Maria handed her a cup of tea. "Tea is better; coffee is so bitter."

Aveline accepted it. "Thank you."

Maria continued, "Let's go inside first. There are two spots in this building that the agent said are great, but I couldn't tell for sure. I thought you could help me decide." Aveline replied, "I might not be an expert in this either. By the way, what kind of studio are your planning to open?"

"A studio for architectural design," Maria said.

Aveline's eyes flickered at the mention. She was an architectural designer herself.

Maria seemed to recall something and looked at her. "I checked your profile. Aren't you an architectural designer? Where are you working now?"

"I'm not working at the moment," Aveline said.

Maria's eyes lit up. "Would you consider joining my studio? I can offer better pay than your previous job, flexible hours, and I won't interfere with your ideas. Think about it?"

Aveline didn't expect the invitation and smiled, politely declining, "Thank you, but I'm not looking to work right now. I might leave the city soon.

Maria was momentarily stunned, her eyes flickering. "Leave Cloudflare City? Where are you planning to go?"

Aveline lowered her gaze slightly. "Let's take a look at the office first."Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"Alright," Maria agreed, understanding that Aveline didn't want to continue the conversation. She realized she had been a bit too eager and that her direct questioning could be off-putting.

As they stepped out of the elevator, they saw several studios with people busily working inside. Maria walked to a door, pushed it open, and said, "Here it is."

Aveline entered. The space was spacious, with office desks and chairs left by the previous company, all neatly arranged. She walked to the window and looked outside.

"How is it?" Maria asked.

Aveline turned to her. "It's quite standard. What's your budget?"

Maria smiled. "No budget. If it feels comfortable, 11-stay."

Aveline raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you ask me to come along?"

Maria said, "There's another one upstairs. Let's go check it out."

"Alright," Aveline replied.

Following Maria, they spent the entire day visiting several rental studios. In the end, Marla decided on one in a different office building. Aveline had just accompanied her the whole time.

After signing the contract, Marla said, "Thanks for your help. Let me treat you to a meal."

Aveline glanced at the time and said, "I'm afraid I can't today. I have something to do tonight.*

Maria raised an eyebrow. "What's more important than having a meal?

Aveline smiled slightly. "It's very important, maybe another day."

Maria sighed helplessly. "Alright, but thank you for spending so much time with me. Where are you headed? I'll give you a ride."

She jingled her car keys. This time, Aveline didn't refuse because she believed reciprocity helped to maintain relationships.

Once in the car, Aveline mentioned the name of her neighborhood.

Maria asked, "Did you move?"

Aveline nodded. "Since I sold my house to you, I had to move."

"True enough." Maria smiled.

The car soon stopped at the entrance of the neighborhood. Aveline said, "I'll head in now. Thank you for the ride."

Maria replied, "No problem. Call me anytime, we still need to have that meal."

"Okay," Aveline agreed, turning to walk into the neighborhood.

Watching her disappear, Maria leisurely dialed Lucas' number.

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