Esther’s smile stiffened, "I know of all your sacrifices and I thought this was your only chance to get together with Max. So, although there were risks involved, I still sent him there. I never expected things to turn out . Sis... From what you are saying, did Mr. King hurt you?"
Ella paused and then shook her head.
The light in Esther’s eyes dimmed, ’’Don’t worry, sis. With me around, nothing will happen to you. In the days to come, I will surely make it up to you!" She turned to the side, ’’Mommy is calling me for dinner. Bye, sis!"
When the call was disconnected, the confusion on Ella’s face gradually dispersed and it was replaced by stark coldness.
Such a deliberate show of family affection... In her previous life, she would have been touched that her sister was still thinking of her while being envious of the familial love that seemed to be out of her reach.
Esther knew where to cut so that it would hurt deeply. She just did not know that Ella was no longer as gullible to not see through her intent.
The chill of the night seemed to sink into her bones, making her shiver a little.
Not wanting to linger in the garden any further, Ella checked on Riri again. Seeing that he was sleeping in peace, she retreated to her room.
She had her plans set for the night. First, she would take a long and warm bath, do her skincare and then go to bed.
As she stepped into the bathtub, the warmth of the water relaxed her nerves. Ella squeezed a lot of body wash in her palm before she lathered it across her body.
Water gushed. Stream billowed. Somewhere behind the fogged up glass, a legend performed.
In no time, Ella’s voice boomed across the bathroom as the notes of her songs floated in the air.
’I don’t need a man eh, I need a mirror—
To watch myself shimmer clearer~
Gave the sun a complex today,
Told it to move cause baby, I light the way!
Ooh lala, I don’t need a man eh~
Just give me the damn mirror~
Donned in a bathrobe, Ella stepped out of the bathroom, still humming and twirling.
But the moment the door opened, a cold blast of her air hit her face.
Her body, still warm from the bath, suddenly froze up.
Ella slowly looked up and her heart rose to her chest.
On the King-sized bed in her room, a certain King was seated.
Leaning back on the headboard of the bed, Adrian sat there, dressed in a black satin robe that revealed his pectoral muscles. His dark hair was a little tousled and his eyes resembled the midnight shade, dark and dangerous.
As for Adrian’s face? It was frosty. Beautiful yet chilling.
Ella’s hand that was still resting on the doorknob twitched, the urge to run out of his sight was strong.
And she instinctively took a step back.
The temperature in the room suddenly dropped even further, making it hard to breathe.
Ella blinked and inhaled a breath, "Baby, have you been waiting for me for a long time?"
Ella took off her bathroom slippers and shook her feet as if they were slippery and they had made her retreat earlier.
"Not long." The man’s words were crisp and concise as ever.
Ella walked to the dresser and sat on the little white chair, her heart gradually calming down.
In this life, Adrian was quite reasonable at times. But still, this fear that she had towards him was unshakeable.
It came from the fact that this man had inextricably tied her life, her fate, her existence to him.
What made it scarier was that in doing so, Adrian knew no bounds.
In silence, Ella dried her hair. Throughout the process, Adrian remained on the bed, watching her.
Ella could feel his heavy gaze on her but gradually, the negative feelings in her heart dispersed.
By the time she started doing her skincare, she could feel Adrian’s impatience.
Even when she tried to avoid it, she could not help but watch his reflection in the mirror.
The slight furrow of his brows. The slightest twitch of his lips. Every reaction of his was subtle but she could tell that he was annoyed.
Ella did not know why but seeing that, she had the urge to do it even more slowly.
And so she did. Her fingers gently, very gently patted the serum on her face. Every process was excruciatingly slow.
The devil prince sitting on the bed was enshrouded in a layer of gloom.
Although he did not say anything, Ella could see him sulking.
Ella stiffened. She watched through the mirror as the man covered the distance between them in a few strides.
Adrian had just approached her when the girl shot up to her feet and turned to look at him.
A sly glint flashed across his eyes, "Baby, I have an idea."
Adrian King was seated in front of the Victorian styled princess themed dresser.
A baby pink coloured bunny headband was placed on his head, holding his hair up. The furrow between his brows seemed to be a fixture as Ella wandered around him, gently massaging his face.
Ella dropped some extra of the cleansing oil on his face, gently massaging his cheekbones with her knuckles.
Not that that oil was essential. Her fingers seemed to glide flawlessly on Adrian’s skin.
"Baby, does it feel cool?"
Adrian’s long eyelashes fluttered. "Mm.’’
Ella’s brain glitched for a moment before she squealed inwardly. Such a princess. Adrian was such a good princess!
Since she was young, Ella was fond of dressing dolls up. She had vague impressions of forcefully dressing up the relative’s babies that came over.
And with a model as perfect as Adrian King, Ella could barely refrain herself from acting up. What was cherry on the cake was the fact that Adrian was very obedient and cooperative.
He did not move around nor did he break her flow, letting her do whatever she wanted with his face without any hesitation.
Meanwhile, the man sitting on the chair never once took his gaze off their reflection in the mirror. He never blinked. Not once.
His eyes trailed the figure of the girl who was fluttering about around him, the delicate fingers touched his face, caressed his skin. She stood close to him. Without hesitation.
The way she touched him, he wanted to carve it into memory.
A hint of something dark, and inconceivable flickered in Adrian’s eyes and—