Hayden Rhodes suddenly stopped in his tracks, his hand clenched tightly, and he said in a deep voice, "If Poe Vaughn ends up like Julian by my side, I’d still send him to the military." "It’s the same for everyone." Follow current novels on novel-fire.ɴet Ronia Ackerly immediately burst into tears. The night grew deep as the car drove out of the villa and headed into the dark night ahead. Ava Sterling sat in the car, watching the villa fade away. In the next moment, she quickly turned on the car’s overhead light and looked at the box in her hand. This box was quite heavy, not light at all. She couldn’t tell what might be inside. The engraved clouds, dragons, and phoenixes looked almost real, making Ava feel like the object was burning hot in her hands. Though she was very curious about what was inside, she had no intention of opening it. So, she promptly presented the box to Poe Vaughn with both hands, speaking with utmost seriousness, "You should take care of this. I haven’t touched it at all." As she spoke, she pushed the box closer to him, eager for him to take it away immediately. When Ava switched on the car’s overhead light, Poe Vaughn’s attention had already turned to her. The awe, delight, and careful regard in her eyes were plain to see, nothing hidden. Yet, very quickly, she handed the item over to him, without a second thought. Poe watched her, noting her solemn, determined, and serious demeanor, clearly stating her decision. She would not accept it. His eyes shifted slightly, falling on the box, and then he took it. With the removal of the considerable weight from her hands, Ava instantly felt relieved. She loved valuable items, loved fine things, but it didn’t mean she had to own them. For instance, if she kept this precious item, she would live in constant fear, unable to sleep well or eat well, terrified of accidentally damaging it. That would be a disaster. So, it was best to return it to Poe Vaughn. This way, she felt completely unburdened. Watching him take the box away, a smile spread across Ava’s face, "Hey, I realized that your grandfather treats you very well." "He gave you such a valuable thing. If your stepmother knew about it, she would be furious." Poe Vaughn’s eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. But, just for a moment, that change disappeared. He said, "I only have one mother." Ava paused, observing his expression, which showed no change, remaining as deep and indifferent as ever, as if the words just spoken weren’t his own. Looking at the way his brows drooped, the dense eyelashes revealing no emotion, she knew that there was a ripple in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said such a thing. Ava brightened, placing her hand on his shoulder like two good friends, patting him with a radiant smile, "I also have only one mother-in-law!" "That will never change in this lifetime!" Her delicate arm landed on him, those slender fingertips patting him, as if to say, it’s okay, you may have lost your parents, but you still have me. I will always be by your side, without leaving. At this moment, his heart stirred, and the deep intensity in his eyes faded. With a subtle movement of his thumb, there was a click as he opened the box in his hand. Ava heard the sound and immediately looked down, seeing the box automatically open, revealing its contents from bottom to top. She was startled by the mechanism. She had always thought these kinds of mechanisms only existed in TV shows, were fake, and never imagined they could be real! Ava instantly widened her eyes, like a curious little child, focusing on the mechanism, without noticing what was being presented, until the mechanism stopped, and the box returned to being a regular jewelry box. The items inside became clear to Ava’s eyes, leaving Ava speechless. The box held a set of jewelry—earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, a jade hairpin, a complete set—all made from the highest quality Hetian jade. The craftsmanship was exquisite, every little detail vividly carved, lifelike, not something modern people could craft. The item was exquisite, truly exquisite! Jade, passed down through generations, gained richness with time, far beyond what could be achieved by buying the best jade stones to carve today. This was charm—the charm of generations, the intrinsic quality of ages, beautifully stunning. Looking at the entire set of jewelry, Ava completely lost the ability to react. It was so beautiful that it shook her soul. Poe Vaughn was seeing this set of jewelry for the first time as well, and it was preserved remarkably well, still glowing with luster, even though it hadn’t been worn for many years. "Can I... can I touch it?" Ava’s cautious voice sounded in his ear, followed by her slender fingertips reaching out towards the beautiful jewelry. At this moment, she couldn’t control herself. Poe looked at her hand, noticing how beautiful it was—slender, fair, every finger long and straight, just like her, without a bend. Her nails were shell-shaped, neatly trimmed, clean, stunning even without polish. He took the well-made jade bracelet from the box and placed it onto her hand. At that moment, Ava’s mouth gaped open, her eyes wide, completely stunned. He... he actually put it on her... In an instant, she felt... too afraid to move... Ava really didn’t move, just sat there staring at the large bracelet on her hand, too shocked to process. Poe held her hand, looking at the jade bracelet, his brows slightly furrowed. The bracelet wasn’t small, while her wrist was too slender, allowing the bracelet to easily slide onto her hand, and it could slip off with the slightest carelessness. The bracelet was too large, or perhaps, she was too thin. He looked at the other jewelry in the box—she could definitely wear the earrings, and the necklace too, it was just the hairpin... The hairpin was carved from a single piece of jade, with no seams or additional embellishments, pure handmade craftsmanship, with meticulous detailing in every cut. The jade hairpin was elegant and simple, definitely suited for her. Poe picked up the jade hairpin and said, "Turn around." Ava’s eyelashes fluttered, and by now, she had somewhat regained her composure, looking at his clearly defined hand holding the jade hairpin, then at his expressionless face, her lips parted, "Poe Vaughn, are you letting me try it on?" Poe was looking at her dark hair and the hairpin in her hair, wondering how to take down the hairpin from her head and replace it, without letting her hair fall. After all, he had never put a hairpin on her before. Hearing those trembling words, nervous and cautious, yet filled with excitement and expectation, very much apprehensive. His eyes fell on her face, lips moved, "Don’t want to wear it?" Ava immediately replied, "I do!" "Definitely want to!" "But... but it’s too valuable. What if it gets damaged..." That was her dilemma—it was too precious, and she dared not touch it, let alone wear it. Poe looked at her, "If it breaks, you’ll replace it."