?)

“Meow, meow, meow.” (He’s an idiot.)

“Meow, meow.” (But he cares about us.)

“Meow, meow, meow!” (He doesn’t even know the woman is here!)

“Meow, meow, meow.” (That’s because it’s a surprise, silly.)

Blueberry snapped his head towards the guest room door. Eve had finally come out. She hid behind a wall, peeking at the front door. Her eyes eventually found the cats.

“Is Ambee gone?” She asked them.

“Meow! Meow!” Kiri responded enthusiastically.

Eve grinned. “Perfect.”

A dark cloud hovered above Ambryan’s head as soon as he reached his office floor. Too many people cluttered around it. He almost didn’t recognize his own building anymore. Shouts, instructions and arguments filled his ears.

Hannah stood by, frantically trying to keep up with all that was happening.

Ambryan closed the elevator doors behind him. He stalked through the room, passing by equipment and staff members. His violet eyes zero-ed in on his office door. He clenched his jaw, choosing to stay silent.

The crew eventually noticed him. They moved out of his way and lowered the volume of their voices. Hannah warned anyone else who still talked with her eyes. Their boss didn’t look happy—and they shouldn’t make that worse.

Ambryan took out the key to his office.

“Mr. Hathaway!” The new director greeted the CEO from behind. She sauntered towards, wearing a black shirt and a pair of jeans. She slammed her hand on his back. “My, you look much better in person! I don’t think our actor can even live up to it.”

An amused cackle flowed out of her lips. She turned towards their leading actor and said, “What do you think, Ghong Yu?”

“There’s always nothing like the original…”

“That is true!” She laughed.

Ambryan half-turned in her direction. “Excuse me, Director Sguist. There are still things I need to do. Please refrain from disturbing me or Hannah.”

Sguist raised her hands in surrender. “We’ll be on our best behavior. You won’t even know that we’re here.”

Choosing not to answer, Ambryan gestured for Hannah to come along. She dodged both equipment and people to reach his side. They entered the CEO’s office where nothing seemed to need attention.

That was until Hannah spotted the painting on the right wall. “This is still up, sir?”

Ambryan glanced at the portrait before checking if his desk drawer was locked. “As ridiculous as it looks, neither my mother and I trust just anyone to touch that. Wait for a little and I will help you.”

Hannah gulped. She wouldn’t have dared even if he didn’t say that. Her black eyes looked up at the 36in x 48in (91cm x 122cm) portrait of Evangeline Reed. Besides its large size, the painting also had a thick gold frame that weighed more than the canvas. It had surprised her when she first saw it but she eventually grew to admire the painting.

The future lady boss of their company was truly beautiful—the massive white wings she wore for the photo was fitting for her image.

“Where would you like it?” Hannah asked when Ambryan came to her side. He too stared at the magnificent painting his mother gifted him for the engagement.

“I’m not sure yet but we’ll find a place.”

Numerous floors below, Eve sneaked a peek at the parking lot. She found Ambryan’s car immediately and recognized the vans their film crews used. Her right hand instinctively touched the back of her head where she had tied her hair to a low ponytail. Thanks to a temporary black hair dye that came in a spray can, she resembled herself back when she used to work here.

Her glasses slipped down her nose. It had been a while since she took them out from their case. After she had resigned from her job as a secretary, she wore contacts more again until she had almost forgotten about her eyeglasses.

The sound of whistling reached her ears.

Eve shifted her attention towards the elevator, excited to see Darryl after all this time. The growing smile on her face immediately dropped. Her favorite security guard wasn’t on duty today. Would she be able to get past this one?

What was his name again? Daniel? Darwin?

Daryus?

Profanities hissed out of her mouth. Knowing the name was half of her ticket to get inside. She retreated out of sight and paced around for a bit. The name wouldn’t come to her. Leaning on the wall, she slapped both of her cheeks.

Nothing would come if she just stayed here.

She needed to get to the top floor.

“Whatever. Let’s wing it,” Eve told herself as she squared her shoulders. Except for the pencil skirt, her outfit was almost an exact match to what she wore before. She cleared her throat as she reached the security guard.

“Hi, I would like to visit the top floor please?” She said, mustering her sweetest smile and clutching her hands together.

“Do you have an appointment?” The security guard asked. He concentrated on a sudoku puzzle and hardly paid her any attention. Eve almost regretted talking to him. She might have gotten away with just directly using the elevator.

“I don’t…” Eve flinched at her own voice. “It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

He snorted. “That’s what they all say.”

“They do?”

“Yeah, think of something more original than that, missy. All his past lovers had said the exact same thing,” he further explained as he wrote down a number on his puzzle. “And everyone knows Mr. Hathaway is with that red-haired model.”

“…” Eve pressed her lips together.

Maybe she should have dyed her hair after she had gotten inside.

“Well, Dar—” she paused, clenching her clasped hands. “Da-Dar—I’m not his past lover. Only his past secretary.”

The security guard opened his mouth for a retort but the words died inside his throat when he saw her face. His jaw nearly dropped in surprise. “Ms. Hart!”

“Hey…!” Eve trailed off. Now, she felt bad for not remembering his name. “H-How have you been?”

“You’re here to help out with the filming, right? There’s an assistant involved in the story and you probably know a lot from your experience. You should have said so from the beginning!” He laughed, louder than she liked. Maybe it was because of the empty parking lot.

Soon, his laughter died down and he escorted her to the lift. “But I get it. It was a funny joke.”

Eve chuckled along with him. “Thank you for the assistance, D—”

“Darren.”

“Darren! Right! You usually take the night shift,” Eve resisted the urge to facepalm. She had long joked about Darren and Darryl’s names. It was a shame she had forgotten one of them.

“I did Darryl a favor so our schedules are messed up right now.” Darren stepped aside to let her pass. A warm smile spread across his face. “It was nice seeing you again, Ms. Hart.”

She returned it with equal warmth. “You too, Darren. Enjoy your puzzle.”

“Do you have more extensions?” A crew member asked Hannah.

The secretary turned around to face him. “Extensions?”

“Yeah, we need this plugged in.”

“Right, right,” Hannah muttered, looking around the office. “Extensions, extensions…”

Not a moment later, Eve found her checking the outlet behind the sofa in the waiting area. She tapped the secretary on the shoulder. “Hannah?”

“GAH!” Hannah exclaimed, nearly jumping 10 feet into the air.

“Calm down. It’s me. Eve.”