Without waiting for Poe Vaughn to answer, Ava immediately said, "I have to go back to water the plants in your backyard, so if you have something else to do, go ahead and do it." She has a lot of things to do; she needs to go back and review what she learned today, carefully reflect on what the teacher taught in class, and then she needs to watch TV, evaluating the actors’ performances from a new perspective. Poe Vaughn looked at the person in front of him, his brows furrowed, filled with displeasure, almost as if to say, don’t disturb her work. He opened his mouth: "Stay here." Ava was completely stunned, looking at the person in front of her, her mind went blank. In an instant, a flurry of question marks filled Ava’s mind as she stared at the person in front of her, sizing him up to see if it was really Poe Vaughn. If not, why would he leave his big villa to come and stay in her little humble abode? However, under Ava’s gaze, Poe Vaughn averted his eyes, stepped over to the sofa, sat down, and said, "The remote." Ava thought that maybe this person had issues; she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but certainly not minor ones. But she had no choice, considering he was the client. If the client had issues, she had to endure and accommodate, without saying anything. She walked over, found the remote in the drawer of the coffee table, turned on the TV, and handed him the remote: "There you go." "If you’re not going back, then I’ll be going now." "Since you’re staying, I’ll have Old Zhang bring you clothes and toiletries." With that, Ava picked up her bag, ready to leave. If it weren’t for watering his plants, she wouldn’t even need to return. But she had no choice; she was just another working person, and for the sake of money, she had to inconvenience herself. Poe Vaughn held the remote, watching as she really picked up her bag to leave after speaking, his gaze darkened. But Ava didn’t notice the change in his demeanor at all, and when she reached the entryway, she was about to change shoes and leave. However, at this moment... The deep, low voice brushed past her ears, sounding emotionless and flat, but to Ava, who had lived with him for a month or two, she could tell he was about to get angry. Ava’s heart immediately tightened, stopping her in her tracks. She quickly looked over, seeing the person sitting on the sofa with his back to her, emotionless. That moment made Ava’s heart tremble. Although she couldn’t see his expression or face, she could clearly feel the shift in his aura—it wasn’t good, it wasn’t right at all. Ava’s mind worked quickly, and she put down her bag almost instantly, hurrying over, and in a flash, sat down beside Poe Vaughn, hugging him and nestling into his arms. The series of actions were so smooth and practiced, without the slightest hesitation, as if she had done it many times before. One could say, she was quite fawning. She wasn’t joking; this was the client, her provider of food and clothing. If she angered the client, things would not go well for her. "Why the sudden upset?" Hugging him, Ava quickly spoke up, raising her head to look at him, smiling, and very much compliant. However, as she smiled, she watched Poe Vaughn’s expression, wondering what was wrong with him. Everything seemed fine a moment ago, so why the anger now? But seeing his usual cold and stoic face, unperturbed by emotions or spirits, Ava really had no idea what was going on. She frowned, very puzzled. It was strange; she hadn’t done anything, so why was he suddenly upset? Ava thought about it, her mind going over everything she had just said and done. Then, Ava figured she hadn’t done anything wrong, either with her actions or her words. He said he wanted to stay, and she didn’t refuse, even considerately offering to have Old Zhang bring toiletries for him—hadn’t she been thoughtful enough? What more did he want? Ava couldn’t figure it out, frowning deeply. Poe Vaughn watched the TV, his eyes darkly brooding, but upon feeling the warmth and softness against him, the darkness seemed to freeze. The silent, lowering tension in the room ceased to diminish. The living room’s atmosphere turned quiet. After Ava questioned him, Poe Vaughn remained silent, maintaining that coldly aloof demeanor, completely ignoring her. Ava felt displeased immediately. This unpredictability, who knew who upset him this time? She felt terribly wronged. Thinking about it, Ava buried her face in Poe Vaughn’s chest and cooed, "Honey, what’s wrong? If something’s upsetting you, tell me; don’t keep it inside. It’s not good for you in the long run. I’ll be worried." The saccharine tone even made Ava shiver; it was so mushy. Poe Vaughn’s fixed dark expression slightly shifted, then gradually dissipated. He lowered his gaze, looking at the person in his arms who was clearly displeased but had no choice but to act sweet, and with a slight movement of his fingers landing on her waist, said, "The housekeeper will take care of the plants." Ava, internally seething at the person who upset Poe Vaughn, remained outwardly obedient while cursing internally a million times over, flames of anger raging. But at that moment, his low voice entered her ear, noticeably different from the earlier steely tone, instantly pulling Ava back in thought. Ava froze, then quickly looked up at Poe Vaughn, her eyes brimming with surprise. "The housekeeper... the housekeeper will take care of it?" "Why? I don’t have anything going on right now, why does the housekeeper need to do it?" Having said that, Ava looked outside; though it was getting dark, it wasn’t late yet. She could still make it back in time. So why did the housekeeper need to take care of it? She really didn’t understand. Ava looked at Poe Vaughn with a pair of fully puzzled eyes, wanting answers. However, Poe Vaughn didn’t speak. He gazed at the person in his arms without any intent to answer. Nevertheless, meeting those pure, harmless eyes, clear and transparent, stirred his gaze as he shifted his focus to the TV, seemingly watching it. Follow current novᴇls on NoveI-Fire.ɴet Then, silent tension spread through the living room... He went silent again. It was like he expected her to read his mind, as if she were a worm in his brain! Ava looked at the silent man, feeling displeased and annoyed. However, if the housekeeper was going to take care of it, did she not need to go back? Moreover, since he was here, wouldn’t it be alright if she didn’t go back either? Suddenly, Ava’s eyes lit up. He said that, and he was here, so why would she return? Of course she’d stay at her own home. As the saying goes, gold or silver homes can’t compare to one’s own little nest; no matter how nice the villa was, it wasn’t her home—this was. Instantly, Ava was delighted. She stopped worrying about those trivial things, immediately saying, "Then I won’t go back. You’re here too, so we’ll stay here together. Plus, you’re not familiar with this place, but with me here, you’ll feel more at home." In this moment, Ava smiled, completely satisfied. Listening to her simple, naive words, Poe Vaughn realized she still didn’t understand his intention; he lowered his gaze, watching her bury her face happily in his arms again, as if she’d scored a huge win. His gaze shifted slightly, the darkness within steady and calm, no longer oppressive. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her closer, his throat releasing a low-pitched, single-syllable sound: "Hm."