Ava looked over the selection of ice cream and then glanced at Ambrose. “We’ll have two vanilla cones,” she said confidently, then added, “And can you sprinkle some crushed almonds on both?” The vendor nodded with a smile, “Coming right up!” As the vendor prepared their cones, Ambrose watched Ava, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’ve got good taste,” he said softly. Ava shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but her eyes flickered with a hint of satisfaction. "Vanilla's a classic. Can't go wrong.” The vendor handed them their ice creams, and they both started licking quietly, enjoying the sweetness. Ambrose broke the silence, a playful glint in his eye. “Can I lick your ice cream?” he teased, turning to Ava. Ava shot him a weird look, not amused by the suggestion. “No,” she replied flatly. Ambrose grinned. “Alright, do you want to lick mine?” She didn’t respond this time, just kept her focus on her ice cream, avoiding his gaze. Ambrose, still smiling, leaned closer and sa
Elder Wei sat at his desk, his eyes fixated on the stock chart displayed on the screen. The numbers were steadily dropping, and the red lines slashed through his hopes with each passing second. His face was tense, jaw clenched, and his fingers gripped the edge of his chair. Malcolm, standing beside him, nervously shuffled, watching the same ominous decline unfold.“This... this is a disaster,” Elder Wei muttered, shaking his head. His frustration bubbled beneath the surface as the chart dipped further.“I didn't mean for this to happen,” Malcolm said quietly, trying to defend himself. “Anna... she overreacted.”“Overreacted?” Elder Wei’s voice was a dangerous growl. He slowly turned his head, glaring at his son. “You insulted the one person who could help us stabilize this crisis! And now, look at what she’s doing—she’s destroying everything we built!”Malcolm’s eyes dropped to the floor. He knew his father was right, but the damage was done.“She was angry,” Malcolm tried, his voice
Ambrose whispered under his breath, "Oh God, she'll kill me if she finds out about this. How the hell did the pillows go off?" His gaze fell on Ava’s disheveled clothes, and he felt a twinge of guilt mixed with an undeniable sense of attraction. He moved closer, taking in the sight of her soft features. "Fuck, she's so pretty," he mumbled, unable to stop himself from inhaling her scent. It relaxed him in a strange way.His heart raced as he carefully reached out to adjust her nightgown, hoping she wouldn’t notice anything when she woke up. Just as his fingers touched the fabric, Ava’s eyes fluttered open, locking with his. Instantly, a cold shiver ran through both of them.Ava sat up quickly, her eyes drifting to his hand on her gown. She acted startled, her voice laced with mock accusation. “What were you trying to do?”Ambrose's face turned pale. "Ava, it's not—"“You were trying to pull my gown off, Ambrose?” she asked, her tone sharpening.“No, come on, why would I—" Ambrose stamm
Grandma looked over at Ava with concern, her eyes narrowing slightly as she asked, "Ava, I hope these people won't terminate the contract because of all this?"Before Ava could respond, Ambrose's calm voice cut through the room. "They can't." Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, including Ava.He continued, "It's a signed contract, right? So they can't just back out. Ava will have to do the work diligently, but even if they don't want to continue, they'll have no choice. Plus, if they ask her to stop, she can agree, give them the materials she's already bought, and take the whole big payment for herself.”Ava blinked in astonishment, stunned by how much Ambrose knew. She hadn't expected him to be so informed about the contract details. She exchanged a glance with Dera, who was equally surprised.Grandma Margaret, however, wasn’t pleased. She frowned deeply, her eyes locking onto Ambrose. "What do you know? Who asked you to speak?" she snapped.But before Ambrose could reply, Av
Ava, sitting quietly, didn’t know whether he was lying or telling the truth, but at that moment, she couldn’t help but feel a small burst of happiness inside. "$5000, and you wasted it all?" Grandma suddenly screamed. "You ungrateful bitch! We feed you, and you forgot us and used all the $5000 on yourself?" Ambrose remained composed. “I didn’t use all of it, Grandma. I saved some, which I’ll be using for trading again.” Evelyn, instead of anger, had a smile growing on her face. "Ambrose, I’m so happy for you," she said warmly. "You’re working hard, and I’m proud of you." Ambrose glanced at Ava, who was watching him closely. She smiled lightly at him and gave him a small nod of approval. After they finished eating, Ambrose stood up and began collecting the bowls from the table. He carried them into the kitchen, where Evelyn was busy cleaning up. Without saying a word, he helped her by packing the dishes, arranging them neatly on the counter. A few moments later, Ava approach
"Huh?" Malcolm and Chen exchanged stunned glances, their disbelief palpable. "I didn’t hear you well, COO," Malcolm said, his voice quivering.Anna leaned forward, her voice clear and firm. “I need 30 percent of the shares in your company.”Malcolm shot up from his chair, his face flushed with frustration. "What kind of thing is this, COO? Yesterday, you said it was 30 percent of the income, and now you're demanding 30 percent of the shares?!”Anna remained calm, her eyes unwavering as she replied, “Yesterday is gone, Mr. Wei. Today is another day. The Chairman doesn’t want a percentage anymore—he wants shares.”Malcolm clenched his fists, about to lash out, when Chen quickly stood up and gently grabbed his arm. “Master, calm down. Don’t forget, this could have serious consequences,” Chen whispered urgently.Malcolm glared at him. “So what, Chen? I should just give away 30 percent of our shares?”Chen shook his head, his voice low and measured. “No, master. Let me handle this.” He tur
“Yes, she said the Chairman has requested it,” Malcolm explained hurriedly. "I tried negotiating for 50 percent of the income instead, but she won’t budge. Chen suggested I call you for your decision."Elder Wei was silent for a moment, and Malcolm could feel his pulse quicken.Elder Wei’s furious voice came through the speaker with a thunderous curse. "That damn Gemstar! Thirty percent shares? Absurd! Malcolm, give the phone to her, I need to speak to Anna myself!"Chen immediately intervened, his voice firm yet cautious. “Master, that’s not going to work. She’s not going to change her mind, and she won’t let us talk to the Chairman. We only have two minutes left before they reserve the right to change their terms again.”Elder Wei’s breathing was heavy, filled with rage, and for a moment, it sounded as if he would explode. “Two minutes? Give the phone back to Malcolm,” he ordered, voice seething.Malcolm, anxious, lifted the phone. "Dad?""Give them the 30 percent shares," Elder Wei
Ambrose’s eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Haha, thank you so much, Ava! Okay, so are you at work now or…?"Ava nodded on the other end of the line. "Yes, I’m at work, but I’ll finish up soon. I’ll have Dera handle the remaining tasks before she heads home."Ambrose nodded, still smiling. "Alright, sounds good. Do you want me to come pick you up when it’s time?""No need, I’m driving myself. Just send me the location, and I’ll meet you there," Ava replied casually."Ok, my wi—" Ambrose paused, catching himself. "I mean, alright, I’ll text you the location and time. We’ll meet there.""I’ll be expecting it," Ava said.Ambrose nodded with a smile, even though she couldn’t see it. "Great. Talk soon."After hanging up, he immediately began scrolling through his phone, looking for the best restaurant he could take Ava to. Something perfect, something special.After scrolling through countless restaurant options, Ambrose grew frustrated. None of them seemed perfect enough for the evenin