Julio was grinning from ear to ear as they awaited Mr. Zheng’s response. He and the other executives were already at the boardroom, including Gabriel and Evina. All of them were excited to know who won the much prized project.
With his scheme, Julio was confident that the Ming’s Group would win the bid. He was a little surprise that Evina was still working for Gabriel. He knew Gabriel was smart enough to know about what he did. Julio rubbed his chin as he stared at the two. Gabriel was just chatting with the other executives. Evina, on the other hand, had her arms crossed while glaring at him.
“Good day, gentlemen! I’m now ready to announce the company that we would be working with,” Mr. Zheng greeted them, distracting Julio from his observation.
“If it’s not us, I’m sure it’s either the Ming’s or The Elysian’s,” he overheard them talking. The others were also stating their own bet for the w
“How did you invite our CEO to join us here?”Gabriel overheard one of his staffs asked Evina. He looked around him, wondering what really made him come there. There was a giant spinning Ferris wheel in the middle of the amusement park they were in. Colorful looping rollercoasters were circling around it. Loud music mixed with screams and laughter filled the air.He grimaced as the whole place smelled of burgers, corn dogs and ice cream.Gabriel couldn’t remember the last time that he has been to a fair. But it was Evina who picked this place to spend their victory party with.“Maybe he really has childish desires within him that made him come here,” Evina whispered back to her colleague. But since it was loud, Gabriel heard it loud and clear.“Do I really have that inside me?” Gabriel contemplated as he watched the other kids enjoyed the ride.As far as he remembered, he could only recall visiting a
The Elysian Inc’s R & D Department were still at the amusement park when dark clouds began to form in the sky. They decided to rest in a nearby food stand with a roof above it in case rain poured out. The sun was shining brightly when they went there, so they didn’t bring any umbrellas.Evina was in line for her hot dog order. Gabriel should have stayed at his table as he waited for her to buy for him. But he went with her in the line. “What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked Evina as she was not her usual bubbly self anymore.Wanting to hide her doubts, she gave Gabriel a warm smile. “It’s nothing. Here’s your order, sir.” Then she quickly left and mingled with others. Gabriel’s eyebrows furrowed. He has no idea why Evina was being like that all of a sudden.She also made an excuse that her stomach was aching, that’s why she needed to go home. The others agreed to go home with her, so they would not get
Evina already resolved to herself that she would talk to Gabriel about their relationship. Still, she did not know if she would like the outcome of it.With her shoulders dropped, she reached for the door of Gabriel’s car. It was weekend. But Gabriel has instructed Paul to fetch her, so she could go to the office. He said that she has an errand that she must finish before Monday starts.As she did so, she overheard a conversation in the talk show on their TV. “Trust is what builds up a relationship. And lack of it could break it down.”She flipped her hair over as she commented, “If you are in a named relationship. But what if you’re not? How can you trust one another?”Evina was about to go out when Maria called her. “Evie, can we ask for a favor? Can Simon and I perhaps join you? Simon will be late for his practice.”Evina nodded at once to her older sister. “Sure! Let’s go!”
Evina drew in a deep breath as she wondered how she would talk to Gabriel. They were now at The Elysian Building office. Because it's the weekend, there were only a few employees who were there at that moment. They have finished what they were supposed to do for that time. And some of them were already going home."You can do this, Evina," she thought to herself as she observed Gabriel on his desk. He was typing away on his laptop and he seemed to be oblivious of her. As she observed him, she continued to contemplate about their situation.It's not that she wanted something deep from him. She was happy with the way things are going with them. She has provided for her family and were already saving some for herself. But for the first time in her life, she wanted something that she had never craved before. She wanted a man in her life.
Gabriel didn't even allow her to think about it. He quickly grabbed her hand and led her to his car. Evina peeked at him as he guided her to his car.Can she really face the Chairman at this rate? From what she has heard, the Chairman was more notorious than his son. She might have tamed the ruthless CEO. But how about his roots?She felt the hairs of her skin stood up as she imagined how he might cast her away even with just a flick of his finger.If she was Evina Chen before, she would not care at all. She would even fight back if he would dare mock her. She was no respecter of authorities.But this is a different matter. She drew in a deep breath as she gazed at the man who was holding her hand. The man whom she fell in love with.It didn't take them long to visit the Department Store that Gabriel had brought her in. It was the weekends and in the late afternoon, so the place was quite full-packed."Wait for us, Paul," Gabriel asked
Gabriel became silent after that phone conversation. Evina to just keep mum. She went to the room that he lent her and decided to put on the gown that they bought from the department store. At first, Evina was hesitant that Gabriel might change his mind. She has no idea what that was about. "But I want to make him happy, somehow." She thought as she put up the red gown in front of her as if she was assessing if it would look good on her. She couldn't forget that look on his face after he had seen her in that red dress. "Maybe I would just wear this for him to see, whether we push through to the event or not." She pondered as she partnered her dress with bright red lipstick and tried to decorate her rose hair. Not only that, but she put it up in an updo with thin tresses flowing on the sides of her face. Then, she wore a pair of diamond-studded dangling earrings on her ears. Gabriel also bought them together with the dress. "I think I'm good to go,
"What do you mean by that, sir?" She asked directly to him. With her question, Chairman Yang froze from sipping more from the wine glass. He lifted his eyeglasses nearer to his eyes as he queried, "He didn't tell you, didn't he?" He shook his head as he asked his personal assistant for his phone. She quickly gave it to him and scrolled a few. Then he showed it to Evina. Evina's knees trembled as she saw the article. It posted pictures of their sweet actions in the department store. But she was not daunted by this reason alone. What appalled her was the headline. "The CEO's Rebellious Woman." The article even detailed how her previous employers fired her for her rebellious attitude. And what is more shocking is the word "Like father, like daughter." It is too much for Evina that she immediately gave the phone back to the Chairman with her trembling hands. She didn't know what to do and what to think. Her world was spinning at that momen
A loud thunder roared from the dark, ominous sky. But Evina wasn't at all daunted. "Should I really talk to Dad now, after all these years?" She sighed as she sipped on her cup of coffee.Evina was already at home after the chaos that she has just gotten out of. Fortunately, Paul was around, and he immediately took her home after knowing what happened. She decided to not think about the issue of the Yangs as she was angry with them. She just decided to focus on her own family issue. "What about Dad?" Maria intercepted her thoughts. She was not used to hiding anything from her sister, so she told her everything that happened. Maria was bewildered at her confession, as she froze for a few minutes before she reacted. Evina ruminated that she would scold her about being in a close relationship with Gabriel, when she clearly warned her not to. But she was astounded with her next question."Are you all right?" She asked with a worr