After pouring the tea, he placed it in front of Ava, observing her. Ava mentioned that she was indeed busy; being a teacher is no easy job. Plus, it reminded her of him. Previously, she thought of clearing up her relationship with Jace to him, ensuring he wouldn’t misunderstand, but every time they played chess, she’d completely forget, and she still hadn’t told him. However, even though she hadn’t said it, she roughly guessed that he thought she was getting too close to Jace, making him feel uneasy. After all, men usually have that certain male ego. Especially since he’s a big shot, even if she and he are in a fake marriage, he wouldn’t allow her to get too close to other men. So, she’ll keep a slight distance from Jace appropriately. However, she can’t cut off her connection with Jace. Because Jace is her friend, and he can’t use their fake marriage as a reason to make her give up on her friendships. That’s something Ava Sterling won’t accept. "I wonder if Lauren Howell mentioned to you that our company plans to train a batch of new models, and these models were discovered through a lot of effort by Eric. She’s having me train these models." "You know, being a teacher is mentally and physically exhausting. My health hasn’t fully recovered yet, so I probably won’t have as much time to eat and hang out with you. But rest assured, I’ll honor all my previous promises!" "When I have time, I’ll invite you to my place for a meal, and I’ll cook for you!" Jace looked at the seriousness and sincerity in her eyes, along with the faint hint of something unspoken. His eyelashes fluttered, and a smile crept onto his face: "Alright." "As long as you don’t forget me as a friend, that’s fine." The source of thɪs content is novel-fire.ɴet "Of course, I won’t!" "You are a friend I’ve recognized as mine for life!" "How could I possibly forget?" "I won’t, so don’t worry!" Ava patted Jace on the shoulder, her expression particularly serious. Jace’s lips moved, a lifetime... but what he wanted wasn’t a lifelong friend. Rather, just the present. He raised the corners of his mouth and whispered, "That’s good." The two finished their meal and drinks, lounging leisurely in the wicker chairs while watching the night view. When dawn broke, Jace drove Ava back to The Kestrel Apartments. Ava got out of the car, with Jace following her out. Ava frowned, "Go back. It’s so late, and you haven’t slept all night. I’m sure you’re lying to me. Hurry up and go to sleep!" She ordered directly, concern evident in her eyes. Jace smiled, seeing her serious demeanor under the light, somehow finding her seriously adorable: "I’ll watch you go in." At this point, Ava hadn’t thought about going back to Poe Vaughn. It could be said that ever since Jace came to pick her up last night, she never considered it. After all, she couldn’t let it slip. She planned to return during the day today. But now, she needed a good sleep before going to the company and then back to his place. Ava crossed her arms, raising her chin: "Get in the car, go back." There was no smile on her face, merely the commanding presence of a boss. It meant he should get in the car and leave, not to linger any longer. Jace chuckled lightly, "Okay, I’ll listen to you." He turned, got into the car, started the engine, but didn’t drive away immediately. Instead, he rolled down the window to look at Ava: "Ava, I have a surprise for you." Ava frowned, wondering why Jace hadn’t left yet. Hearing this, her brows furrowed even tighter. Before she could react, Jace laughed, stepped on the gas, and the car sped away. Ava stood there, dumbstruck. Surprise? What does that mean? Standing there for a while without understanding Jace’s last words, Ava decided to stop thinking about it, scratched her head, and turned to enter the apartment. At this point, she finally felt a bit sleepy and yawned. However, just as she took a few steps, she heard rapid footsteps approaching her from behind...