CHAPTER 492: CHAPTER 492: STILLNESS AND CHILL

"Poe Vaughn, you’re busy, so I’ll head out first."

"Call me if you need anything."

"Bye~"

Ava knew that Poe Vaughn was busy, so she sensibly let him work and went out on her own.

He had said he wanted her company, but that didn’t mean she had to stay by his side all the time. She should be considerate and not disturb him when he’s busy.

Of course, when he had free time, she could be with him.

Today, with all the running around they’ve done, his available time was naturally reduced. Now, since they’ve finished dinner, he surely needed to focus on his work.

What was she still doing by his side?

It wasn’t necessary.

So, she kept herself occupied and went to play on her own.

After saying that, Ava waved at Poe Vaughn, leaving happily.

On her way out, she gently closed the door behind her, a pure act of understanding and thoughtfulness, not letting him worry at all.

Poe Vaughn sat in the leather chair, watching as the study door closed, the smiling face disappearing from his sight. Gradually, he could hear footsteps from outside.

The footsteps were light and cheerful, soon disappearing.

But if one listened closely, there were subtle noises outside. Ava was moving around the suite, picking up things, and then she headed towards the front door.

The door opened and closed with a click.

And after that click, all the sounds disappeared.

Everything became silent; not a sound could be heard.

It seemed like the previous warmth had been an illusion.

The place was continually cold, always cold, never a hint of warmth.

Poe Vaughn sat there, feeling the coldness surrounding him. After a long time, he withdrew his gaze, leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes.

At this moment, the silence and chill flooded the space, deeply enveloping him.

After making her goodbyes, Ava left the suite without hesitation, closing the door behind her. Carrying her bag and phone, she headed straight to the elevator, leaving the hotel.

She had been to Saipan Island before, after all, it only has one season, with temperatures always in the twenties, which was ideal for someone like her who didn’t like cold weather.

Therefore, apart from work, she would come here to play when she had the time.

Especially during winter.

Currently, it’s already autumn in her home country, but the temperature hadn’t dropped much, as the late summer heat was quite strong.

Here, though, it was fine; even the hottest is only in the twenties, and the coldest is in the twenties as well.

Not bad.

This was the temperature she liked.

As soon as Ava stepped out of the hotel, she smelled the strong scent of the sea, the sea breeze lazily blowing, carrying the salty wetness and the aftertaste of the sunset, blowing towards her.

Ava stood at the entrance of the hotel, closing her eyes to feel the natural atmosphere, feeling utterly refreshed.

Just like a seagull, freely flying over the sea.

No one to restrain or disturb her.

The hotel was by the sea, glancing out there was the endless ocean, a beautiful blue.

And as the night fell, the blue ocean was covered with deep tones, becoming mysterious.

Feeling the refreshing air, Ava felt completely invigorated. She opened her eyes, took out her phone, and dialed Lauren Howell’s number, then walked towards the beach ahead.

With nightfall, there were more people on the beach.

Some were hosting parties, others were holding events, there were couples on dates, and families with kids enjoying the tranquility of the nighttime scenery.

Everything was perfect, everything was just right.

"Beep..."

The phone was connected.

Ava listened to the beeping tone, watching the incredibly peaceful scene ahead, feeling quite pleasant.

"Lauren!"

The call connected after four rings, and Lauren Howell’s voice came through, sounding very excited. As if something good had happened, making Ava frown instantly: "What happened?"

Lauren Howell’s voice definitely indicated something was up.

Ava’s trip to Saipan Island with Poe Vaughn was completely unplanned.

But now she treated it as a vacation, to relax and unwind thoroughly.

And during this relaxation, she didn’t want anything to affect her good mood.

"Huh? What’s going on? Nothing much!"

"I was just thinking of calling you to ask when you might be back. If you’re not coming back in the next couple of days, I’ll have to arrange another teacher for those models’ classes. If you are back in a couple of days, I won’t schedule that, and it’ll be like giving them a break."

"But I hadn’t expected you to call before I did, which is great."

Ava was momentarily speechless.

She thought it was something serious, turns out it was just a minor issue.

It was perfect because she had made this call to update Lauren Howell about her situation.

Ava straightforwardly said, "I probably won’t be back in the next couple of days, it’ll take a few days. But I’m not sure exactly how long. You can find another instructor to take my classes for now, and I can make up the missed time when I return."

"No problem, having your confirmation sets my mind at ease."

"I’ll arrange it right away."

As Ava’s assistant, knowing Ava could inform her about her plans promptly was a relief for Lauren Howell.

She just dreaded those times when she couldn’t reach Ava, which really made things difficult for her.

"Okay, I don’t have any other matters on my end for now. Just arrange the classes and filming for me."

"After all, my stuff here temporarily takes precedence over those two matters."

"I understand, don’t worry, I’ve already informed Director Zhou. Besides, before signing the contract, it was agreed to follow your schedule."

"Director Zhou hasn’t mentioned anything, so you just go ahead with what you’re doing."

Lauren Howell knew that Ava’s sudden departure must have something to do with Poe Vaughn, and in the presence of this big shot, everything else had to take a back seat.

She would definitely arrange everything well for Ava.

"Alright, by the way, my health has almost recovered, what about the upcoming fashion shows, have they been scheduled?"

Ava hadn’t forgotten about her primary job, walking the runway was work she loved.

Each time she stepped on the stage, she was filled with power. No matter what happened in life, once on stage, she was fearless.

"They’ve been scheduled for next month."

"But there’s still a month until then, so I’ve specifically left this month free for you to rest properly. Because once this month is over, you’ll be very busy."

"With all sorts of things happening at once, you might not be able to manage."

Upon hearing this, Ava’s brow furrowed instantly.

If it were before, she wouldn’t have said much, but now, with Poe Vaughn’s unpredictable moods, she wasn’t sure if she could complete all her upcoming work smoothly.

At this thought, Ava felt a faint headache coming on.

Poe Vaughn was the biggest variable, she had to find a way, she couldn’t let things continue this way.

"I got it, you go ahead and arrange it, send me the itinerary in advance so I can look it over and plan accordingly."

"Alright, no problem."

"Okay, I don’t have any issues on my end for now, do you have anything else there?"

Let’s get everything out of the way now.

"Um... regarding work, there’s nothing else, I’ve practically arranged everything. Just Eric came by asking for you, and I told him you had something urgent to deal with, so he didn’t say much more."

"Ava, rest assured, I won’t let anyone know about your relationship with the Celestial Holdings tycoon."

Ava: "..."

Hearing the gossipy tone, Ava just didn’t feel like talking anymore.

"Alright, that’s it then."

Click, she hung up the phone.

This woman, as soon as she wasn’t kept in line, her thoughts wandered.

Ava stuffed her phone back into her bag and continued forward. She wanted to thoroughly enjoy the beach, relax and unwind her recent tension, and have a proper break.

However, just as she was about to move, she felt a force coming from behind her.

Ava frowned, her steps halted, and she turned around.