"Ava, could you not look at me like that?" At this moment, as he looked at her, there wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face, nor in his eyes; he seemed so indifferent, so calm. This demeanor pricked Ava Sterling’s heart, as if touching a wound, making it bleed again. Ava hurriedly said, "I... I thought you had always been with the Kingsley Family." "I thought you were like those rich kids, living a life of luxury from childhood, different from me." Her face was full of apology and remorse, wondering how she could have suddenly exposed someone’s wound . Ava quickly recalled the information Lauren Howell had shared with her about Jace Kingsley’s background, which contained nothing about his childhood or teenage years, only about his adult life and his prowess in the business world. Ava felt this was Lauren’s fault; she hadn’t investigated properly and thus caused her to inadvertently hurt someone. It was simply too cruel. Seeing the change in Ava’s expression, especially the obvious displeasure and blame, Jace Kingsley smiled. "I don’t find those memories bad; instead, I think they’re very precious. It’s precisely because of them that I am who I am today." "Just like you, Ava; it’s because of the past, the former days, that you’ve become the wonderful person you are now." Ava’s expression changed dramatically, wholeheartedly agreeing with Jace’s words. It’s indeed the past hardships that have shaped who she is today. If she had been living in luxury since childhood, ignorant of life’s struggles, effort, and perseverance, she wouldn’t be the person she is now. She didn’t resent the fact that fate placed her in such a difficult family and environment; on the contrary, she was especially grateful. It taught her to cherish, to strive, to realize how exciting and meaningful life can be. Ava nodded earnestly, "You’re absolutely right. I thoroughly agree with your point of view. I’m very grateful for the hardships of my childhood because they led to my achievements. I think it’s very good to be who I am now." Jace’s eyebrows curved into a smile, "We are the best versions of ourselves." The two looked at each other and laughed. Many things have two sides; it depends on how you perceive them. If you look at things positively, you take the good path; if you look at them negatively, naturally the road is rough. Ava never felt inferior to others. She believes that as long as she puts in effort and steadfastly walks the path she chooses, fate will give her opportunities. Facts have proven she wasn’t wrong. The two entered the market, and Ava began to browse around with Jace. Ava asked him what dishes he wanted to eat, and he candidly stated his preferences. Ava listened entirely to him; whatever he wanted to eat, she would buy. However, when Jace went to pay, Ava wouldn’t let him. She insisted that since it was her treat, she would have to pay. Jace laughed, "In that case, I’ll have to treat you to a meal another time." Ava paused, then quickly said, "You wouldn’t dare! Anyway, today you have to listen to me. If you don’t, I won’t cook for you." He laughed softly, his face full of joy. Joy like never before. Shopping for groceries and cooking together with her, this is the simple life he desires. Just this makes him feel happy, content, and fulfilled. Ava bought quite a lot, carrying large bags, all held by Jace. Ava wanted to carry them, but Jace wouldn’t allow it. Ava intended to argue, but Jace quickly shut her down with a sentence. He said, "Your hands shouldn’t carry anything this heavy." Ava halted, suddenly remembering her hand injury. Since her return from the Maldives, it had been quite a while. During this time, she hadn’t lifted anything heavy, so she had forgotten. With Jace’s reminder, she recalled the injury. Looking at the bags Jace was carrying, weighing easily around twenty to thirty pounds, her hand probably couldn’t manage. Jace saw her expression and smiled, "You pay, I do the work; isn’t that just right?" Thinking this way, it seemed pretty good. Ava nodded, "Alright, let you do some work, or else you’d end up treating me to a meal again." "If that’s the case, do you know how many meals you’d have to treat me to?" Jace’s eyes subtly moved, then he smiled and said no more. He wanted to say he could treat her to meals his whole life, but she wouldn’t want to hear that. So he kept that thought in his heart. The two got into a car, and soon, the vehicle had driven past Silvermist Isles. When they arrived at Silvermist Isles, it was already four o’clock, quite quickly. Lauren Howell hadn’t arrived yet. Jace brought the items inside, and Ava immediately took out her phone to call Lauren Howell. She had quite a few dishes to prepare, and they needed to be washed and cleaned, a lot of work that would take until who knows when to eat. She had to call Lauren Howell over! The phone connected, and Ava stood there waiting for Lauren Howell to answer. "Sorry, your call could not be answered at the moment, please..." Ava’s face darkened, and she quickly opened WeChat to send Lauren Howell a voice message. "Lauren Howell, I give you half an hour to get to Silvermist Isles, or you’ll never see the sun tomorrow!" After sending this message, Ava felt it might not be intimidating enough, so she quickly thought and sent another: "Let me put it this way: If you don’t show up within half an hour, the thing you most anticipate will be doomed, not even a trace will remain." After speaking, Ava promptly turned off her phone, giving Lauren no chance to call her back. That woman needed to be threatened with what she cared about; otherwise, she wouldn’t understand the seriousness. Throwing her phone in the car, Ava quickly entered the villa while Jace sorted the items after placing them in the kitchen. Ava rolled up her sleeves and asked him where the apron was. Jace took it out; Ava tied it quickly and then said, "You go rest, Lauren should arrive soon, and I can manage this." With that, Ava began taking out the groceries, completely preventing Jace from stepping in. Seeing Ava’s determination to get things done, Jace smiled and said, "You busying yourself while I rest; does that make sense?" "If it were you, would you rest?" "Uh... then should I pick vegetables?" "Pick vegetables, wash vegetables—I can handle it. Just tell me if you need anything, and I’ll do it." This conversation showed he could manage these tasks, so Ava stopped pushing him out, saying, "Fine, you pick out all the green vegetables." The two began to get busy, while at the company, Lauren listened to Ava’s voice messages and calmly set her phone aside to continue working. She would never believe Ava’s words; Jace was so genuine that she considered him a true friend. How could she possibly sever ties with Jace just because she arrived late? That was absolutely impossible. Therefore, she waited until around five o’clock to go to Silvermist Isles, probably perfectly aligning with dinner time. No way was she going to be a third wheel during such a good opportunity. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novèlfire.net Once Ava started working, she became exceptionally focused and efficient, her knife skills practiced and precise. Jace watched her hands at work, her focused eyebrows, and his gaze became even more tender. The person he liked was truly wonderful. As time slowly passed, the sun gradually set in the west, and before long it was five o’clock, with the entire Silvermist Isles slowing down. Meanwhile, at Celestial Tower.