Ava Sterling naturally called out this term, without a hint of hesitation. One could say she was feeling very relaxed and cheerful. Earlier, because of the brainless question she asked, she was afraid he might be upset or angry, but the fact was, he wasn’t. There wasn’t a trace of displeasure in him. He was as calm as usual, his emotions extremely stable. So, what was she afraid of? Nothing at all. Poe Vaughn stopped flipping through his documents. Ava, in her good mood, had quite a few thoughts spring up naturally. Initially, she had planned to leave right after speaking, but seeing him sitting in the executive chair like a deity no one dared to approach, she suddenly wanted to get closer. She wanted to stir some mundane emotions in him. So, she clicked over to him, propped her hands on the desk, and leaned down to give Poe Vaughn a quick peck on the lips. Poe Vaughn heard the footsteps approaching; he turned the document over, seemingly not having heard, and continued to read it. But at that moment, a fragrance swept over, and then soft lips pressed against his, making his eyes flash. After kissing him, Ava grinned and waved at Poe Vaughn, "Don’t miss me, honey~" Saying this, she didn’t linger any longer, and Ava left. The click-clack of high heels faded away, the door of the president’s office closed, and all sound settled into silence with Ava’s departure. Not a single sound remained. Poe Vaughn put down the document, lifted his gaze, and looked at the closed door of the president’s office, his eyes dark and turbulent. It wasn’t late; it was only a little after eight. Ava checked the time; she wouldn’t be late to the office. Thanks to that early riser waking her up; otherwise, she would have been late. Thinking of this, Ava pulled out her phone to set an alarm. She couldn’t be late for work. Holding her phone, Ava set her alarm while walking into the elevator. Though it was only a little after eight, some diligent employees had arrived as early as eight. So when they saw Ava coming out of the president’s office, they were stunned. Yesterday, before they left the company, they hadn’t seen Supermodel Sterling leave, but now, Ava only just left? And she came out of the president’s office. Could it be... did Supermodel Sterling spend the night at the company last night? The employees watched Ava walk away with her phone until the sound of her high heels disappeared, then quickly picked up their phones to send messages. [Supermodel Sterling has appeared!!!] [She really has, came out of the boss’s office, looking all fresh and delighted. Clearly, she’s been well taken care of.] [What are you talking about? I don’t understand. Can we not start this morning with so much innuendo?] [I want to hear the juicy details, the really fast ones, spill it, spill it!] [I want to hear it too, quickly now!!!] The group chat exploded, with ninety-nine messages in just a few seconds, all filled with excitement. Ava was completely unaware; after setting her alarm, she pressed the elevator button, and quickly, the elevator descended. The receptionists had already arrived. They start work early and are at their posts by eight. After seeing the messages in the group chat, they immediately focused on the elevator’s descending numbers. When they saw the number drop to one, they didn’t even blink. The elevator doors opened. The receptionists held their breath, watching the elevator doors, motionless. Ava stood in the elevator, thinking about Poe Vaughn’s expression before she left, especially his pause when she kissed him, and her smile grew uncontrollably. That cold, abstinent look of his is really interesting, especially when that face overlaps with the one from last night, and it makes her want to laugh. So cold on the outside, yet nothing like that on the inside. If anyone could embody repressed desire, he is the epitome. The elevator doors opened, and Ava’s smile was still on her face, radiant even. But soon, her smile froze. Two gazes fell on her, unblinking, unmoving, landing squarely in her eyes. Like the soul-catching Black and White Impermanence, it made Ava’s heart skip a beat, and she immediately halted her steps. The two receptionists looked at Ava, and the moment they saw her, they were thrilled. So thrilled they couldn’t react. However, the moment Ava’s smile disappeared, they snapped back, immediately giving Ava a respectful smile, even bowing. She was thoroughly startled by the two receptionists, but after she recognized them, she recovered. Just as she came back to her senses, she was met with such a grand gesture, leaving Ava in a stiff state. Ava felt these two were very odd, oddly making her want to leave quickly, so she took a step out, her high heels clicking. In no time, she left the company under the heated gaze of the two receptionists. "Love indeed brings out one’s best. Supermodel Sterling is even more beautiful today," Receptionist A said as she watched Ava disappear from sight. Receptionist B clasped her hands, looking starry-eyed, and said, "Indeed, today’s Supermodel Sterling is especially stunning..." Ava had originally planned to hail a taxi to the company, but to her surprise, just as she stepped out, a driver pulled up and parked in front of her. The driver got out and opened the car door for Ava. Ava blinked and asked, "Did Poe Vaughn arrange for you to give me a ride?" The driver smiled back, "Yes, madam." In fact, Ava knew she was asking the obvious, but somehow, she just wanted to ask. And after getting this affirmative answer, Ava briefly pursed her lips, but couldn’t suppress the upward curve of her mouth. He really was thoughtful. Quickly, Ava got in the car, and it drove away. At that moment, on the top floor of the company, Poe Vaughn stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the person below get into the car and disappear. Quentin Quinn spoke from behind him, "President Vaughn, someone has been investigating madam over the past two days, and they’ve even tracked you down." Poe Vaughn watched the car drive away, disappearing into the traffic, and spoke, "Who?" His eyes showed no ripple, as if he didn’t care about such a matter. "The matriarch of the Kingsley Family, the chairwoman of Veridia, Jace Kingsley’s mother—Elara Shelby." Poe Vaughn’s eyes flickered, a very slight movement, and after a moment, he spoke, "How much has she found out?" "Just received news; she’s discovered that madam is likely with you." "The next step should be confirming madam’s relationship with you." Poe Vaughn looked at the traffic below; it was during rush hour, and the cars were lined up like long dragons, with the Maybach completely out of sight. "Let her know about my actual marriage with Ava Sterling." Quentin Quinn hesitated, then bowed his head, "Yes." He thought President Vaughn wouldn’t let the other party know, after all, this woman from the Kingsley Family was no ordinary person. Fresh chapters posted on novel⦿fire.net She’s ruthless in her actions. If she knew her son was infatuated with a model, she might do everything to destroy the other party. But if she knew that the other party was now married to President Vaughn, then there would be nothing she could do. She might even be relieved. She would never let her precious son be with a model. Quentin Quinn left, and the president’s office returned to its original silence. Poe Vaughn’s eyes were fixed on the congestion below, a deep, silent movement in them.