Eve.
Wanted.
To.
Slap.
Herself.
She bit down on her tongue hard. That sudden question was unlike her behavior. Years of practice crumbled on this day. The pillars fell down one by one. If she was lucky, Ambryan would turn a blind eye and she could still keep her job.
"Why do you ask?" Her boss spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Eve cleared her throat. A debate sparked inside her mind. Should she pursue or should she retreat? Either way, she needed a response that would save her. Her brain worked double time in search of one.
"Apologies, Sir Hathaway. There is no need to answer. Your question merely made me think of if the receiver was male. Then, I realized you explicitly said it was for women's interests."
A relieved sigh exhaled out of her nose. That sounded believable, even to her. She half-turned back to the door. It would be best if she left before she embarrassed herself further. Who knew what else would come out of her mouth?
"Chocolate doesn't go well with tea."
Eve snapped her head towards the work desk. Ambryan had his gaze up at the ceiling. His posture was relaxed against the chair's backrest. She fluttered her eyes, wondering if this was real. Her fingers itched to clean out her ears. Maybe they were the ones defective.
"Flowers are easily perishable."
An invisible force squeezed her throat. Speaking became a tedious task. She could only manage a few chokes. "I-I see. Sir—"
"Candies. I only eat sour ones."
"Ha—wait, what? You do?" Eve gasped. Air flowed back into her lungs. The hazy dream cleared out and reality hit her in the face. Ambryan's violet eyes had flickered to her direction. She pressed her lips together, realizing they were parted open.
Her boss cocked an eyebrow. An amused smile curled his lips by a millimeter. "Is that surprising? Were Wonka Nerds not popular anymore when you were young?"
"Wonka Nerds? Those tiny candies that came in a box? Usually divided into two flavors?" Eve exclaimed, recognizing the name. She hadn't seen that candy in so long. They were extremely sour for her taste. Each piece had one sugar granule inside—the only one she looked forward to.
To this day, she had no idea how she managed to eat an entire box.
"Oh, so you do know it." Ambryan remarked. He had the opposite experience with Richard. The latter only ate chocolates bars as a child which made him obese. Luckily, he stopped by the time he hit puberty. The diet and exercise, combined with his baby fat shrinking, helped him reach normal weight.
"Yes, I—Um..." Eve stuttered. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her or not but her brain leaned towards the former. That only meant one thing. It was time for her to escape.
She bowed briefly and said, "This has been insightful, Sir Hathaway. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. I will go back to work. Call me when there's a problem to address."
Before the CEO could reply, Eve yanked the door open and stepped out. She allowed herself a few moments of peace. Her loud heartbeat finally reached her ears. She didn't know what happened. Ambryan had always been closed off.
She only knew the preferences he listed down for suggested holiday gifts from business partners. Even then, those were formal ones. They revolved around the common presents between high society.
'Wonka Nerds?' Eve repeated in her head. She walked towards her desk and sat down. She wondered why her boss decided to answer her question. For fairness? Since he asked for hers? It wasn't like his intention had been personal.
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Romance"You're not about to carry me out in bridal style again, are you?" "Do you want me to?" He couldn't help but smirk. Her face from their date surfaced in his memories. He found it just as amusing as back then. Revenge never tasted sweeter. Would she...
