CH 24: Game of Cat and Mouse

Ambryan logged into the website when he came home.

His mother knew he already left the office. She had bluntly scolded the board of directors about his office hours. She stated all the problems it would cause his health, threatening the company could collapse if he became sick.

More than anyone, Ambryan knew those claims were exaggerated. He compensated over the outburst by stating he'd continue the work at home.

It didn't matter anyway as long as he had the chat open—his mother's real reason.

He shrugged off his black suit jacket. Then, he hung it on the backrest of his chair. Kiri slept soundly on the couch. She favored a pillow which had a pattern of shooting stars.

Her light snores were the only sound in the room.

Exhaling sharply, Ambryan clicked on the first chat notification. A dark cloud circled around his head. The exhaustion from before resurfaced. Why did he even need to reply? The conversation held no value.

It wasn't worth the time.

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``Mila: Hey! Hope you're having a good day!``

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His fingers posed over the keyboard and got ready to write a response. Despite his complaints, he worded it with caution.

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``Yan: Ms. Clark, apologies for the late response. Days are neither good nor bad. They are simply a measurement of time.``

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Ambryan moved to the next chat notification. If possible, the cloud around his head darkened further. A pest had come to annoy him. He typed out his reply and moved on since he still had work.

He focused his mind on composing emails instead.

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``Jane: Good afternoon, Ambryan! How is your day going?``

``Yan: Ms. Wilson, apologies for the late response. Days are neither good nor bad. They are simply a measurement of time.``

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Then, a new notification came up.

Ambryan switched windows.

Red lips smiled at him. A hazel eye sparkled under the light. Luscious crimson hair flowed like a waterfall. The clutch she held hinted that the photo came from the shoot. The Athon logo of a koala was embossed in the middle.

He scrutinized it more, trying to see what Luna meant. He suspected that it was the eyes. They were clear and genuine.

Ambryan shook his head.

What was he thinking? He focused on the chat and formed a response.

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``Lin: Mr. Hathaway. Good evening.``

``Yan: You replied quite late.``

``Lin: I also work, Mr. Hathaway.``

``Yan: You have another job besides modelling?``

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Ambryan rubbed his chin. Her bio hadn't mentioned anything else… but it would make sense if she had another job. As a rookie, her projects weren't stable yet. She would need another source of income.

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``Lin: I work as an online tutor for part time.``

``Yan: In what subject?``

``Lin: English. What about you? What does a CEO do? Sign off checks?``

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A small smile teased his lips. Her last message didn't sound like her. Her previous ones had a diplomatic tone. It was obvious that she wanted to change the topic, diverting it towards him.

Ambryan commended the attempt.

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``Yan: One of many things.``

``Lin: Is it confidential to tell?``

``Yan: It's irrelevant for me to not tell.``

``Lin: Then, what's relevant for you to tell?``

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'How sly,' he thought, resting his chin on the base of his palm. She managed to reverse his words and throw it back. It was impressive—also, entertaining.

Two notifications came from the other windows. Both girls sent their messages simultaneously as if they waited the entire day. Ambryan's lip corners dropped. Playing nice wasn't within his abilities.

In fact, he preferred not to play at all. What was he doing? Would he really tolerate a week of this?

The frown lines above his nose deepened. He fished out his phone and created a new text message.

``To mother: One week is unnecessary. These women only tick me off. Not that they're bad people, mother, but that I can't find the energy to entertain them.

If you approve, I will pick Evangeline.``

Ambryan sent it without hesitation. He didn't need more convincing.

If he needed to spend 9 months with one woman, he chose to spend it in leisure. He put down his phone as his eyes looked back at the monitor.

His fingers typed before he realized what was happening.

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``Yan: How would you like to continue this conversation in person?``

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Silence followed.

Ambryan scrunched his eyebrows. "How peculiar."

He leaned back on the chair and waited. Kiri stirred in her sleep. She blinked her eyes, rubbing them with her paw. Her gaze landed on the work desk.

"Meow." She shook her fur and leaped to the floor. After a few paces, her legs jumped towards her spot on the table.

She peeked at the screen. "Meow!"

Ambryan chuckled and nuzzled her ear. "You really like her. She hasn't agreed to the meetup just yet. We'll have to reel her in."

It seemed like Evangeline knew how to play this game. If he couldn't corner her, they would be walking around in circles. His mind raced of possible counterattacks. He knew that she wouldn't make this easy.

A ping caught his attention.

He shifted his gaze towards the monitor, reading the new message.

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``Lin: I have a question first.``

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Ambryan already expected it. He would be more disappointed if she didn't have any. Leaning forward, he prepared himself for the game. He recalled business conversations he had, every win and every lost.

He was ready to practice all he learned.

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``Yan: What is it?``

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Evangeline typed. The three dots fluttered, indicating her activity. Ambryan locked his jaw. It seemed to be a long composition. Maybe she lied about it being one question or maybe she broke them down into different points.

It felt like an eternity.

…

...

…

Then, her message came.

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``Lin: Coffee or Tea?``

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Ambryan froze. Any rebuttal he had dwindled. The question exceeded his expectations. It wasn't even in the same timezone as him. It completely broke his momentum.

He grimaced, wondering where this would lead.

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``Yan: Tea.``

``Lin: Well, I guess that's it.``

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He waited.

Nothing came.

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``Yan: What is 'it'?``

``Lin: We can't work together. We'll just have a lot of arguments. Exhausting time. Draining energies. It's best for you to pick someone else.``

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Ambryan blinked. His brain wasn't following. He didn't know the relevance of beverages nor their significance. What he did know was what exhausted his time and drained his energy. Currently, two women topped that list and he wanted neither of them.

He only had his eyes on her.

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``Yan: Would you mind elaborating how you come to this conclusion from my answer?``

``Lin: Oh, I pick coffee.``

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'A coffee lover,' he mused to himself. His secretary was the same. They never incurred problems about it. It wasn't like he hated coffee. He had the occasional cup.

His logic was simple.

If there was tea, he picked tea.

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``Lin: Our different in taste would make things difficult.``

``Yan: I'm sure most establishments offer both beverages.``

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Taste in beverages? Really? Was this a dating language he never knew about?

Not thinking twice, Ambryan moved to the other chat windows.

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``Yan: Ms. Clark, do you prefer tea or coffee?``

``Mila: Hm. I like both but I usually drink more tea.``

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Three lines creased on his forehead. The answer didn't stir any ideas. It merely seemed trivial, unconnected to Evangeline's reasonings. It didn't clear up his confusion.

Not one to give up, he switched to the next chat notification.

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``Yan: Ms. Wilson—``

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Ambryan deleted the message. Somehow, he already knew what the answer would be. He always drank tea. Jane probably had noticed it by now. Her opinion would be a little biased.

Still scowling, he exhaled sharply. None of his previous research talked about this. Was he overthinking this? Was the answer staring him at the face?

Then, something clicked.

Ambryan widened his eyes. The topic slowly began to make sense. It was a distraction tactic…

… and he just fell for it.

Adrenaline rushed into his veins. His fingers tapped on the keys with vigor. It may have worked for awhile but it wouldn't anymore. He would stir the conversation in his favor.

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``Yan: What is this about, Ms. Evangeline? Do you not want to date me?``

``Lin: … well, I surely can't imagine it.``

``Yan: Why is that?``

``Lin: It may shock you to hear that not everyone is head over heels for you before they even meet you.``

``Yan: Why did you join this site then?``

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Ambryan's phone buzzed on the table. He snatched it and opened the notification. His text message earlier had received a reply. He read it quietly.

``From Mother: Are you sure about this? You can't change your mind. Tell me if you are absolutely sure about Evangeline. If you will do so then, I will agree to dismiss the others.``

His confirmation contained one word: Yes.

After sending it, he smirked and turned back to the chat window. Evangeline had also sent him a message. It only widened the smirk on his face.

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``Lin: Have you tried asking your mother? I know you consider it important to know my motivations.``

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Smugness radiated off the CEO.

Now that he had restored his bearings, he made his winning move. A trick she used on him.

This time, he would be the one to throw it back.

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``Yan: You really like to make things difficult, don't you? Very well. Like you said, if I really loved my mother, I would play along with her wishes. Will you not help me do as you suggested?``