Jace Kingsley followed her gaze, then looked at her again, the sparkle in her eyes gradually illuminated, extremely bright. He smiled slightly, walked over, picked up the item on the sofa, and held it in his arms, coming to her: "Here, a gift for you." Ava Sterling blinked, her eyes bright and excited: "How did you know I ?" "Did Lauren Howell tell you?" Saying this, Ava Sterling couldn’t help but reach out to take it. Jace Kingsley bent over and placed the doll he was holding into Ava Sterling’s arms. Immediately, Ava Sterling hugged the doll, rubbing her face against the doll’s face, overwhelmingly satisfied: "This is just wonderful!" The doll wasn’t a person, but a pink sunflower, custom-made by Jace Kingsley, making it large and bright. The color was a bright pink, its body was plump, with sturdy short branches and thick leaves, looking particularly adorable. Not many knew about Ava Sterling’s fondness for dolls, as it didn’t quite match her queen-like demeanor. But she just liked them, absolutely adored them; whenever she traveled, she would always bring a doll to hug while sleeping. Of course, she could sleep without one, but having a doll would make her very happy. Ava Sterling, overjoyed, forgot about the pain, hugging and cuddling the doll, then said to Jace Kingsley: "Jace, you’re too good, tell me what you like, and I’ll gift you next time!" Jace Kingsley looked into her sparkling eyes, her cheeks full of childlike joy, pure and simple, just like a sunflower blooming under the sun, so bright and dazzling. Nobody told him about her love for dolls, it was something he knew himself. Moreover, he also knew she had a penchant for pink. Inside her heart lived a little princess, a little girl, longing to be pampered and loved. "I’d like to taste the food you cook." "When I recover, I’ll cook for you when I return home!" Around five o’clock, Lauren returned and tossed a few chess manuals directly onto Ava Sterling’s bed. Ava Sterling immediately picked them up to read. The aide had not returned yet, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but because the place Jace Kingsley mentioned was far away, a round trip would take four hours. Jace Kingsley was peeling walnuts for Ava Sterling because she said she needed to boost her brain and wanted to eat walnuts. Jace Kingsley had someone buy some walnuts, then sat in front of the bed, peeling them one by one, extracting the walnut kernels, and carefully removing the skin attached to the kernels. As he peeled, Ava Sterling ate, the atmosphere in the ward was excellent. Upon seeing the chess manuals, Jace Kingsley’s eyes moved slightly, looking at Ava Sterling: "Want to play chess?" Ava Sterling picked up the manuals, flipping through them, but the pages were densely filled with words which she instantly found overwhelming. But remembering the reward someone promised, she forced herself to grip the book tight and widened her eyes to read: "Oh, I kinda want to play." The chessboard was on the balcony, neither Jace Kingsley nor Lauren saw it, so for Lauren, Ava Sterling’s sudden interest was spontaneous. As for the source of this spontaneity, she was clueless. Upon hearing Ava Sterling’s words, Lauren observed Ava Sterling’s efforts to force herself to read, squinting: "Ava, why the sudden interest in chess?" Ava Sterling’s behavior indeed raised suspicion, especially from someone like Lauren who had been with her for so many years. Jace Kingsley continued peeling the skin off the walnut kernels, looking at Ava Sterling, without speaking. Ava Sterling’s oddities didn’t escape his notice, and at that moment, her self-enforcing behavior made it almost immediately clear who it was for. That person, Poe Vaughn. His gaze lowered, his walnut peeling movements slowed even more. "If I want to play, I’ll play, what, am I not allowed to?" Ava Sterling disliked reading, looking at line after line of text made her incredibly irritated, and with Lauren’s obvious probing, she snapped at Lauren in annoyance. Lauren saw Ava Sterling’s irritation and immediately dared not speak anymore, though she genuinely found it strange. Looking at Jace Kingsley, who was quietly peeling walnuts, and then at the pile of walnut kernels on the plate, she felt deeply moved. How many men in this world would be so attentive to a woman? There’s only Young Master Kingsley. Lauren didn’t want to disturb the two of them and picked up her bag, saying: "I nearly ran my legs off today just to get you these chess manuals, I’m heading back to rest, will come again tomorrow." Ava Sterling raised an eyebrow, looking at Lauren. She understood her intentions today? Lauren said to Jace Kingsley: "Young Master Kingsley, I’ll head back to the hotel, Ava is so fortunate to have you take care of her." Jace Kingsley gave her a gentle smile: "Rest assured." "With you, I definitely am." Without saying more, Lauren left. Ava Sterling watched the person waving goodbye to her, snickered, seeing right through Lauren’s intentions. She was trying to create opportunities for her and Jace Kingsley, as if she wouldn’t know. However, it was impossible for her and Jace Kingsley, especially during her marriage with Poe Vaughn, absolutely impossible. Thinking of this, Ava Sterling envisioned the gaze that person had that night as they looked at her; then, seeing Jace Kingsley patiently and meticulously peeling walnuts, spending hours without getting weary. Ava Sterling’s eyes shifted slightly, she said: "Jace, are you busy?" Jace Kingsley paused, then looked up with a gentle smile: "Yes, once the aide returns, I’ll have to go back, and once I leave, I probably won’t be able to come see you." Ava Sterling was not surprised and put down the book: "Are you going back home?" "Yes, things here are mostly settled, and matters back home are quite urgent too." Ava Sterling nodded: "Sorry for holding you up these days." Jace Kingsley’s lips curved: "Not at all, take good care of yourself, I’m waiting for that homemade meal from you." Ava Sterling immediately replied: "No problem at all!" "I’ll make time to cook for you once I’m back home." Soon the aide returned, and Jace Kingsley didn’t stay longer, nor did he ask further about Ava Sterling’s chess interest, he simply bid her farewell: "Let’s keep in touch by phone." Ava Sterling waved to Jace Kingsley, watching him leave the ward. And as Jace Kingsley’s figure disappeared from sight, Ava Sterling sighed internally, knowing that person likely thought there was something between her and Jace Kingsley. But between her and Jace Kingsley, there was nothing improper; to her, Jace Kingsley was a good friend. Ava Sterling thought she should explain to that person, to avoid any misunderstanding. No time to lose, she decided to clarify tonight! Determined, Ava Sterling looked at the chess manuals once more. Jace Kingsley left the hospital and got into the car; once inside the vehicle, his gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness. Poe Vaughn, are you forcing her to do something she dislikes? I hope you continue until the day she can’t take it anymore. Jace Kingsley lifted his gaze, looking forward, his eyes filled with intensity. As the sky darkened, Ava Sterling waited for Poe Vaughn to come. Find the newest release on novel(ꜰ)ire.net But after reluctantly reading the chess manuals for half an hour, she tossed them aside, turning to her shows. She admitted, she really wasn’t the type for book learning, studying seriously was impossible. With matters weighing on her mind, as the sky gradually darkened outside, Ava Sterling couldn’t even focus on her shows, often glancing at the door to see if he had arrived. The aide noticed her demeanor, seemingly waiting for someone, and asked: "Is someone supposed to come later? Should I prepare anything?" Ava Sterling waved her hand dismissively: "No need, he’s easy to manage." Ava Sterling felt waiting wasn’t effective, so she picked up the phone to call him directly.