She wanted to lose her temper but couldn’t. Because of his harsh demands and increasingly terrifying conditions, she had to endure, yet she couldn’t swallow her resentment, still had to coax him. Thus, Ava Sterling’s face turned a mix of blue and white in an instant, remarkably vivid. But Poe Vaughn seemed not to notice, his expression unchanged: "Where did you put the stuff?" Ava glared at the person in front of her, wanting to say she threw it in the trash! But she couldn’t say that, so she held back her anger with effort, furiously saying, "In the kitchen!" Poe took the bag to the kitchen, while Ava stood there, watching his tall figure. She clenched her fists and bared her teeth at him. He was enslaving her with his power, truly a capitalist! Devoured people without leaving bones! Even though Ava was very angry and displeased, faced with Poe Vaughn’s role as a benefactor, she had no choice but to endure under his tyranny. Her mind filled with muttered complaints, she put the items from the bag into the fridge, wearing a face of sheer displeasure and unhappiness. Poe watched her in this state, saying nothing. He leaned against the kitchen counter, hands in pockets, watching her angrily putting things away, like a bullied little mouse, squeaking away. This update is available on novęlfire.net He opened his mouth: "There’s a reward." The fire in Ava’s heart was instantly doused with a bucket of cool water. She froze, a gleam instinctively flashing across her eyes. Almost without thinking, she looked at the person leaning on the kitchen counter, eyes bright: "Really?" Poe: "You can choose not to believe it." Ava quickly shook her head: "I believe you! I believe you!" Her face immediately brightened with a smile, and there was no trace of unhappiness left. Poe focused on her smile, then straightened and walked out. Ava’s mouth instantly curved into a wide grin, as happy as she could be. This is how it should be. With effort comes reward, otherwise, workers would rise up and rebel against such harsh oppression. By this moment, any trace of Ava’s unhappiness had evaporated, and her movements quickened. Quickly tidying up, Ava went out. Poe was already sitting on the sofa watching TV, looking as usual. Ava cheerfully went over, on her own accord, sat beside him, hugged him, and leaned her face into his embrace to watch TV together. Poe didn’t say anything, wrapped an arm around her, his gaze fixed on the characters on the TV, deep and silently stirring in his eyes. The atmosphere in the living room quieted down, and the night grew ever more serene. No one knew how long it took, but Ava was absorbed in watching TV, yet the hand wrapped around her was no longer as well-behaved as before. It slipped under her clothes, becoming audacious, and those thin lips followed suit, kissing her. Ava paused for a moment, looking at the handsome face so close at hand, especially those eyes like deep ink, with the familiar darkness swirling inside them. She blinked, then embraced him, returning his kiss. Some things, they were both well-versed in, already familiar with. Clothes dropped one by one, the atmosphere in the living room shifted, the temperature rising, and soon, the sofa was making noises it never had before. Ava sat on Poe’s lap, his hands gripping her waist, her long hair swaying freely under the light... Jace Kingsley sat in an office chair, holding a document in his hand, silently flipping through the information it contained. Someone stood in front of the desk, head bowed, waiting for instructions. After a long while, a smile appeared on Jace’s face. He put down the document, looked at the sky outside, which was thick like ink, and spoke: "Lu, An, Yi..."