Without the slightest bit of doubt, Ava knew immediately who he was. As soon as people saw him, they would know he was no sort of ordinary man.  Heaven had been most generous to this man, bestowing him with tremendous enviable feature. He had such a handsome face with a pair of dramatically beautiful eyes. Striking in their rare gunmetal blue color, they were shielded by thick, long lashes. His straight, perfect-shaped nose made him look aristocratic. His lips had a natural shade that would make the prettiest women jealous, along with a firm jaw that balanced out his refined features. Of all his glorious features, one that distinguished him the most from the other men was his silvery locks, highlighted with strands in a darker shade. He was apparently among a few men whose hair went gray prematurely. Gleaming under the chandelier light, his hair was cut fashionably short. A locks of silver cove

"Yes, you" he motioned in impatient gesture to her like she was some servant. "Go fetch us some champagne." Stunned, she didn't know how to react. She recognized some men were standing around him, probably the ones he referred as 'us'. The men were staring at her now. The duke arched his brow in annoyance. "Now" he said impatiently. "Do you understand what I'm saying? You'd better be quick. I don't like waiting." Bewildered, Ava stared at him blankly. The duke had mistaken her as a maid. And such an arrogant brute, how badly the way he treated a maid. Seemed irritated by her unresponsiveness, he glared at her."Have you gone daft? Or are you totally incapable of doing such a simple task? I'm afraid I'll have to dismiss you." "I beg your pardon" she heard her own voice rang in her ear."I'm afraid you had been quite mistaken,

A few days later, Ava received a message from Magnus to meet at the tower in the perfect time, she knew what it meant. Sunset. He had given her another key to the back gate so she could come anytime. He had been very busy in his training recently, so they didn't often meet. She went to the tower through the back gate. At the back of the manor, it was as quiet and peaceful as usual. The shaft of afternoon sunlight through the leaves added a glorious touch to the silent beauty. She climbed up the stairs and reached the top. She was just about to step outside when a sight struck her and she nearly bolted from shock. She moved aside quickly, hiding herself behind the wall, her heart was pounding wildly. The duke was standing in the tower's balcony. She recognized his silvery locks at once. Ava felt her whole body quivering. She had to go as fast as possible. Peeking from behind the wall, she intended to rush down quickly without making any sound

"Easy, sweets, easy..." He calmed her."He will not find us here. He had never come here again for a long, long time." "Are you sure?" She glanced around the room cautiously. He nodded with an assuring smile."Take a look around, you'll enjoy some of very fine arts here." She moved closer to one of the paintings to have a better look. Soon she was fascinated by the magnificent beauty before her. She found a series of old paintings in similar style nearby. With a further observation, she considered the arts seemed to be made by a young artist, probably a child. A very talented one. A thought flashing in her mind. Was it him who painted them all? She remembered how beautiful his painting she had accidentally seen yesterday. "Oh, you're bruising my pride, sweetheart." Magnus' hurting voice came from behind."Ashton doesn't need one more person to admire him. He already got more than

It was over. Her relationship with Magnus had come to an end. She knew a great storm would happen one day, but she didn't expect it to come very soon, and that it would force them to break apart so abruptly. She walked home with a blank stare and an empty heart. The sky above her was getting dark. From a distance, lightning struck following by a loud thunderstorm. People rushed to escape themselves from the coming rain, but she remained slow. Some of the people stared at her in confusion, yet they were passing her without breaking pace. From the opposite direction, came a familiar sight. Magnus was walking toward her. He smiled and waved at her. Her heart ached as if it was squeezed by a cold fist. She didn't have a heart to say goodbye to him. She knew she would never be strong enough to lose him. She fought back the tears and turned away, running to another direction. "Ava, wait!" In a second, he already caught up, he grabbed her wrist and