CH 46: A Little Funk and a Little Soul

The rest of Sunday afternoon was spent in a music store. The three siblings shopped for a violin and a digital piano. It turned out that the latter looked similar to a keyboard. It came in various stands. One even had none, resembling a portable keyboard, but it had no buttons on its casing that could alter the sounds.

Eve had a long debate with the sales representative about the pros and cons as well as the prices. She also consulted her sisters on what they truly wanted. 

It turned out to be more exhausting than she thought.

Both girls tested and played with them until they needed to leave.

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Soon, the next morning came. 

Eve hummed as she walked through the parking lot. Music had been in her head since she woke up. It played over and over like a broken record. It had infected her to the point that she wanted to sing along. She didn't mind it. 

In fact, she welcomed it. The beat boosted her mood which she desperately needed for today. 

After all, this would be the first time she'd see her boss since the date with Evangeline. She didn't know what to expect. 

Will this agitation ever stop?

Eve pushed the up button for the private elevator. Her eyes flickered towards Darryl for a moment. For some reason, the old man remained silent and rigid. She bit her inner cheek, debating if she should talk to him.

Then, thought better of it. He might want to be alone. 

When the song reached a good part, she mumbled the lyrics. She quickly slipped into its rhythm. Her head bopped side to side and her shoulders swayed a bit. Despite the sudden energy, she kept her voice low and quiet.

Who knew who could be liste—

"What are you singing?" Ambryan asked behind her, announcing his presence.

"Ah!" Eve jumped. She whirled around with horror in her eyes. Her boss stood before her. Unlike her muddled state, his expression stayed composed. She cleared her throat up seeing it. Her behavior had been unprofessional.

She recovered herself with a bow. "Mr. Hathaway! Good morning."

"Good morning, "Ambryan greeted back. He stepped towards her side and also waited for the elevator. "Will you answer the question?"

"Which?"

He cocked an eyebrow. His secretary wasn't usually this absentminded. It wouldn't be work efficient if she was distracted. "About what song you were singing?"

Eve was about to reply when she suddenly closed her mouth. She gulped down her words and laughed awkwardly. Unlike earlier, she now purposely acted embarrassed. She used it to stall time. She needed to in order to think of a similar song.

Otherwise, she'd reveal that it was a song from the skating rink.

Something that could be seen as suspicious. 

At least, it was, according to her.

"Oh, um…" Eve dragged, forcing her mind to think. She went through a mental playlist of songs and hit a match after several seconds. Her entire face changed as she lit up with inspiration. "It's—uh, it's-it's a new hit from a Korean boy band. Has retro vibes. You want to hear it?"

Ambryan narrowed his gaze and leaned closer. He gave no warning and startled her. Eve pressed her lips together. Her hands shook from the intimidating look. It felt like an x-ray saw right through her lie.

'Did he recognize it from the rink too?' she wondered to herself. 'If that was the case, can the ground swallow me whole?'

"I will pass," her boss finally replied and headed for the open elevator.

Eve breathed out a sigh. Relief instantly washed over her tensed muscles. Her head throbbed at one side from the previous lack of breath. She hadn't even known about it until now. Her heels clacked on the lift's flooring.

Soft jazz music played out of the speakers. 

Ambryan stood with his hands tucked in his pant pockets. His steady gaze stared at the floor numbers, watching them go up at a consistent speed. "Any news from Madison?"

Hearing the question, Eve slipped into her work mode. She fished out her cell phone and unlocked it. Only a few people contacted her outside of work. One of them included the company's President Madison. 

Her notifications were clean. 

"Nothing yet," she answered with a curt tone, "Things at the studios must not be as urgent as we thought."

Ambryan nodded and moved on to his next question. "Is the meeting with Athon Corporation set?"

"Yes, it's scheduled at 10am." Eve typed on her phone, messaging Luna directly. A thought appeared in her mind as she sent it. She opened her contact list and searched for a familiar restaurant name. "Shall I prepare a reservation for lunch?"

"Please do. Luna would want to eat out."

"I'll set it right away. Around 12? I believe the agenda will be covered by then," Eve composed a quick message to De La Lune. She would call again when they reached the top floor. This was merely an advance notice. 

"12 sounds good."

Nodding her head, Eve sent the notice and opened a different conversation window. "Tarts had been delivered at the office. I will refrigerate them until the meeting begins."

Ambryan peeled his eyes off the floor numbers and scowled in her direction. It seemed that his secretary was back on track. Yet, he still wanted to test her and asked, "Where are they from?"

"From Café Loctart."

"Perfect," he remarked. Those were Luna's favorites. He turned his head back and stared at the elevator doors. "Well done as always, Eve."

The secretary breathed out a laugh. The corners of her lips remained tilted up. "Thank you for the praise, Sir Hathaway, but you and I both know this is the easiest part of my job."

Up to now, she found the reports boring. They made her drowsier than warm milk at night. She drank more coffee than normal whenever she did them. The monthly ones were killer. She'd just sit on her desk all day—even for lunch break while she munched on some crackers.

That would be the case if everything else went smoothly.

And no emergency happened. 

Ambryan peeked at her from the corner of his eye. She did have a point. There would be more difficult tasks to face once they reached the top floor. Eve continued to tap on her phone. The same hum flowed out of her closed lips. 

He figured that she didn't even notice the habit.

Seeing her relaxed stature prompted him to tease her, "What do you want me to do? Make you pick up my dry cleaning? Find an unpublished manuscript?"

Eve snapped her head up. His statements sounded familiar to her. She'd definitely heard of them before. Frown lines creased between her brows as she thought, 

'Are you quoting 'The Devil Wear Prada'?' 

"Yes, mother watched it a lot when I still lived in the house," Ambryan answered. The elevator doors opened before their eyes. He stepped out first and headed for his own office door. His right hand reached inside his inner breast pocket, taking out the key.

Behind him, Eve had turned into an ice sculpture. She could possibly die if she humiliated herself for the third time. She stepped out of the elevator and hit the side of her head, using the base of her palm. 

"Did I say that out loud?" She asked sheepishly, already dreading the response. Why did she even bother when she knew what he'd say? At this point, she was only digging herself a grave.

"You did." 

Eve refused to look at him. A pink tint colored her ears but she ignored it. This simply wouldn't do. The topic had to move on. She changed directions and aimed for her work desk. 

"I will set up my desk. Then, brew your tea," Eve declared. The first thing she did was open a drawer for any mail that came while she had her weekend off. 

"Alright." Ambryan entered the office. 

Then, his steps halted suddenly. 

His secretary hummed the same song again. She probably did so to calm herself down. It did seem to be uplifting and energetic. He could understand why she continued to hum it even after their lengthy conversation. 

Unguarded, the tune suddenly triggered a memory of his. It reminded him of a hot Saturday afternoon, of a woman with red wavy hair and of a crowded roller skating rink. The music replayed in his head. It sounded perfectly clear despite the noise from the other customers that day.

A thought occurred to him. 

"Oh, and one more thing." Ambryan leaned back so he could see behind the door.

"Yes, Sir Hathaway?" Eve met his eyes instantly as she sat down on her chair. Her fingers tapped on the keyboard, logging her in. The monitor became blue and loaded her desktop. It showed her a photo of a lake. Its water was so clean that she could see the bedrock under it.

If hell could freeze over, Eve figured his next sentence would be able to do it.

"Do you mind helping Wen and audit the recent news about me?"