CH 29: Meeting of Minds

"You still didn't answer my question though. Why did you choose Evangeline?"

"I would have thought you'd ask her instead." Ambryan answered, not missing a beat. His right hand moved to the mouse. The cursor opened another document for him to review.

An irritated pout tugged the corners of Avery's lips.

He had to be playing with her. This was a low level of distraction tactics. Her son probably couldn't come up with any better since he was in the middle of work. Still, who made the choice? Was it not him?

Why would she ask Evangeline about it?

"Unless you told her, I doubt she'd know," she pointed out, scoffing softly. This would probably go in circles. She needed another approach."Tell me what was it or should I start to believe that my amateur psychology tricked work?"

Ambryan stopped typing and paused his work. His head rotated towards his mother. The new information captured him. If there was a trick, his hunches before turned out to be false. He guessed it was Mila who his mother favored.

Did this mean it was Evangeline all along?

Avery wore a smirk. She finally got him. Nothing interested her son such as tricks, especially if it turned out that he missed them. Even more so, when it was right in front of his face. She only wanted to try it.

Who knew it might have actually worked or not?

"Psychology trick?" Her son scrutinized. The smug look on her face aggravated him.

"Yeah," Avery nodded, feigning nonchalance. Her shoulders shrugged. "I added things on the website that would attract you to Evangeline."

"Like what?" Ambryan demanded. The site was simple, in his opinion. If she did anything to it, he would have noticed since it would stand out. How subtle was this trick of hers?

"Nothing suspicious!" His mother defended as he glowered for answers. She averted her eyes and twirled a strand of her black hair. Her gaze went to the ceiling as if she daydreamed out loud.

Ambryan felt his temple throb. She was relishing in the moment and he knew it.

"I merely used the colors of her profile picture for the website's layout," his mother finally revealed. "The red background, the gold outline, the gray circles, the white name… Since you saw them for some time while you chatted with other women, I thought it would work for you to be drawn to her."

'Red, gold, gray, white…' he pondered. The frown lines between his brows deepened. They were the colors of the website. The red seemed fitting since it was meant to be a dating one. Gray was a popular shade for indicating no activity. Gold seemed more like a finishing touch.

'Then, how did—'

The temperature of the room dropped. Ambryan became still, his muscles contracting. The pieces of the puzzle formed an image. The brush dipped into the colors and created a painting. It gave him an epiphany as he recognized the photo.

Not just any photo for that matter…

It was Evangeline's profile picture.

Avery hung her head, pressing her lips together and shutting her eyes. The montage of different expressions on her son's face was a comical sight. With all those colors, wasn't it obvious she favored one woman?

She could hardly breathe from muffling her laughter.

This was just too good!

"Tell me this then, mother," her son snapped. He ignored his work and gave his full attention to her. His arms rested on the table as he leaned forward. A dangerous look clouded over his face.

"Why Evangeline? That little trick revealed your bias among the young women." The flecks in his eyes darkened. His voice dropped lower. His tone became menacing. "You probably only met her once yet you favored her. Why?"

Avery met his gaze, using a neutral expression. "And why would I answer that if you won't answer mine?"

"I know you made a deal with her."

Her eyebrows shot up. "I also made a deal with you. Is there something about our deal that makes you wary?"

She hadn't expected that. How much did her son know? Did Eve reveal her identity to him? Would that mean he chose her because they worked together? A groan rumbled in her throat as she closed her eyes.

If that did happen then, her plan failed.

Just the thought of it sucked.

Ambryan reeled back. His elbows settled on the armrests. "She never told me what it was."

"She didn't?" His mother gasped and blinked at him. Her gaze searched his face, wondering if he was telling the truth. It would be too easy to lie about it. They could keep it from her and continue with their own plan.

"She revealed nothing."

Avery relaxed in her seat, believing him. No lie in the world could mask her son's irritation. It exhausted him to play nice. She would have loved to see how he chatted with the women. It must have been funnier than any sitcom.

She would have watched while eating popcorn.

"I definitely made the right choice then." She shrugged, smiling. Eve truly did wonders. Not only did the young woman handle the pressure but also she managed to stand out among the rest.

Ambryan exhaled sharply. "So did I."

His answer seemed to be enough. He watched her mother's eyes shine. They communicated in silence, coming to an agreement. Both of their reasons appeared to be the same. They didn't need to ask anymore.

Avery stood up and grabbed her satchel bag. With her heels, she matched his eye level. She liked the feeling it gave her. It wasn't often that she reached his 188cm height (6'2" ft).

"Fine, I won't pry anymore." She sighed. That was probably as good as she'd get. She proceeded to list a few reminders. "Be sure to plan for your first meetup. Do whatever you both want, I just want you to date for 9 months. I'll be watching."

"Of course you are." Her son snorted. He pulled himself closer to the computer and resumed his reports. He still had half a month of activities to work on.

As Avery turned around, she paused mid-step. Her fingers snapped at her sudden thought. "Oh, before I forget, the website will become an app."

Ambryan missed a beat. It didn't last long. The app idea made sense. If he and Evangeline only communicated with the website, it would be hard to time their chats. Neither of them knew each other's schedules. They could also be unstable.

He also would rather not reveal his phone number.

Still, Ambryan couldn't help but say, "To make it easier to spy on us?"

His mother grimaced. His provocation worked. She clenched her free hand to a fist. It itched to hit him but her self-control won over.

Now, she just needed to suppress her hand that held the bag.

"For you to call each other even if the person has it closed," Avery explained, rolling her eyes. Most people didn't know it but her son had a childish side to him. "You won't need to log in and out anymore.��

Ambryan spared her a glance. "Why didn't you make it an app in the first place?"

"Time was short and a website was easier to set up." She elaborated. Besides, her son preferred a computer over a phone. She merely followed his tastes. He would need to get used to his phone from now. A PC couldn't substitute the convenience of cellular communication.

When Avery didn't receive a response, she winked and whispered.

"Don't worry. I kept the name." She winked.

Her son merely ignored it but his keys tapped louder. "Please close the door when you leave. If you want a beverage, request it from Eve."

"Aw, I love you too!"

She blew him a flying kiss and headed for the exit, not looking back. The answer was far from her expectations but it was a start. At least, he chose Evangeline for her attitude and personality. They must get along well if that was the case.

The thought made her giddy inside.

When the door opened, Eve scrambled off her chair and rose to her feet. Her hands fixed her blazer. The summary of the meeting flashed on her screen. She finished half of it. It would take her another 15 minutes for the rest.

After that, she liked to highlight the major points.

It made it easier for readers to understand the discussion.

"Ah, Eve." Avery greeted her, walking over. She sat on a spare chair beside the secretary's desk and pulled out her phone. "My son told me I can have a beverage of my choice."

"I will have it done right away, Mrs. Hathaway." Eve replied. Her hand reached for the telephone, ready to rely on the instructions. "What is it?"

"I want 5 cappuccinos, 5 lattes and 5 mochas. Oh, with one large box of tarts." The madam ordered, beaming with delight. "All from Café Loctart please."