Under the streetlight, the halo spreads, the deep night and the halo merge, making everything appear both real and unreal, both true and false. Jace Kingsley looked at Ava Sterling, his brow and eyes silent, just like the night, unclear. "Do you have someone you like?" "Why should I have someone I like?" Ava Sterling was suddenly surprised, looking at Jace Kingsley as if he had asked a very strange question. Jace Kingsley watched the clarity and brightness in Ava Sterling’s eyes, just like before, with no evasion or hiding, and his heart settled. His brows and eyes softened, and a smile appeared on his face: "I thought you had someone you liked." Chapters first released on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net Ava Sterling suddenly didn’t want to talk. "How could I possibly have someone I like?" "I don’t like those romantic entanglements, they’re troublesome and exhausting, making money is much more straightforward." She is indeed a true money lover. In this world, anyone can hurt you, betray you, leave you, but money won’t! It’s so tangible, so practical, so simple, so pure. If she didn’t want money, she would truly be foolish. Jace Kingsley chuckled softly: "In that case, I’m relieved." Seeing his relaxed smile, Ava Sterling finally understood what Jace Kingsley meant. He thought she had someone she liked, which meant he had no chance. He was really struggling with it. "Alright, alright, in my heart, you are my good friend, Ava Sterling, and no one can change that." Ava Sterling smacked Jace Kingsley on the shoulder, speaking with particular sincerity and loyalty. Jace Kingsley’s smile reached his eyes: "Okay." The two of them walked outside for a while, and since it was quite late, Jace Kingsley sent Ava Sterling back to the hotel. "See you tomorrow then." Ava Sterling got out of the car, waving to Jace Kingsley. Jace Kingsley’s lips curved up: "See you tomorrow." Ava Sterling didn’t linger, turning around and entering the hotel. Jace Kingsley stood there, watching her figure disappear from his sight, and the smile in his eyes gradually faded. He took out his phone and dialed a number. "Check if anyone has been giving Ava a hard time recently." After hanging up, he looked at his phone while watching the lights in the hotel. She rejected him, in just a few short days. If she hadn’t been troubled, how could she have rejected him so thoroughly? His expression became darker, and he turned to get into the car: "Back to the hotel." The car drove forward. Jace Kingsley watched the scenery quickly passing outside the car window, his fingers slightly tightened. Fortunately, she didn’t reject him because she liked someone else. As long as it’s not for that reason, he still had a chance. Ava Sterling slept well and only woke up when the sun was high in the sky. After getting up, she went straight to have lunch with Lauren Howell, and after lunch they went to the KOKO fashion show venue to start the preparations. In the blink of an eye, it was evening, seven o’clock sharp. Ava Sterling was doing the mid-show and final show, after putting on makeup, changing clothes, and following the sequence to go on stage. The KOKO clothing is not ostentatious, but once worn, it exudes an aura of nobility, especially for the upper-class ladies. Once on, it brings about an incomparable temperament. Ava Sterling wore a suit, in a straight-cut style, in a four to six distribution, the upper part being a top, and the lower part a skirt reaching the calf. The overall tone of the suit was a light tangerine with black edging, not flashy, somewhat playful, yet not lacking elegance. On her head, she wore a white French vintage large-brimmed hat, slightly tilted, covering half of her face. She wore white lace gloves on her hands, held a small white furry bag, and on her feet were black stiletto heels. She looked ahead, walking naturally and casually, relaxed and simple. Like she was in a good mood today, dressed up slightly, and beautifully gone to Valeria to have afternoon tea. Everyone’s gaze fell on her, then they took out cameras and phones to capture the moment. Jace Kingsley sat below, watching her smile onstage. Truly showcasing the good mood brought by wearing that outfit, it made you genuinely feel like she was going to see the water by Valeria and have that afternoon coffee steeped in mountain and water. He smiled along with her. The outfit for the closing show was a black dress. A body-hugging wrap with capped sleeves, flaring out at the hem, just below the calves. This outfit was very formal, as if attending some international conference. Her long hair was tied up, gathered at the back of her head, wearing a small black mesh fascinator, and on her arms were black gloves reaching mid-forearm. She wore black open-back high heels, held a black and gold small square bag in one hand, while the other went into her pocket, walking elegantly and grandly, with an imposing presence. For the two shows, Ava Sterling performed stably. She did not disappoint. Everyone was very satisfied. "Not bad, not bad, you walked beautifully!" Backstage, Lauren Howell immediately started with compliments. Ava Sterling sat in the chair to let someone remove her makeup, listening to Lauren Howell’s remarks, she snorted: "Is the ticket booked?" Last night when she returned, Lauren Howell was already asleep, so she hadn’t asked about the follow-up arrangements. And today, after sleeping and eating well, she began to work, forgetting to ask again. "What’s up? Do you have plans?" Before Ava Sterling could answer, Lauren Howell continued: "If you don’t have any business, just hang around here, relax a bit." "I can book your ticket for the day after tomorrow." "After all, the Zizi shoot is next week, no rush." "No need, just book it for tomorrow morning." She still had to go back to prepare gifts, time was really tight. "Tomorrow morning? So soon?" Lauren Howell clearly sensed that Ava Sterling had something on her mind, curiously watching her, wanting to discern something from her face. Ava Sterling closed her eyes, leaned against the back of the chair, letting the makeup artist work on her face. Hearing Lauren Howell’s words, she directly replied: "Just tomorrow morning!" If it wasn’t that the show ended so late, she would have asked Lauren Howell to book tonight’s ticket. "Okay, I’ll book it now." Lauren Howell was sure Ava Sterling had things to do, but since Ava Sterling didn’t share, she didn’t dare ask. She took out her phone to book the ticket: "Is nine o’clock okay?" Lauren Howell booked the ticket, and Ava Sterling’s makeup was almost off. The two left the makeup room together. However, just as they walked out of the venue lobby, they saw someone with a suit jacket slung over their arm, facing away, holding a phone. During the show, Ava Sterling had already seen Jace Kingsley, and Lauren Howell saw him backstage too. So seeing him standing outside now, neither of them were surprised. After ending the call, Jace Kingsley, with a deep expression, opened his contacts to dial another number. At this moment, Ava Sterling’s voice called out: "Jace Kingsley." He paused slightly, then put down the phone and turned around. Seeing her walking towards him, dressed casually, his face bore a gentle smile, as before. Ava Sterling was wearing a U-neck white fitted vest, straight-legged black wide leg knit pants, and white canvas shoes. Very ordinary, very simple. Gave a sense of comfort at first glance. Her long hair was still tied into a bun, casually, with quite a few loose strands. But she didn’t mind, prioritizing her own comfort. Approaching Jace Kingsley, Ava Sterling had a smile on her face: "Waiting for me here?" "Then let me treat you to a meal." Rarely, she offered to treat him to a meal, which surprised Jace Kingsley slightly. However, he quickly smiled and asked: "May I know the reason?" "It’s thanks to you that my mom didn’t hassle me." "Haha, I accept this reason." Soon, they got in the car, which drove off in front of Lauren Howell. Lauren Howell stood at the steps, watching the car drive away, with an amused expression. First friends, then lovers, and eventually, spouses. Young Master Kingsley really had it all figured out perfectly.