That afternoon, Ben showed Elliot a photo of Avery and Wesley together.

"Avery's new boyfriend."

Elliot glanced at the picture, and his eyes darkened as he asked, "Isn't that Professor Hough's assistant?"

He took Ben's phone from his hand and zoomed in.

"Do you know this man?" Ben asked as his interest rose. "Rumor has it that Avery took him around Tate Industries all afternoon. They were walking side by side, chatting and laughing with each other. They looked especially close to each other!"

Elliot passed the phone back to Ben and said, "I know him."

"Oh. I think they look pretty good together," Ben said deliberately when he saw Elliot's expressionless face. "One has a gentle aura, while the other is elegant—"

Elliot looked up and shot a cold look at Ben.

"You never have anything nice to say, do you?"

"I'm innocent! It's just that, looking at the jewel you picked for Avery makes me think you still have some love for her," Ben teased. "You didn't want to give her a necklace, e