Joanna checked her wristwatch and noticed that it was getting late, so she decided to leave.
Ace smiled coldly and asked, "Do you not want the Rainbow Glaze?"
Joanna paused, inwardly thinking, ’Of course I do! Why else would I be under your bed?!’
However, she kept up her cold and arrogant facade. "I don’t want it anymore. Use it as a urinal or sothing!"
Ace was actually quite amazed by the woman’s vulgarity. The Rainbow Glaze had been a renowned treasure for thousands of years, with many trying to get their hands on it. Hence, he never would’ve imagined Joanna would view it as a urinal.
’I knew won were trouble. Their sharp tongues can cut people up, especially those with weak hearts.’
"If you want it, I can just give it to you. Then your efforts won’t be wasted," the man said calmly as he stared at the woman’s slender back.
Joanna was quite conflicted after hearing this. She had to admit that she was slightly swayed by this, even though she had just refused to take it a few minutes ago.
Joanna thought about it for a while, then grinned widely at Ace. "Really? I always knew you were a generous and forgiving man, Mr. Moran! Even though I insulted you and poured coffee all over you, you didn’t mind at all! You must have understood how helpless a little damsel like would feel in that situation, which is why you’re being rciful now, right?"
Ace’s expression was cold, and he said cryptically, "Sure, I could just give it to you-"
"Aww, that’s way too kind of you! I’d really owe you one then!" Joanna said as she excitedly scanned the room. "So where is it? Can I just bring it ho with ?"
Ace massaged his aching temples wearily. "Can you let finish first?"
Joanna’s enthusiasm quickly died down as she scoffed, "I knew there was a catch! Don’t tell you’re going to make perverted jokes again? If you do, getting coffee poured on you would be the least of your concerns!"
Ace smiled stiffly. "No need to get so riled up. I just need you to complete a project with . Once you do that, the Rainbow Glaze is yours. I’m sure that sounds like a fair deal."
Joanna decided to give this man a second chance, and asked him cautiously, "What do you need?"
Ace’s gaze landed on the tens of thousands of Lego blocks, and he smirked slyly. "How’s your building skills?"
Joanna froze, then replied bluntly, "Average."
"See, I’m a perfectionist, and I just have to finish building a figurine as soon as I get my hands on one. But it seems to that this is too much work for one person, and I definitely won’t be able to finish it before dawn. If you can help finish building it before tomorrow cos, I’ll give you the Rainbow Glaze as a gift."
"Th... That’s it?" Joanna didn’t expect those to be Ace’s terms. Since she was already quite fond of building blocks, she accepted the challenge right away. "Okay, a deal’s a deal..."
The woman then stretched her arms with a confident smile. "Let show you what true skill looks like then!"
Ace had no idea that Joanna liked building blocks, nor did he know of her extraordinary skills. His true intention was to dampen her spirit by giving her sothing she wasn’t good at, but... the woman’s performance made him view her in a different light.
Joanna could easily put a few irregularly shaped blocks together, forming them into a complete shape. It was obvious that her speed and technique exceeded the average person’s.
"Huh, I didn’t think you were a master at this," Ace reluctantly admitted. Anyone else would’ve likely taken at least an hour to make those shapes, but Joanna rely needed five minutes to achieve it. Her abilities were practically on his level.
The woman didn’t even need to look at the instructions, and she easily pieced another few blocks together. Her cherry lips curled upwards slyly, and she chuckled. "Well, you do have an odd mind, so I’m surprised you even think at all."
She thought to herself, ’What a waste of intelligence. It’s a sha he can’t read people at all – he thinks Desrosiers is a gentle, innocent woman, and Crawford is an honest, sincere bro. He even thinks I’m the pretentious villainess here, so how could I ever expect him to see anything past the surface?’
Ace sat down next to her as well, joining her in the block-building project. His hands looked delicate under the chandelier light. His fingers were slender, long, and defined, tempting one to intertwine their fingers with them.
Joanna was initially quite focused, but her eyes couldn’t help but wander to the man’s hands, which slowed down her pace a little.
"You’re losing focus." Ace was a keen observer, and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
The man was just as fast as Joanna when it ca to working with the blocks, and was able to put a number of them together while he spoke.
"N... Nothing!" Joanna’s face burned up as she looked away. She then scolded herself in her head. ’Joanna Pierce, pull yourself together, damn it! I know you’re into good looks, but now hands too?! It’s not like you haven’t touched a man’s hand before, so what’s with the butterflies!?’
Both of them were working on the wings of the spaceship, each taking a side. Their movents and techniques were surprisingly in sync.
Watching Joanna, Ace couldn’t help but smile to himself. "I’ve always thought we’re the sa type of person, and that’s why we ended up with a divorce."
Joanna paused slightly and scoffed, "Weren’t you the one who asked for the divorce, Mr. Moran? Why are you trying to shift the bla now?"
"That is true, but I was surprised you would agree to it right away..." Ace started reminiscing about the past, where he asked Joanna for a divorce four years ago. He just couldn’t understand why this woman, who claid to love him so deeply, would imdiately agree to separate. She didn’t even try to convince him otherwise.
He continued vaguely, "Sotis I wonder if things would have ended differently if you tried to convince to stay back then."
Joanna’s eyes darkened as mories from four years ago flashed in her mind. The divorce was such a painful experience for her, but she realized that it didn’t affect her anymore. The mory itself was a blur at this point.
She then shook her head, her tone calm. "That’s because I know that it would be a waste of energy and ti. Convincing soone who has already decided to leave is absolutely useless, but if I chose to leave right away, I could still protect the little bit of dignity I had left inside of ."
"That’s why I think we’re the sa – we prioritize our dignity and pride over everything and everyone else," Ace said quietly, looking at the spaceship wing that he was almost done building.
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