Date The CEO.com

Chapter 128: Superiors and Subordinates

Eve stepped towards the door, getting ready to leave. "I'll be at my work desk. Please do remember your time and place, Sir Hathaway. This incident is not directly related to the company. Don't act on it hastily."

She turned her back on him and made a straight exit. The tray went inside the fridge. It still had leftover finger food as well as water in the pitcher. She walked to her office space and chanted the same words in her head. 

Taking her own advice might be the best idea.

The next few hours had been full of emails and reports.

Eve placed her phone on DND mode, refusing to be distracted. Evangeline wasn't her real life. Her life would remain the same even if things went downhill. Her fingers tapped harder on the keyboard keys. She believed that if she heard it loud enough, it could push away other thoughts.

Her previous fatigue had been overruled by the rush of the adrenaline. Desk work went on better and smoother. Even the tasks she usually left for last had been accomplished. Anything that needed filing found themselves in their respective folders and drawers. 

The best part was

there was still more to keep her day 'too busy for anything else.'

"Hello, Ms. Hart," Darryl greeted through the intercom. "Reception called. Someone is on their way through the hidden entrance from the main lobby. Can you take a guess on who it is?"

"Madison." Eve sighed. The President was the only person who used that option. It led to the elevator for the top floor. "Thanks for the heads up, Darryl. Do you want some devilled eggs and toasts? There's leftovers."

"Sure! They're easy to eat. I can munch on them while on duty."

"But, first. I need to welcome our unexpected guest."

"No problem."

Eve stood up and checked the elevator. Sure enough, the floor numbers were moving. Her left hand reached for the telephone while her right one dialed. The call rang two times before it was picked up. "Hello, Sir Hathaway. President Madison is on his way for a visit."

"Yes, I was expecting him."

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"Really?"

"I haven't been responding to his messages and calls."

"..."

The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival. Two voices emerged as it opened its doors. Their volume climbed higher as the sources came closer. Eve strolled around her desk and waited for them to reach her.

"This is an important matter. Yan is the face of the company. We have to resolve this as quickly as possible. I don't care if he's been rejecting my calls! He needs to realize how crucial this is!"

"Sir Madison, Sir Hathaway has experienced several scandals for the past five years. This is no bigger than any of them. The people know he goes through lovers like clothes in a closet. You are merely overreacting."

"This one is different, Riffle! He said so himself! You heard him. Evangeline is his girlfriend! He never claimed the others as such."

"But, he also stated that his personal life and work are separate things. Anyone would be a fool to declare that his girlfriend's actions will affect the company. If the past ones had barely created a dentand I am saying this because some of them are psychosThis. Is. Nothing."

"Good morning, Sir Madison and Mr. Johnson."

The two men stopped bickering.

Eve had grown impatient. They had stopped halfway to continue their argument. They both stood with their feet apart while facing each other. Their stances remained tense but their eyes stared at the secretary.

Madison had his long albino hair up in a ponytail. The style highlighted the sharp definitions of his face, making him more like his age. His army green suit brought out the depth of his luminous green eyes.

On the other hand, Riffle had cropped black hair and a pair of glasses. He was younger in age but his voice was deeper than the President's, sounding more mature. His jawline was also more defined than Madison's. 

They both had the same height.

"I've already informed Sir Hathaway about your arrival. You may proceed to his office." Eve gestured towards the door, stepping aside to let them pass.

Madison was the first to react. "Finally!"

First, he slammed the door open.

Next, his jaw dropped.

"Did hell freeze over? What in the world are you wearing?" The President demanded as he stepped inside. The door closed behind him, leaving the two secretaries by themselves.

Eve relaxed instantly and went back to her desk. She stayed on her feet and grabbed another stack of papers. She had organized them already. What was left to do was to punch holes into them and fasten them to a new folder.

"Hey, Eve." Riffle joined her, choosing the other side of the table. 

"Hey. Riff."

He groaned. "Stahp it."

Giggling, she pushed down on the lever. "But it's cute!"

"No. No, it's not." Riffle protested strongly. He huffed and took the folder. Then, he reached for the newly punched papers and inserted the fastener through the holes. "How have you been?"

Their superiors would be talking for who knew how long. He figured he could also relax while waiting. There hadn't been many opportunities to do so. He practically babysat a pre-teen for 12 hours a day, five days a week.

"The question is how have you been, Riff? Weren't you working for the Chairman sometime ago? How was it? Was he tough?"

"Hathaway Sr.? It was as I expected, I guess. Definitely different from Sir Madison."

Eve pushed on the lever once again. This time, it didn't puncture all the way through. After several attempts, she deduced that the stack of papers were too thick for her strength. But, if she pulled them out now and tried again, she'd fail to match the holes to the blades.

It just wouldn't look good.

She glanced in Riffle's direction, pleading for his help. He rolled his eyes but took the puncher. The bags under his eyes were darker than usual. Eve grabbed the folder in return and checked their progress.

A sigh flew out of her lips. "Well, what if you worked for Hathaway Jr. instead?"

"Hahahaha!" Riffle began to laugh, making her look up. His amusement soon died when their eyes locked. "Oh. I thought you were joking." 

Then, he lifted up the puncher towards her. His maple syrup eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You told me that you'd never give up this job."

"I mean" Eve feigned innocence, shrugging her shoulders. It had been a while since she had other company while at work. It was a nice change of pace. "You never know. Future is never certain."

"What?" Riffle placed the puncher down and propped his thigh on the desk. He leaned closer, prepping his ear for the story. "Okay, what's going on, Miss I-Am-All-That?"

.

.

.

.

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A few paces awayand a door in betweentwo gentlemen sat across each other. The younger one typed on his keyboard, unbothered by his companion's presence. The other person didn't share the sentiment. 

Madison glowered. "I didn't come all the way here just for you to keep ignoring me."

"King, we're at work. What did you expect?" Ambryan pointed out. "Even Evangeline knows not to expect quick responses while on the job."

"That's because she knows you're a workaholic."

"You also know that too."

"..." the President fished out his phone and checked the news. He entered the keywords for the latest drama. The results had increased since the last time he looked it up. It didn't seem to stop anytime soon.

His head shook as the headlines became more ridiculous than the last. "Who would do such a thing? Evangeline is such a sweetheart. She and Mikael are probably just friends but noooo. The public can't see that."

Ambryan reached for the mouse and moved on to another window. "That's a given. Why are you so surprised? This type of thing has happened many times and you've experienced some yourself."

Madison put his phone down. "You're really not going to say anything?"

Was it wrong to help? Should they just let this die down? Unlike the two of them, Evangeline had barely anyone to defend her. Her followers on her socials were small in number. And, she lost half of them because of this 'scandal.'

"No." Ambryan repeated, adding emphasis on his intonation. "If you have nothing else to say, please leave. Don't use this as a chance to escape work."

"You caught me." The President exasperated with his hands raised in surrender. "I wanted to procrastinate and used this as an excuse so Riffle would let me off even for a few minutes. Can you blame me though? It has been a hectic week!"

"Yes, I can blame you. You and I both know it's only that way because of the time you assigned him under father's administration. You had slacked off in his absence. He's just making up for it."

Madison waved his hand and brushed off the statement. "Details, details. I did have another purpose here you know! I wasn't sure you knew how to act in this situation so I came to your rescue!"

"Oh?" Ambryan spared him a glance and raised an eyebrow, challenging the President's declaration. "Pray do tell how did you hope to accomplish that?"