The realization hit Ella like a slap. The door had been open when she entered.
She had not locked it.
Yet now, she felt a presence. A suffocating, uninvited presence.
When Ruby saw the girl plopping her head to the side, playing dead, she patted her cheek, ’’Ella?"
At this point, the temperature in the room dropped even further.
It was impossible for Ruby to not sense the change in the air. She felt a piercing gaze on the back of her head.
When she turned around, she discovered a man sitting on Ella’s bed.
Her eyes widened, ’’Who are you...?"
Hearing Ruby’s questioning, Ella stopped playing dead, just in case somebody died for real, ’’Wait, Ruby... this...’’
"Shut up!" Ruby shot a scathing glare at Ella before turning to look at the man sitting on the bed.
Ruby frowned, her face cold, not backing down in front of the storm that was stirring around Adrian, ’’You have the audacity to barge in here in the girls dormitory. Do you take Imperial University for the backyard of your house?"
Ella smiled bitterly. That’s Adrian King. The backyard of his house could fit more than one Imperial University...
’’I will report you to the authorities right away and see how you get away with this...’’
Adrian’s placid gaze skipped over to Ella and he watched her in silence.
The baby hairs all over Ella’s body jingled and tingled. Not good.
Just as Ruby turned around to leave while holding Ella’s hand, Ella pulled her hand back.
Ruby glanced at her, visibly confused.
’’This... entire thing is a misunderstanding. I will explain it to you later.’’
Ruby paused. She looked at the ’handsome’ man sitting on the bed, then at the super ’defensive’ posture of Ella and thought of the rumors about Ella and a wild man.
Suddenly, her eyes went colder, ’’So, you lied to me?"
’’Can’t I go on in life for a while without a man waiting for me on my bed? Must I have someone who will eternally be curious about my whereabouts and think I cheated on him if I ever get a little late? Must I re-create all those fluffy domestic scenes with him...?" Ruby paused, ’’You said all these things.’’
Ella’s jaw dropped. No wonder she was a class topper. She could even remember such insignificant things, word by word.
Suddenly, a gust of chilly air blew by and Ella shivered. It was very difficult to avoid the big devil who was sitting behind, especially when his gloom was blasting like an inferno.
Ruby’s lips pressed together. "You were lying to me."
Ella’s attention shifted from Adrian. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Ruby let out a slow breath, her eyes dimming. "Guess I was stupid to believe you."
She looked at her almost condescendingly before she turned around and left.
Ella’s head throbbed.
She almost stopped Ruby but in the face of chaos, she stopped herself from doing that.
But internally, she cried tears of blood.
All the efforts she put into coaxing Ruby here to clear out their misunderstandings crumbled into dust right in front of her eyes and there was nothing she could do about it right now.
Ella doubted Ruby would even want to talk to her again.
Right now, Ruby must be thinking that she lied about not having feelings for Max too.
After Ruby left, the room to Ella’s door almost closed in a cinematic slow-motion manner and Ella’s rolling thoughts stopped at once.
She almost forgot the big devil in the room!
’’Baby, that...’’ Ella turned to look at Adrian.
From the beginning to end, Adrian had not uttered a single word.
Rather, he sat there, visibly unmoved.
But for some reason, Ella couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling.
It was like a few days ago when he had seemed to be jealous of Ruby when he questioned her who she was.
Ella suddenly straightened up.
Why was she feeling guilty when she did not do anything wrong?
"Childhood friend?" Adrian spat two cold words.
Ella suddenly remembered that this was what she had said when Adrian had asked her about Ruby the last time.
’’Y... Yes, baby, it’s her... She is the childhood friend I was talking about.’’
Adrian’s aloof gaze trailed down to her wrists.
Ella was bewildered at first but then suddenly, realization dawned.
Just then, when she was about to fall, Ruby had grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the door to support her.
Adrian’s fingers tapped the mattress once.
He didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t move.
But his gaze, dark and piercing, locked onto her like a command.
And then he raised both his hands towards her.
The posture... looked like that of a cat owner calling out their unruly cat towards them.
Ella extended one hand towards the man but the man’s gaze remained focused on the other as well.
When she raised both her hands, he captured them by her wrists and yanked her towards him.
In one moment, Ella was standing at a distance from Adrian.
In the next moment, she stood between his legs with both her wrists in his clutches.
His long fingers and big palms completely enveloped her wrists in a way Ruby’s small palms didn’t.
Even when the man was seated, he reeked of authority and power.
When his grip tightened around her wrists, danger alarms blared in her head.
He isn’t going to break my wrists, is he?
If he does, I will get someone to block him on my phone and never text him again. He can go be a single man and cry or whatever...
The man pulled one of her wrists to his mouth.
His lips brushed against her wrist, deceptively soft.
Ella’s wild thoughts halted and suddenly...
Ella gasped, her entire body tensing.
But before she could even react, his tongue traced the spot, slow and deliberate, soothing the sting.
Gently, softly, patiently, he licked the spot while meeting her gaze.
Ella’s eyes fluttered and her throat ran dry.
Why... did the sight of this seem so erotic?
The man very systematically showered the same attention on her other wrist and then he released her hands and sat back on the bed as if the person just now wasn’t him at all.
Ella: "_" Just... how petty are you?
A/N: Sweeties, remember to support this book with golden tickets, power stones and gifts if you like it~ Help Ella and Adrian rise up the rankings <3