In fact, her dear little sister was right about one thing. That is...
Things needed to be right.
...
The next few days, Ella remained in the huge mansion without doing anything other than sleeping all day and eating her regular meals that were delivered to her room by the servants in the mansion.
In her past life, she was always busy being led by nose here and there, plotting this and that and beauty sleep always remained far from her hold.
In this life, she could not help but hold it dear.
The servants in the mansion did not talk to her. They did not even raise their heads to look at her.
And she gave the credits to herself. She had harassed them in every way possible to trigger Adrian into throwing her out.
A couple of times, these servants were punished because of her shenanigans as well.
And gradually, they grew cold towards her.
They still served her and treated her with utmost respect but they did it while keeping an arm's length distance from her.
For the entire week, there were no signs of Adrian in the mansion.
It was not surprising to her.
The man barely stayed in the mansion.
However, everytime she hatched a plan of running away or some other mischief, he would show up like a blazing bull.
Hah~
Amazing spidey senses! They tingled at specific times maybe.
If not for his timely presence during those times, Ella would have forgotten she had a husband.
But alas, Adrian never let it get to that stage.
After a week of isolation, sleeping and idling about, Ella could no longer take it.
On the eighth day, she finally got up to the closet and fiddled about for some decent outfit.
Not that she did not have any, but all of them belonged to the times when she was a model.
And these clothes were a couple of sizes smaller than what would properly fit her right now.
So, if she wore a proper outfit, she would be bulging out of it.
In her previous life, she had a terrible self-image and she could not accept that she no longer looked as she did when she was 19. So, she clung to these clothes for dear life, staying delusional.
Now, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
After contemplating for a while, she finally pulled out an oversized black top which acted as a normal T-shirt for her current body, and then she paired it with a black pleated midi-skirt and a dark grey overcoat that went with the entire outfit.
After dressing up for a while and being satisfied with the result, she went downstairs.
''Miss Yu, are you... heading out...?" One of the servants approached and stood in front of her with head bowed and a few gathered around the grand hall in the distance.
The stuttering in their voice told Ella of their fear. In their hearts they must be going like—
She isn't eloping, is she? Is she going to cuckold the Master again? If we tell the Master, will we get punished? Ah, lord have mercy!
"I want to visit my hubby!" Ella declared, beaming like a sunflower.
'Bam'
'Crash'
'Boom'
The chef dropped his spatula. The cleaner flopped on the wet floor and two young maids bumped into each other before tumbling down.
''Please make the necessary arrangements as per my needs...'' Ella continued without showing any mercy.
''M-Miss Yu, you must not!" The head servant finally came to herself and pleaded.
''Hmm? Did he say I cannot visit him at work?" Ella pouted, bumping the tips of her index fingers as she lowered her head like a withered sunflower.
''That's not it...'' The head servant was completely at a loss.
Ella hid her smile.
Yes, that's not it.
Adrian King had her under complete surveillance.
But he never forbids her from doing this or that or going here and there.
As long as she did not continue her adultery or further wayward thoughts of escaping him, they were good.
He would even book her a ticket to heaven or hell as long as she came flying back to him.
Finally, the arrangements that she had demanded were made.
On their way out of the mansion, Ella could not help but notice three lone roses that hung on the tall gates. Her eyes twinkled.
After an hour or so later, the sedan finally stopped in front of a tall building.
The driver opened the door for her but even when Ella stood to her full height, she really could not see the top floor of 'King Empires'.
When Ella entered the building, she felt like she received the pressing stares of almost half the population.
Hmm?
Why so? Was she too pretty or did they recognize her as the lady boss? Hmm, hmm!
Holding the tote bag closer to her, she walked to reception.
''How may I help you, Miss?" the receptionist looked at her.
''I want to meet your President,'' Ella smiled.
The receptionist smiled, almost as if waiting for Ella to fix her error in speech.
''Adrian King,'' Ella added.
''I know our President's name,'' the receptionist's smile had long turned stiff, ''But do you have an appointment?"
''I need an appointment?" Ella blinked.
Not that she did not know that an appointment is needed to meet the CEO but in her previous life, Adrian had told her she could come to his company any time and nobody would stop her....
Suddenly, it hit Ella...
The hug was so tight she could barely breathe.He held her as if—She would vanish if he loosened his hold.After what felt like forever, Adrian eased his hold but never let her go.In the darkness, his obsidian eyes sparkled with a hint of something dark yet hopeful.You should not even think of leaving me again, Elle.You are not running away.I will trust you.In the distance, from a balcony, a phone was pointed towards the couple.Ji Yan was holding the phone in his hand.Beside him, Old Madam finally moved away when the couple hugged. She looked at Ronan who was on a video call and then at Ji Yan who was showing the scene to him.’’Both of you, when were you planning to tell me about this?"Ji Yan guiltily lowered his head."Old Madam, the thing between Ace and Ella is far too complicated,’’ Ronan did not filter his words.Old Madam sighed, resting her cane lightly on the marble floor. "What you told me about Little Ian’s health—" she hesitated, "—is it related to his emotions to
Ella held her breath."Let them spread.’’ He said, sounding like an aloof deity detached from the affairs of the mortal world.Rumors? Let them spread.Only Adrian could say something so bold with such a straight face.The moment he said that, another hushed yet not so hushed remark fell in Ella’s ears as a maid spoke.’’You all asked me to lose some weight before marriage, right? See, a real man will love and cherish his woman the way the second master does with Miss Yu. Hmph! I am never listening to you all again...’’Some more of these excited whispers fell into Ella’s ears and her face heated up.She did not know if Adrian heard the last one or not because his calm exterior did not betray anything."Why did you pick me up?" Ella asked with a cough.’’Because you wanted me to.’’"_" Second Master, pray tell when this happened...Slightly stunned, Ella laughed, ’’I just said that I don’t want to walk..."’’That means you want me to carry you.’’Ella: "_"She could not really do anyt
And as they talked, the golden table was slowly filled with various dishes.Ella tried to keep her focus away from it but the fragrance of freshly cooked food wafted over to her nose and she snuck a few glances.Spicy Crayfish. Grilled Cold Noodles. Garlic Prawns. Egg Cookie Rolls..."The cook has especially prepared this for you, Ella. Don’t be shy. Try them.’’Ella smiled, ’’But Grandma, I am trying to lose weight,’’ she spoke softly.Before Old Madam could say a word, Adrian’s voice sounded in the silent living room, ’’You have gotten very thin. Eat more.’’He served a little of everything onto one plate, then slid a second dish closer, stacking it high with crayfish.He passed the first plate to Ella without a word, keeping the second one for himself.He passed the first plate to Ella and moved the crayfish plate closer to him.Old Madam was concerned, ’’But Little Ian, with your tolerance, you cannot eat spicy food...’’’’It’s not for me.’’Then under the shocked gazes of everyon
The headlines poured in, one after another, like smoke before a fire. Ella’s gaze stayed fixed but something dangerous shifted beneath the surface.’One of the top 3 entertainment companies is acquired by a mysterious person.’’The Great Star Company will be known as Mo Entertainment!’’The Official establishment of Mo Entertainment’’The new CEO stays in the shadows and the staff members work behind the scenes.’The headlines continued and Ella let her eyes trail off.Mo Entertainment... the same company that turned Esther from an ambitious newcomer into a household nameThat is where Esther shot to fame, coming to be known as one of the top actresses in the country.And others might be clueless of who acquired this company, but Ella was not.Regarding her and Ruby’s kidnapping, Ella had not joined the dots at first because there were some missing pieces in the puzzle.She also could not put a finger on any information about the ’Black Wolf Gang’ because in her previous life, she did
It was at this moment that Ella finally finished chewing the food in her mouth and spoke up, ’’Grandma, I think age is just a number when it comes to these things.’’Ella smiled faintly, but her eyes flickered.In her previous life, she genuinely believed that age and looks did not matter all that much if two people loved each other for their souls. Bodies were, after all, perishable.Moreover, if they really were to consider age, then her soul that lived past 30s was definitely older than that of Adrian who was currently 29.Old Madam looked at Ella with a hint of surprise in her eyes.Adrian’s gaze also locked onto Ella, something unreadable dancing in his obsidian eyes, like light trapped in the depths of a still lake."Do you really think so?" Old Madam could not help but want to confirm it.’’Of course,’’ Ella paused for a moment and then she continued speaking, ’’If two people get along well, treat each other with respect, have trust for each other, and respect each other’s boun
In the butler’s view, Ella was not conventionally beautiful. She didn’t have a palm sized, an ideal body or perfect features. But she had a refreshing kind of charm.Moreover, the way she held their second master’s arm and clung to it was completely different from how the demure socialites would act, reserved and poised in their actions.Ella smiled brightly at him.The butler’s expression morphed into a professional smile, so flawless that one would never guess he’d just mentally dissected her head to toe. ’’This must be Miss Yu?"This level of professionalism was truly expected from someone working here in the main mansion of the Kings. Ella thought.In her previous life, she had pushed this old butler away when he looked at her for more than one second and accused him of disrespecting her.Blame it on Esther’s endless ’pep’ talks. Two full days of, "Don’t take shit from anyone!" had turned Ella into a walking landmine that was easily triggered at any time.So Ella acted on things r