The food spilled all over the table, and the insulated bowl spun a few times on the tabletop before crashing to the ground with a crisp clang.
Ava was scalded by the spilled food, and she instinctively shrank back.
In such a moment, a sharp presence loomed behind her, followed by Ava bumping right into the firm chest, enveloping her instantly in a fragrant scent of deep wood.
Ava’s heart ignobly raced—it might have been the serial shocks that frightened her.
Poe Vaughn tightened his hold on her waist, looked at the mess on the table, then at her hand, noticing oil splatters from the food on her hand and body, and he distinctly felt the tension in her. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ nοvelfire.net
He furrowed his brow, "Who told you to move around?"
His deep voice was filled with reproach right from the start.
Still dazed, Ava couldn’t respond in time. When she heard his words, she instantly felt a surge of indignation and retorted, "Aren’t you here to eat?"
"Wasn’t I thinking about how busy you are every day, and how late you eat, feeling worried about you?"
"I just laid out the food for you, what’s wrong with that? I’m just injured and not as agile, not useless—don’t treat me like I’m worthless, okay?!"
As she spoke, her anger grew, glaring at Poe Vaughn as if trying to outmatch his fury, her clear eyes turning red with rage.
She kindly set the meal for him, and yet he scolded her—she had never encountered someone so heartless!
It would have been more fulfilling if she had fed it all to a dog!
Poe Vaughn listened to her words, though spoken with fiery vigor, they held no anger as he heard them. Instead, they felt like pebbles striking his heart, causing a slight tremor.
He looked at the face in his arms, red with anger, eyes ablaze, as if she would fiercely bite him at any moment, and he softly said, "Let the attendant handle these things."
"Isn’t the attendant absent right now?"
"Or do you see me as fragile like Ophelia? I’ll tell you, Poe Vaughn, I’m not a waste!"
"Even though I’m injured now, I can still do whatever I want!"
Wanting to prove herself, Ava tried to push him away to tidy up the table herself, but Poe Vaughn held her waist tightly and whispered, "I brought the reward."
Ava’s anger diminished instantly by a third, but she still chose to ignore him, insisting on tidying up.
Poe Vaughn said, "It’s in my pocket."
Poe Vaughn pulled out a velvet box from his trouser pocket.
Ava’s eyes were no longer on the chaotic food on the table but focused on the box held in his hand.
The velvet box was pure black, yet its design was exquisite, with beveled corners, square but not rigid or cold, exuding a discreet modesty—that’s clearly his style.
The box used high-end materials, and judging by its meticulous design, Ava was certain he had it custom-made.
However, based on the size of the box, it could only hold a ring, right?
Ava furrowed her brow for a moment, convinced he couldn’t use a ring as a reward. But if not a ring, what could such a small box hold?
Ava began to speculate wildly, all traces of anger dissipated.
She was truly someone whose temper flared and faded quickly.
Poe Vaughn watched her anger vanish in an instant, leaving only the rosy blush on her cheeks, like a sunset after a storm.
He moved his thumb slightly, and with a click, the box opened.