"I don’t know why sis called us here. Maybe she has another surprise for Mom and Dad? I can’t wait to know what it might be..."
Following Esther’s voice, the door began to open. Adrian’s voice sliced through the air like a blade.
"Seal it down."
In a heartbeat, half a dozen n in black sward the hallway, as if conjured from shadow. Suits pressed, their movents were synchronized and ruthless. One stepped forward and slamd the door shut with a bang.
Esther, the family mbers and the guests who had followed them over to take a look at ’Ella’s another present for her parents’ were all startled. The place descended into chaos.
Startled gasps erupted.
"W-What’s going on?"
"Who are these people?"
"Hey—!"
Esther was about to calm them down when suddenly, her gaze landed on the person following the group of n. Ji Yan.
If Ji Yan was here, then was Adrian here too? Instinctively, she looked around but Adrian was nowhere in sight.
How could it be? How could Adrian enter this place, unnoticed by everyone?
Despite the self-comforting thoughts, she backed off when Ji Yan stepped past her, her eyes going wide.
Before anyone could utter another word, the door swung open again with thunderous command.
Adrian stepped out, his shirt stained in blood and his face unreadable. In his arms, he held Ella whose body seed to have gone limp like a doll.
Silence rippled through the corridor like a tidal wave.
Several guests took a step back as he stepped past them. And as his aura enveloped the huge space, nobody dared to breathe loudly.
Most people didn’t recognize him.
But the ones who did—
They gasped in astonishnt. Soone whispered, stunned:
"Isn’t that... A-Adrian King?"
"It’s him. The heir of the King family?"
"Are you sure?"
"I cannot be mistaken about this. I have seen him once from a distance yet I will never forget that face..."
"God! He’s carrying the First Miss of Yu Family?"
The Yu couple stood rooted at the far end of the hall, pale as ghosts.
Mrs. Yu’s hand clutched her chest. Mr. Yu’s jaw clenched tight, his voice caught sowhere between shock and dread.
Jenny stepped besides Dean Mo, looking at the scene in disbelief before she eventually turned to glance at Esther.
However, Esther was in no space to pay attention to her. Instead, she blinked rapidly, trying to grasp what she was seeing. Why... Why did Adrian carry Ella out?
Trembling, she glanced towards the room but her view of the inside was blocked by the row of n who had sealed the place down as they stood outside, forming a barrier.
Esther staggered a few steps back only to be caught by Mo Jun, "She doesn’t seem fine."
Hearing the concern for Ella in Mo Jun’s voice, Esther froze, a sickening feeling twirling in his stomach, "You... After seeing her today, you suddenly seem to care about her a lot."
Mo Jun snapped out of his daze when he heard her words, "She happened to save once but at that ti, I did not know she was your sister. However, after seeing her I realized that I probably misunderstood her before..."
Esther’s eyes narrowed, "Really?"
"What nonsense are you cooking in your mind?" Mo Jun frowned, "Your sister was just taken by soone and there seems to be sothing fishy about the entire situation. Right now, your priority should be being updated about her condition... but you..."
Esther hugged his arm before he could say another word, "I am sorry. I was so concerned about sis that I lost my composure just now..."
Mo Jun pulled her into his arms, "It’s fine. Let see if I can do sothing..." He pulled out this phone.
Unnoticed by everyone, two masked people stood in a dark corner, observing the scene.
Lilith’s lips curled down and she averted her gaze from Esther, "She is useless."
Eli did not respond.
Lilith’s gaze trailed after Adrian who walked away with Ella in his arms, her fingers curling around the railing.
On the other side, Adrian did not spare anyone a single glance.
He walked down the corridor with the weight of Ella pressed against him, like he was holding his entire world in his arms.
Adrian slid into the back seat of the black sedan parked outside, his jaw tight, every movent precise and clipped. The car door shut with a dull thud behind him.
A mont later, Ji Yan finally caught up, pulling open the front door and slipping into the driver’s seat. He stepped on accelerator before driving out of the hotel premises.
"Second Master..." Ji Yan opened his mouth, breath still uneven.
Adrian didn’t glance up. "Hospital."
Suddenly, a voice pierced through the silence inside the car.
"No..."
The voice was faint but it made both n freeze.
Ji Yan held his breath, not daring to turn around.
Adrian slowly looked down.
Ella stirred in his lap as her brows furrowed. Her lips parted slightly as she mumbled sothing incomprehensible.
Her face was pale, lashes damp, and sweat clung to her skin. She shifted uneasily, as if caught in the middle of a nightmare.
Adrian’s cold deanor cracked for just a second.
He eased her into his arms, adjusting the jacket that covered her torn dress. "Elle," he called out to her quietly, his voice stripped of all sharpness.
Her eyelids fluttered. Her breathing hitched as she started struggling in his hold.
Adrian hugged her tighter, firm enough to hold her in his arms yet soft enough to not hurt her.
Before Adrian realized, his hand had settled on the back of her head, stroking her hair.
"I’ve got you," he spoke again, "You are safe.’’
Suddenly, Ella jolted.
Her eyes flew open, confusion flashing through them before her gaze landed on him, disoriented and breathless.
"Adrian...?" she rasped, her voice raw.
His grip tightened instinctively around her, but his expression remained unreadable, "Mm."
Her lips moved, but no words ca out. Just the sound of her shallow breathing filling the space between them.
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