"The young master instructed someone to investigate who has a crush on Poe Vaughn, and they’ve found one: Poe Vaughn’s half-sister, Aria Rhodes. To be precise, Aria Rhodes is the daughter of Poe Vaughn’s stepmother’s sister." In the bedroom, Elara Shelby leaned against the headboard, listening to Bella Ainsworth’s report. Her eyes flickered silently, filled with calculation, cruelty, murderous intent, and a heavy menace. When Bella finished speaking, those expressions gradually faded, returning to normal, with the aura of a matriarch of a prominent family. "We’ll return to Miraport tomorrow." Bella paused when she heard this, then looked up at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Do I need to do anything?" "No need, let him handle it. His mind is on that woman now. If we stop him, he might rebel, which could affect our mother-son relationship." "She’s just a woman after all, and he hasn’t gotten her yet. Once he does, it will be different." Bella understood and bowed her head. "Yes." Ava Sterling now sets an alarm because she’s afraid of oversleeping for work, thanks to Poe Vaughn’s intense activities at night. So, early in the morning, she’s woken by the alarm clock. Ava furrowed her brows; she wasn’t fully awake. Although Poe Vaughn didn’t keep her up all night, it was past midnight by the time they finished. The alarm is set for 7 a.m., meaning she only got a few pitiful hours of sleep. So when the alarm rang, all Ava wanted was to throw the phone away and pull up the covers to continue sleeping. Poe Vaughn came out of the bathroom, wiping his hair, and heard the alarm. His gaze fell on the phone, pressed down by a doll, on the carpet. The bedroom had been spotless before Ava returned yesterday, but now it looked like it had been ransacked, in complete disarray after last night. Dolls were thrown everywhere, some in piles as if forced into confinement, shivering. The carpet was a mess, the bed too, along with last night’s "trash" scattered all over, clearly indicating their fervor from the night before. He walked over, bent down, picked up the phone, and turned off the alarm. Ava had already covered her face with the blanket, trying to ignore it. Now, with the alarm suddenly off, she frowned, opening her eyes. The alarm had disrupted her sleep, making it impossible to ignore, especially since she knew she had to go to work and make breakfast. That’s why she had a moment of morning grouchiness. But now, with the alarm silent, she was more alert, unable to drift back to sleep. She pulled the covers off directly, looking around the bedroom with sore eyes. As she looked up, she saw the tall figure with a towel around his waist approach the bed, placing the phone on the bedside table. The first thing she saw upon waking was a handsome man, one with an amazing body and stunning looks, instantly dissipating her morning grumpiness. Her gaze fell on Poe Vaughn’s strong chest and clearly defined abs, enticing as he bent over. Unable to resist, Ava stretched out her hand to touch those abs. Poe Vaughn noticed she was awake, also seeing the initial displeasure on her face, as if someone owed her a fortune. But such expressions quickly changed, from displeasure to infatuation, and now to abandon. His eyes fixed on her, and as her hand moved further down his stomach, he grabbed her increasingly audacious hand, his eyes darkening with a hint of storm: "Want some more?" His deep voice fell into her ears, noticeably different from its usual timbre. Ava snapped out of it momentarily, batting her eyelashes, looking at Poe Vaughn. His eyes were deep, but inside, shadows lurked, ready to swallow her anytime. The rightful source is Novᴇl_Fire(.)net Ava’s heart fluttered with panic, realizing the consequences of her actions, she swallowed and quickly said, "I have to get up and make breakfast!" Her hands swiftly pulled away from his grasp, throwing off the blanket and heading straight for the bathroom. Poe Vaughn stood there, watching her unadorned body, slender and tall, dark hair swaying across her smooth skin, her long white legs covered in traces of his marks. His gaze grew even darker. But he didn’t follow her, didn’t let the darkness grow; he suppressed it until everything settled. He went to the walk-in closet to get dressed. Ava went to the bathroom to wash herself, and only then did she fully wake up. Her body ached, especially her waist, making her uncomfortable. Ava frowned, looking at her body covered in Poe Vaughn’s marks, both old and new. She realized that continuing this way with Poe Vaughn wasn’t feasible. They had to exercise restraint. Their situation was out of control, bordering on indulgence. Such recklessness was bad for their health and would affect work and life. So, while having breakfast later, she would talk to Poe Vaughn seriously about this; it couldn’t go on. They’d have to limit it to three days a week, or five, or not at all, but they needed to manage their time, definitely not keep overindulging. Previously, Ava worried he wouldn’t want to engage, thinking of ways to entice him, but now he pursued her willingly. She felt reassured, no longer needing to worry. However, everything in moderation; too much of a good thing was overwhelming. Ava’s thoughts moved quickly, and she swiftly cleaned herself up before exiting the bathroom. In the walk-in closet, Poe Vaughn was nearly fully dressed when Ava entered, and he glanced over at her. Her long hair was soaking wet, a bathrobe loosely tied around her body, revealing skin and the marks he left the night before. Poe Vaughn stared at her steaming, damp figure, pausing for two seconds before turning back to continue putting on his watch. Ava paused at the sight of Poe Vaughn, then walked over. "After you’re ready, you’ll have to wait a bit; I need to dress up and prepare breakfast." Saying that, Ava took out her loungewear and underwear, planning to change right there. But reconsidering, she looked at Poe Vaughn, whose deep eyes were on her, clearly changing. Ava immediately said, "I’ll change in the bathroom!" With that, she grabbed her clothes and quickly left the closet to head to the bathroom. Joking aside, if she changed in front of him, she might not make it to work today. She had no resistance to him, and he seemed equally affected. So, restraint, restraint! Poe Vaughn stood before the closet mirror, hearing the door slam from outside, adjusting his cuffs. At that moment, the darkness welling in his eyes receded. He usually had strong self-control, but with Ava, he simply couldn’t. Ava dressed up and went to the kitchen to cook noodles. She still needed to make him breakfast, with time pressing, so she couldn’t slow down or indulge herself. Cooking noodles didn’t take long; within twenty minutes, two steaming bowls were ready on the table. Of course, these were simple noodles, without the complexity of simmering chicken stock, bone broth, or intricate seasonings – just boiled noodles with broth, seasoned, and she added two boiled eggs and blanched greens for Poe Vaughn. That was it. "Alright, try my noodles!" Ava placed the chopsticks in front of Poe Vaughn so he could start eating. Poe Vaughn looked at the fragrant, simple broth noodles before him, then at Ava’s noodles.