Ava was genuinely enjoying this rare sense of relaxation.
She took out her phone and sent her mother a short message, saying she would be home later. To reassure her, she even shared her live location.
Then she silenced her phone.
Completely.
She lay back down, gazing at the vast, star-filled sky. It felt as if the pressure that had accumulated in her body and mind for years was finally being released, layer by layer.
After a while, she vaguely heard voices downstairs, as if guests had arrived. But seeing Jason lying there lazily, completely unmoved, Ava didn't bother getting up either.
Not long after, the noise downstairs grew louder.
Then—
A familiar, sharp voice cut through the night.
"Ava Summers! I'll count to three—come out yourself!"
Ava's relaxed body instantly tensed.
She sat up abruptly and leaned over the terrace railing.
Sure enough, she saw her parents standing in the courtyard below, their expressions dark with anger.
Her heart jumped.
She turned around—
Only to find Jason still lying there casually, completely at ease.
Jason smiled lightly.
"You're too impatient," he said calmly."I told you—if you dared to rebel, I could make it so your parents couldn't control you."
Ava panicked.
"They're already at the door, and you're saying they can't control me?"
"No, I have to go down," she said anxiously. "If not, they'll scold Uncle Eric and Aunt Angela."
"They're too good-natured. My mom will definitely bully them."
"Relax," Jason replied with a faint smile, looking utterly confident."It's nothing."
Ava was still uneasy and leaned over again to look down.
She watched as her mother, brimming with momentum, strode across the courtyard toward the house.
But—
Just as she reached the front door, her steps suddenly halted.
Her expression changed instantly.
The anger vanished, replaced by a polite smile.
"Oh?" her mother said warmly. "Director Lewis, what brings you here?"
Ava's eyes widened.
She froze.
She slowly turned to look at Jason.
"Director Lewis…?" she whispered."My mom's department director?"
"You called my mom's boss here?"
Jason replied leisurely,"I didn't call them."
"They've wanted to visit my parents for a while. I just happened to agree tonight."
"Oh—and it's not just her direct boss," he added casually."The regional general manager and the company owner came too."
"Your mom shouldn't be able to lose her temper now, right?"
Ava stared at him in disbelief.
Then—
She suddenly burst out laughing.
"You… you're really not just any kind of bad," she said between laughs.
Jason raised an eyebrow."I helped you solve a huge problem, and instead of thanking me, you call me bad?"
Ava laughed even harder.
"You knew my parents were coming," she said, shaking her head,"so you invited their bosses—the director, the GM, and the owner—to keep them in check."
"If that's not bad, what is?"
Jason chuckled."This also helps your parents build closer relationships with them."
"It's good for their careers."
Ava understood immediately.
This move not only restrained her parents—but benefited them at the same time.
No harm done.
She didn't say thank you this time.
Saying it too often would cheapen it.
In her heart, she thought quietly—
This junior is far too dangerous.
If it were any other man—even if she had willingly gone to his house—her parents would have shown up anyway, leading to an ugly confrontation.
In the end, she wouldn't have been able to relax at all. Her stress would have doubled.
But Jason—
He was like a warm harbor.
And the most frightening part was—
He didn't even look like he was trying.
For him, it was as casual as a game played in spare time.
That effortless sense of control—
That calm, unforced confidence—
Was even more captivating than the time he had spent hundreds of millions paving the way for her music career.
Ava's gaze softened as she looked at him under the stars.
Ava Summers: Favorability +5
Ava Summers lay back on the lounge chair and picked up her phone.
The screen was filled with missed calls and messages from her parents.
She didn't bother checking the earlier ones. Instead, she waited.
Sure enough, not long after, new messages came in—one after another.
Mom: Ava, how do you know Mr. Carter?
Mom: This Mr. Carter… is he someone even Chairman treats with respect?
Mom: Could it be that the person who said he'd pave the way for your music last time… was him?
Another message followed quickly.
Mom: Then you must get along well with Mr. Carter.
Mom: And make sure you're polite to his parents, understand?
Then:
Mom: We'll be leaving soon.
Mom: Do you want to come back with us?
Mom: No matter what, a girl shouldn't casually stay overnight at someone else's house. It doesn't look good.
A few seconds later, another message appeared—this time noticeably softer.
Mom: Forget it… forget it.
Mom: I won't bother you anymore.
Mom: Just treat Mr. Carter well.
Mom: If you do, then our music dream won't just be a dream anymore.
Looking at the string of messages, Ava could clearly see her mother's internal struggle—from anger, to doubt, to caution, and finally… complete compromise.
She was stunned.
She had only intended to rebel a little.
And yet—
Her mother had actually agreed to let her stay out overnight?
Not long after, Ava heard movement downstairs. Walking to the balcony, she saw her parents preparing to leave. Before getting into the car, they even waved up at her.
Then, after politely saying goodbye to Eric and Angela, they left her behind and drove away.
Standing there, a sudden thought quietly surfaced in Ava's mind.
How wonderful would it be… if Jason were always my haven in the future?
If I brought him home, then even at home, I wouldn't have to endure pressure.
If my parents interacted more with Uncle Eric and Aunt Angela—people so relaxed and easygoing—maybe they'd gradually change too.
The thought startled her.
Wait… isn't that basically thinking about becoming in-laws?
Ava's face flushed instantly. She shook her head hard, trying to throw the idea away.
They hadn't even known each other for that long.
And hadn't she heard rumors that Jason had more than one girlfriend?
She glanced at him subconsciously.
He's good in every way, she admitted silently.The only flaw is… he's a playboy.
Not just one girlfriend—several.
And yet—
Looking at Jason's calm, handsome profile under the lights, she couldn't stop herself from being drawn in.
Being around him was simply too comfortable.
That feeling of safety, of being sheltered—
No one else had ever given her that.
Just then, Jason stood up.
"It's getting a bit cold," he said casually."Want to play the piano for a while?"
Ava's eyes lit up instantly.
"You already bought a piano?" she asked in surprise."You just moved in!"
"I ordered it before coming back," Jason replied calmly."Buying the villa and everything else was already part of the plan."
"Then let's go to the piano room!" Ava said eagerly as she stood up."If it's a new piano, I can even help tune it."
It wasn't that she disliked the piano.
She disliked the pressure attached to it.
If she truly rebelled and stopped practicing entirely, she would feel guilty.
In that sense, she was very different from Shenna.
If Shenna rebelled, she'd feel zero guilt.
Jason led Ava to the piano room on the second floor.
The moment she stepped inside and saw the piano—
Her eyes widened instantly.
It was a Steinway.
But not an ordinary Steinway.
Even the casing alone was breathtaking.
Ava recognized it at a glance.
"This is—" her breath quickened."'Pictures at an Exhibition'?"
It was the only Steinway art-case piano in the world that integrated fine art, Russian history, and master craftsmanship.
Conceived and hand-painted by the world-renowned visual artist and pianist Paul Wyse, it was inspired by Modest Mussorgsky's legendary piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition.
Along the elegant curves of the piano's casing, Paul Wyse had vividly depicted all ten movements of the work:
Promenade.Gnomus.The Old Castle.Tuileries.Bydlo.Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks.Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle.Limoges.Catacombs.The Hut on Fowl's Legs.The Great Gate of Kiev.
History, music, and visual art intertwined seamlessly—
As if the entire piano suite had been unfolded into a living, visual masterpiece.
Ava walked forward quickly, almost reverently, her breathing uneven.
"'Pictures at an Exhibition' was already collected," she said in disbelief."They said it was worth nearly twenty million dollars."
She turned to look at Jason.
"How did this end up… with you?"
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