Date The CEO.com

Eve halted in her steps. "Huh…"

"What is it?"

"I think this will be the first time I've seen Mila since New Year's."

The Magical Symphony stood a few meters away. It was a Saturday and the twins had their music lessons. They had permanently moved into the Hathaway Manor though Aunt Georgie would have loved them to stay longer. 

Since Eve and Ambryan would be married soon enough, Aunt Avery thought quality time with the twins would be best to strengthen their familial relationships.

"That would be the same for me then," Ambryan shared. They had passed an ice cream shop on the way, ordering ice cream shakes for the twins, one chocolate and one vanilla. 

"I should have asked the twins what Mila thinks of me now." Eve had come back to Maize City for almost a week now. She had taken the whole time off and planned to spend quality time with Ambryan and her sisters—another tactic to have her real identity slowly revealed to the public.

"Why?" Ambryan scowled. He tugged her hand forward. "I don't think it would be anything bad."

"That's only speculation."

"Just act as you normally would. She won't get used to it if you avoid her like the plague."

Eve curled her lips inwards. Ambryan had a valid point. She was only delaying the inevitable. Their last conversation hadn't been terrible but it had been awkward. It's been more than a month since then. This should be interesting.

But, hopefully, in a positive way.

"Alright." Eve gathered any courage she had left. 

She and Ambryan walked the rest of the way. Most of the students had already left. There were barely any cars in the limited parking space. A different employee greeted them, recognizing them by face and letting them inside.

They headed for the piano room where Mila stepped out with a clipboard over her chest.

Her jade green eyes popped out of their sockets. "Eve! Ambryan!"

Like the couple, it hadn't escaped her mind that it had been a while since they saw each other. She had stared at the twins weirdly any time she saw them and they confronted her about it. It led to her admitting that she knew about their sister.

She may or may not have heard stories she probably shouldn't hear.

"Hi, Mila." Eve showed a friendly smile. "It's been a while."

Mila broke out of her reverie. She tucked her ginger hair behind her ear and tried to think of a casual topic. "You're back from France? I saw you at Fashion Week. You did great."

Eve raised her eyebrows, not expecting that at all. "Thank you. Um, where are the twins?"

She peeped into the doorway but found an empty classroom. Students usually stayed here when their guardians were late. Eve and Ambryan had underestimated the time of their walk. Their distracted minds might have also been the cause of their lack of punctuality.

Frown lines creased above Mila's nose bridge. "Oh… you didn't know?"

Shifting her attention back to the music teacher, Eve replied, "Didn't know what?"

Mila opened her mouth then closed it again. This was an unusual scenario. It could still be alright but something in the back of her mind told her it wasn't. "Your… father came to pick them up."

A needle could be heard in the silence that came next.

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Kiri and Blueberry jolted awake when the door banged open.

Eve marched into the penthouse and paced around the living room. She tossed the hat towards the couch. The cats leaped off it just before it could hit them. Her hands combed through her scarlet hair, turning it into a bird's nest. 

"They could be anywhere by now," she said, her voice shaking with fear. The tremors travelled to her limbs. Her chest rose and fell in rapid speed. "I—How—UGH!"

Ambryan walked up to her. He had his phone pressed against his ear. He spoke rapidly in low breaths but changed back to his normal voice when addressing his fianceée. "They're fine. We'll find them."

Wrapped around her own thoughts, Eve had a wild look in her eyes. They barely focused on one spot and always darted in different directions. Blood drained from her head. It became light, causing her to stop moving—just until the room stopped spinning.

"How could this happen?" She continued as she gasped for proper breath. "How could he just show up like that? We even had our names changed. It's been almost six years since he last saw them. They had changed so much. He wouldn't have been able to recognize them!"

Ambryan locked his phone and closed the gap between them. He forced her to face his direction, kneading both of her shoulders. "Wen is looking for them. Mother is also arranging bodyguards for the girls. This won't happen again."

Eve closed her eyes. She breathed through her mouth. Her hands had unknowingly grabbed Ambryan's upper arms. She squeezed them like a stress ball. It was hard to do because of his defined muscles but it did the trick. 

Her mind had cleared.

She wasn't alone. 

Ambryan was here. It probably worried him to see her like this. While she went hysterical, he had actually taken action. There was a group of people already searching for her sisters. They all needed her to calm down. She contributed nothing by acting this way.

"I can't believe this." Eve sighed, pulling back and crashing on the couch. She laced her hands together and bent forward. Her forehead rested against her finger knuckles while her elbows propped on her thighs. 

One question came to her mind. "What does dad want?"

Ambryan sat beside her. A grim expression painted his face. "He's very elusive, your dad."

Eve lowered her hands and slowly looked up. "Have you tried to track him down?"

He didn't answer right away. "I may have heard warnings from mom."

Another deep sigh exhaled out of her nose. It was only a matter of time. Avery must have known it from the beginning when she did a background check. Yet, the madam had welcomed Eve in with open arms—and pushed Eve towards her son.

"Russell Spinster…" Eve said. The name felt both foreign and familiar on her tongue. A humorless half-smile tugged the corner of her lips. "I remember him being there as I grew up. It wasn't until later did I realize that… he wasn't really there. He spent most of his time outside even after work or an off day. They married early so maybe he felt like he missed out on the life of not having family obligations."

"Eve…" Ambryan began to say, ready to stop her.

She gripped his hand and pulled it to her lap. Both of her hands trapped it there, playing with his fingers. "It's okay. I know the kind of man my dad is. I just sometimes wonder what kind of man he was for my mom to fall in love with him."

They had been sweet and romantic occasionally. But, the majority of the time, it didn't seem that way. Something must have happened. She didn't know what it was until after Evangeline died. 

Ambryan thought of what to say. "If she hadn't, I wouldn't have you right now."

Eve dropped his hand and scoffed. "That is so cheesy. Don't say that again."

"It is a fact though," he pointed out. "And it made you laugh."

A genuine smile stretched her lips this time. Her hands had found his right one again. She massaged the palm of it. "It did, yeah. I wonder how things would be right now if Madison had been my father. And how you're working him to death when you take holidays out of the blue like going to France."

He humored her for a few seconds and pictured the scenario in his head. In his opinion, it didn't look as pretty as reality did. "It's a blessing that Madison isn't your father then."

Madison would surely use it to his advantage, claiming Ambryan wasn't good enough for Eve, telling Ambryan to prove his dedication, criticizing his work efficiency—all to have his own workload lessened.

A cell phone rang and Ambryan answered the call immediately.

He listened briefly, thanking the other person on the line. Then, he turned his head in Eve's direction. "Wen found them."

Her heart leaped out of her chest. "Are they okay?"

"Yes, they're fine."

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"Let's go."

Russell had taken his daughters to the same arcade Eve and Ambryan had their date. He had let them play any machine they wanted, introduced them to some of his favorites and paid for everything. From the window, all three of them seemed to be having a blast.

Eve almost didn't recognize him when she and Ambryan arrived.

"Eve! Eve! Look who is here!" Eri yelled. Heards turned towards her as she ran up to her older sister. "Can you believe it?! Dad's here!"

Gulping down the lump in her throat, Eve finger-combed her sister's hair. "Well, you look like you're having a good time."

"There's so many games here! I didn't know why boys like them so much but I do know!"

"What about you, Ede?" Eve asked. She avoided looking in a certain direction. That could wait. What mattered the most were her sister's conditions.

Ede had stayed on the bench. In front of her was a short arcade machine. "It's alright. A little loud but the games are fun. Right, dad?"

Eve finally met the eyes she inherited. What she felt in that moment was indescribable. Both hot and cold blood rushed into her veins. This was a man she didn't know how to address anymore. Hell, she didn't even know she truly thought of him.

Like, did she still consider him as her dad after all that happened?

Russell had his mouth opened. He blinked several times and cleared his throat. Rising to his feet, he helped Ede hop off the bench. He stayed behind her as they approached the group.

If Eve didn't know any better, she'd think he used Ede as a shield.

"Hi, Eve."