Ella blinked and after thinking for a while, she shook her head.
Ji Yan’s jaws dropped. So, she remembered nothing of her violent outburst?
"I... Am I forgetting something?’’ Ella frowned, ’’We tried to escape but we were caught mid-way and locked separately. Then, I lost consciousness..."
Ella’s mind was a little fuzzy but she remembered that the locked dark room had triggered her again.
And she had started hallucinating. She tried talking to Ruby to distract herself but eventually, she couldn’t hold on any more.
Then, later on, she had some bizarre dreams again.
Although they were blurry in her mind, Ella still remembered them all.
However, she was convinced that those were probably part of the hallucinations as well. From those dreams, she remembered Adrian visited that dark cell where she was locked till her death and carried her out.
The nightmares she had before showed her how Adrian died. No matter how realistic it seemed and how certain details matched, Ella could not surmise if those were real events from her previous life or if those were made up by her mind.
Ella gently massaged the side of her head. It seems like I will need to solve this mystery soon.
"Miss Yu, you don’t remember anything else?" Ji Yan asked, visibly shocked.
Ella looked at Adrian, ’’Baby, I think I vaguely remember seeing you. Were you carrying me...?" She trailed off.
Even though she had lost a little weight lately, she was still almost 180 pounds.
She had never seen Adrian working out. Eh... How could he carry her?
Wait, he has carried me before!
She looked at Ji Yan who lifelessly nodded at her.
Ella looked at Adrian with sparkly eyes, ’’Baby, you are so impressive?"
"Are you asking me?" Adrian frowned.
Ella choked on her saliva, ’’Ahahaha! Of course now, I am saying it. I am saying it!" She looked at Adrian’s face and asked, ’’Wait, you didn’t tell me what happened to your face.’’
Ji Yan opened his mouth,’’Miss Yu, that...’’
"It was him,’’ Adrian cut him off, his gaze landing on the puppy rolling around on the blankets.
Ella glanced at Riri and stroked him, ’’How could you hurt daddy like that? What all did I teach you about good manners.’’
Riri blinked, ’Woof woof’.
’’Baby, he is saying sorry,’’ Ella turned to Adrian.
"But baby, those marks on your face... seem to look like a handprint."
Ji Yan: "_" Miss Yu, you can finally see that?
Adrian spoke without batting an eyelid, ’’Riri dragged his claw down.’’
Ella gasped and turned to Riri, ’’You bad boy. Quickly apologize to Daddy again.’’
Ji Yan: "_" One is lying, the other is buying the lies. What am I doing here?
Riri’s wagging tail slumped a little, ’Woof woof’.
Ella smiled at Adrian, ’’Baby, he is apologizing again. We shouldn’t hold this against our child.’’
Adrian’s cluttered mind registered the keywords in Ella’s sentence.
The icicles in the room melted and a fresh spring breeze blew inside the room.
"Mm,’’ Adrian muttered calmly.
Ella smiled but the smile on her face froze after a moment.
She turned to look at Ji Yan, ’’Earlier... You said I forgot something. I also feel like that now.’’
Ji Yan looked at his second master. Seeing that the man’s face did not reveal any of his thoughts, Ji Yan cautiously inquired, ’’Miss Yu, are you remembering something now?"
Ella shook her head and glanced at Adrian, ’’Baby, my entire body feels so sore.’’
As if to prove her words, she stretched her arms and immediately groaned in pain.
"I am sure that those kidnappers probably ganged up on me and beat me up when I was unconscious."
Beat her? As if it was not her who has landed all their shadow guards in hospital with numerous hidden injuries! Ji Yan laughed awkwardly, ’’Miss Yu, it was you...’’
Adrian shot him a gaze.
Ji Yan froze and shut his mouth. He gave Rin a look and the both of them swiftly retreated from the room.
Ella glanced at Adrian curiously, ’’What about me? What was Secretary Ji saying?"
Adrian stepped closer to the bed.
As the man sat beside her, his face was dangerously close to hers.
Under his piercing gaze, Ella suddenly forgot all her deflecting techniques. She tried to avert her gaze but the man extended his hand towards her.
Two long fingers held her chin, rooting her face in place.
"Do you have something to say?" Adrian’s face was dangerously close, his voice low.
’’I...’’ Ella’s mind raced. It sounded like Adrian was giving her a death verdict.
But she could tell that the man was angry about something.
What could be the reason?
After pondering over it for a moment, it suddenly clicked in her mind. Was it because...?
"Baby, I did not ignore your call on purpose. Everything was so chaotic around me. I was waiting for the right time so I could call you and talk to you peacefully...’’
She trailed off when Adrian’s face darkened even further.
This was not the reason?
Suddenly, Adrian’s free hand snatched Riri from Ella’s lap and placed the puppy at a little distance.
Adrian’s face zoomed in front of her eyes.
Ella’s lips parted instinctively.
However, just as their lips were about to meet, she slid a palm over her lips, "Wait!" she spoke, her voice muffled.
’’I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. I...’’
Before she could finish her words, the man grabbed her hand and pinned it to the bed.
His fingers on her chin tightened as he tilted her face, ’’Tell that to someone who cares.’’
His low and magnetic voice vibrated against her lips.
She opened her mouth to speak but in the next moment, the breath was knocked out of her lungs all at once.
Ella nearly plopped back on the bed by the force of the kiss.
But the man suddenly released her chin and positioned his hand on her back, holding her in place as he pulled her in towards him.
When their lips parted, Ella was panting.
Suddenly, she felt a coolness near her face as Adrian pressed his forehead against hers.