Date The CEO.com

Eve snort—and covered her mouth before it could reach Ambryan's ears. Ghong Yu heard it, raising an eyebrow in her direction. She failed to notice due to focusing on the tensed shoulders Ambryan now wore.

Director Sguist grinned at the CEO who had been taken aback by her suggestion. "That's right. You haven't been available for Ghong Yu to study up close. This is the perfect opportunity. How would the you from that time flirt subtly?"

Ambryan took his time to respond. It was an obvious bait. The director had a hidden agenda. It was the actor's job to prepare for the role. It was the crew's job to understand the script and to accommodate the demands of the investors. 

The script had approval for what it is.

Changes weren't allowed without permission. Except, he couldn't deny the logic presented to him. The audience needed to be hooked from the beginning. They needed something to go for.

"I mean we could always keep trying until the actors get it right—" Sguist mentioned in nonchalance. She could almost hear the gears grinding inside his head.

"Just this once."

She beamed and snapped her fingers towards him. "You got it, superstar."

Ambryan fixed his attire as he entered the scene. Eve turned her back on him, pretending to move into place. Ghong Yu exchanged places with the CEO and stood beside the director. Out of everyone, he seemed the most calm. 

Sguist immediately signalled to the crew to hurry. It was a chance they wouldn't want to miss. The CEO could suddenly change his mind and they'd have no material as reference.

Eve hid her smile. She also had the same thoughts.

It was a chance no one wanted to miss.

The scene restarted but something had changed. Director Sguist narrowed her eyes on the assistant. The actress had her back on the camera but her footing was different. Her weight rested on one foot, making her hips sway to one side. The curve of her back became more prominent. 

She had been stiff for the past two shots. What could be the reason for this one?

Then, her eyes landed on Ambryan who exited his office.

Eve glanced over her shoulder when she heard the door. Ambryan had walked out with one hand inside his pant pocket. He aimed for the elevators, waiting for no one unlike Ghong Yu did. He expected those files to be ready. 

And they would be if it was Eve doing them.

Instead of staying behind her desk, Eve moved around it and blocked his path. Her brown eyes gazed up at him in admiration. He returned it with an icy stare. The expression brought flashbacks for Eve. But, more importantly,

Could he tell it was really her playing herself?

This was the first good look Ambryan had at the actress playing Eve. The casting crew had done a good job to find a close match to her features. They even had the same light in their eyes. He almost fell under their spell.

Could such a phenomenon exist?

Eve offered him a small smile. "Here are the previous contracts we made with investors. I would also like to report that Charlene Evans had accepted the gift."

Ambryan grabbed the folder but kept it closed. "Was there any problem?"

"Nothing we weren't able to handle."

"Good."

He passed her, even lightly bumping her shoulder. Eve almost broke from character right then and there. Was that his subtle way of flirting? It sure didn't look like it. People could take it the wrong way instead.

Eve whirled around. "Sir Hathaway!"

Ambryan paused mid-step. Frown lines creased between his eyebrows. Then, he spotted the director looking at him with a smug expression. The expectation in her gaze bothered him—like she had been waiting for him to mess up.

He gritted his teeth and half-turned towards Eve. "Yes?"

The latter relaxed her facial muscles, longing written in her eyes. "Do you really have to go?"

"I have an important meeting." Ambryan refused to play along. This game had gone far enough. 

"But… we've barely had time together." Eve leaped forward until she closed the gap between them. She pressed her hands on his chest, standing dangerously close, and bit her bottom lip. "Why must you always look at another woman? I've always been here for you. Am I not good enough?"

"This is in violation of the company rules," he scolded. His posture stayed rigid but his skin tingled. His left eye twitched from resisting the urge to touch her back.

"But… didn't you hear, Mr. CEO?" Eve lowered her voice into a whisper. She flickered her gaze to his lips for a second before meeting his eyes once again. Oh, how she missed them. Wouldn't it be funny if he realized who she was from a kiss?

There was only one way to find out.

Her tone remained soft. "They say that rules are meant to be broken."

Then, she puckered up and yanked him down.

Ambryan used the folder to prevent their lips from touching. Fury blazed in his eyes.

"How dare you—"

"OHMYGOD! I'M SO SORRY I'M LATE!" A woman yelled from the lift. Her red hair had come undone from a ponytail, framing her face like a haystack. "I would have gotten here earlier but my stylist cancelled so I had to go to a salon—who are you?"

Eyes snapped towards Eve. She still had her arms around Ambryan's neck. A pout formed on her lips as she rested her cheek on his chest. "Aw, and I was having fun too."

"What's going on?" Director Sguist demanded. She rose to her feet and darted her gaze between the two women that looked alike. "Which one of you is a fake? Who dares crash into my set?!"

"Before we started filming, I thought she was also a secretary…" a crew member confessed. He wobbled from holding up the microphone. "She had been cleaning up the office like the other one did."

"I only have one secretary. Do remember it," Ambryan clarified. Then, he shifted his attention back to the woman in front of him. As if feeling his stare, she blinked up at him and flashed a cheeky smile.

"Filming has started?" Hannah said, walking out of a hallway and talking to herself. The room had gone quiet enough for everyone to hear her question. She slammed a hand onto her mouth and muttered apologies to the film crew.

But then… her eyes popped out of their sockets as she took in the scene. 

"Ms. Hart! Mr. Hathaway!" Her jaw dropped from the intimate pose. Ambryan hadn't made a move to push Eve off despite his interrupted protest to a kiss. His attention solely focused on the newcomer, trying to make sense of the situation.

"That's future Mrs. Hathaway to you." Eve winked at Hannah.

Sguist stiffened. Her hands dropped to her side. "You're the real assistant?"

Eve loosened her hold on Ambryan and addressed the director. "Only a reference."

"And someone who shouldn't be here," Ambryan pointed out. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her at arm's length. "Since when were you in the city? How come you didn't call? Did you also lie to me last night when you said you were in France?"

Hannah gasped, catching the attention of Ghong Yu. Her emotions really showed on her face. "Holy sh—is Ms. Hart and Ms. Reed the same person?"

Minutes later, Eve sulked in her seat. Ambryan had scurried her away from the crew and locked her up in his office. When she tried to tell him the crew would use it, he had already left the room. She pouted in his small sitting area and glared at anything her eyes landed on.

No one came in after 15 minutes. Eve slipped off the cushion and stared up the ceiling. He couldn't expect her to just wait, right? It wasn't like she meant to crash the set. The director had mistaken her identity and she had gone through the motions—ready to be removed from the role.

Except, it didn't happen that way.

But, at least, now they also had material on her to use as reference.

Eve hopped off the couch and stretched her arms. Ambryan's office hadn't changed since she last saw it. His tea set was in the same place. She was also willing to bet his pens on his desk hadn't been replaced either.

The bookshelves caught most of her interest. They reminded her of the one he had back in Hathaway Manor. Her hands brushed the spines, browsing for titles that seemed familiar. She pulled one out that looked older than the rest.

Its now empty spot revealed a splash of gold.

"What…" Eve placed the book back and walked to the end of the shelves. Pressing her ear against the wall, she found more gold behind the bookshelves. "What the hell…"

Her hand reached out and touched the frame.

Then, she tugged it. It was as heavy as it looked.

Not one to give up, Eve thought of another solution. She arranged the books by order of which spot they occupied on the shelves and placed them on the floor. It felt like a reverse puzzle—where she had to take the pieces apart in order to see the picture. 

The canvas slowly emerged from the shadows. 

Eve carried the last stack of books and stepped back. Words could not explain how she felt at the moment. The painting was beautiful. She could tell from the strokes that it was handmade—not merely edited to look like one. 

There was just one question in her mind.

"Eve—"

She whirled her head towards the door, saying, "Why is there a portrait of me in your office?"