That day, before leaving, Tristan gave Ava a gift box and said to her with a smile. "I hope you'll come."
The manner of his hospitality was what she could not refuse. She stared at the exquisite gift box on the desk, different thoughts wavering in her heart, but finally she opened the bow on the gift box.
A water blue gown suddenly appeared before her eyes. The perfect design and pure color caught Ava's eyes. She didn't expect Tristan to think so carefully about her, so she couldn't be reserved anymore.
The Kelleway's residence was beautifully decorated with colorful balloons, neon-lit archways, and beautiful flowers placed everywhere, filling the entire house with fragrance.
There was a rich variety of fine wines and delicacies on the long table on the side, and a five-layer birthday cake was placed at the center, looking particularly eye-catching.
Guests walked back and forth, holding glasses of champagne, and congratulated and toasted Tristan in wave after wave.
On this day, he was wearing a white Italian hand-tailored suit, which was quite elegant. His smile was as bright as the stars, making all the women present smile in admiration.
However, his eyes often glanced outwards, as if expecting someone to appear. Repeated disappointments had made him lose confidence in this kind of situation.
Just when he was feeling saddened, a graceful figure walked into the courtyard of their residence.
The aqua blue off-shoulder dress showed off her perfect figure and highlighted her snow-white skin. Her long black hair was made into a wrapped ponytail, dotted with white flowers, which was chic and elegant. Her face, which was slightly touched with make-up, was even more beautiful like a flower.
Tristan had never seen Ava dressed so beautifully before, and his eyes were full of amazement. He had always known of her beauty, but he had never known she could be as beautiful as she was now.
The guests were also surprised by the sudden appearance of Ava.
"OMG." Even Selena, who was chatting with her friends nearby, noticed her. She was dissatisfied and jealous, and said to her. "What are you doing here?"
"Selena, don't be rude. I invited Ava here." Hearing Selena's rude remarks, Tristan frowned and scolded, saying that no one should be disrespectful to Ava.
She was the delicate love of his heart. He was afraid of dropping her if he held her in his hands, and afraid of her melting if he held her in his mouth. He was even reluctant to speak loudly to her, so how could he allow others to insult or slander her?
But Selena refused to give in. Her brother didn't even invite Yasmin, but invited Ava, so how could she stand it? She walked up to Tristan and whispered, "Brother, why did you have to invite her to your birthday party? Our families are not the same. This is bad luck, you know."
"Selena, watch your words. I hope you can remember that people are equal. You come from a prominent family, but you don't even know the basic etiquette and humility. You need to apologize to Ava now." Tristan could not help but scolded as Selena showed no remorse. Her temper was inherited from her family, which was why she was so disrespectful. He could no longer stand it.
"Or what?" After being scolded by her elder brother, Selena glared at Ava fiercely, with no intention of apologizing, and turned away. There was no way she could apologize to a poor girl like her.
Tristan could no longer bear it and was about to take a step forward to grab her back, but Ava at the side stopped him and said. "Hey, Tristan, it's okay. You don't need to worry about it."
"I'm sorry for embarrassing you. She's just so spoiled and willful." Ava's understanding came from not wanting him to fall out with his sister.
"It's OK. Today's is your birthday, and I've prepared a gift for you." Ava didn't want to talk about Selena anymore, so she took out the gift in her hand and handed it to Tristan. "Happy birthday to you."
Tristan was surprised and delighted. He invited her tonight just to make their relationship closer. He never thought that he would receive the gift she specially prepared for him.
"Thank you Ava for the gift!" He put the small gift into his pocket as if it was a treasure, and pulled Ava towards the one-meter-high cake.
All the guests were looking at them with cheers. Tristan ignored them and held Ava's hand and cut the cake together.
Ava's cheeks turned red with embarrassment and she didn't try to look at Tristan again.
After the birthday party, Tristan was concerned that Ava would be worried about going home alone, so he drove her home personally.
They were silent all the way. When Ava had calmed down, Tristan asked, "What are your plans for the two-month vacation?"
"What?" Ava replied in a daze, clearly not hearing what he asked.
"Next month, I have to go Europe for something. So, I want to ask if you are interested in traveling abroad with me?"
The invitation was so open and sudden that Ava, who heard it carefully, felt her heart pounding. Europe? She wanted to agree, but her conditions did not allow it. So she could only refuse. "I'm sorry, Tristan, I have a part-time job to do, so I'm afraid I can't go with you."
Both of them knew that if they went forward together this time, their relationship would change.
Ava always felt that she was not worthy of Tristan and did not dare to accept his direct approach. It was better for her to avoid being a situation where he would see her in a different light in the future, so she would rather stay away from him.
Tristan was a little disappointed by her refusal, but he still agreed to her wish, just because he didn't want her to have any strange thoughts of him.
Some things had to be done slowly, not too hastily. Otherwise, it will only lead to bad outcomes.