By the time the firefighters arrived, the room had been completely charred, with nothing left intact.
At the beach on Beihai.
Ella ran barefoot across the sand towards Eric, who was sitting quietly, staring off into the distance.
He was in a bad mood today. After leaving the Nelson family villa, he had driven straight to the beach.
"Don’t be upset. Those people aren’t worth it," Ella said softly, sitting down beside him and absentmindedly playing with the fine sand.
In the car earlier, he hadn’t said a word, his face tight and full of anger.
Ella hadn’t dared to speak, wanting to give him some time to calm down. Now that he had been sitting here for about fifteen minutes, she finally ran over to sit with him.
Eric snapped out of his thoughts, still feeling a bit blocked up inside, but his mood had improved somewhat.
He glanced at Ella, "Hmph, your husband was hurt, and you’re only now coming to comfort me!?"
Ella pouted apologetically, "I... I just wanted to give you some space to cool off. I didn’t want to bother you!"
"Hmph, you took so long to come over—my heart is completely shattered!" Eric put on a disappointed face, picked up a seashell, and stood up to hurl it into the sea.
The sky was particularly overcast, as if it might rain at any moment.
The air was thick and slightly salty, without the usual heat of the day.
Ella stood up and hugged him, "Alright, alright, my dear husband, don’t be sad. I’ll make it up to you, okay?"
"How are you going to make it up to me? You don’t have the figure, and you don’t have the cooking skills!"
"Eric, do you really have to criticize me like that? I can work on my figure, and I can learn to cook!" Ella’s face was filled with frustration. He always knew how to poke at her flaws!
Eric sat back down, and Ella nestled close to him. There were only a few couples scattered along the beach, so it wasn’t crowded.
The sound of waves occasionally crashing against the rocks filled the air, helping to slowly calm their minds.
Ella, her heart aching, gently brushed his bangs away from his eyes and looked into those brilliant, expressive eyes. "It really breaks my heart... that you have to come from a family like that."
Her eyes reddened slightly. "I’ve been set up and betrayed many times, but... Robert never went too far, because I still had some value to him. But you... for your father to treat you like that!"
Eric chuckled softly, "It’s nothing. Didn’t your husband already get his revenge? I burned down his room, and now he has to stay in the guest room."
Ella forced a smile. Even though Eric had burned the room, James wouldn’t dare publicize the incident. If he did, it would have a huge negative impact on Nelson Group.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you—I recorded the whole thing on my phone. You should keep this recording; it might be useful in the future!" Ella said, grinning proudly.
For Eric, she had started recording as soon as they stepped into the villa, capturing everything.
Eric raised an eyebrow in surprise, his gaze softening as he reached out to pinch her soft, chubby cheek. "You’re such a clever little fox, but do you really think a recording can take James down?"
"Well... it’s still evidence, isn’t it? It proves he really treated you terribly!" Ella’s heart ached. She wished she could see James reduced to nothing, with Grace and Henry abandoning him, so he could finally realize who his true son was!
Eric gently pulled Ella into his arms, and she rested her head on his broad shoulder. "Did you really face assassination attempts while you were studying abroad?" she asked softly.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you? The only problem is that I don’t have concrete evidence to prove that James was the mastermind behind it all," Eric said, his brow furrowing slightly as he recalled his time struggling abroad.
Ella shook her head with a soft sigh. "I always thought you were being valued by the Nelson family, that they sent you to the best university overseas..."
"The best university? What a joke. If it wasn’t for survival, do you think I would’ve ended up at that no-name university abroad? But that’s all in the past. What matters now is the future," Eric said with a wicked smile, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty gleam.
"Honey, I’ll stay by your side!" Ella said firmly.
No matter what storms or obstacles the future held, she was determined to stand by his side, unwavering.
Eric cupped her face gently in his hands and kissed her cheek softly. "Thank you, my love."
Ella chuckled softly, but her eyes grew a little misty.
She knew that Eric had endured so much hardship abroad, especially in his childhood. Compared to him, she had been sheltered by Brianna’s deliberate pampering, and her struggles were far less severe.
This man was hers from now on, and she would cherish and protect him with all her heart.
They sat together, exchanging sweet words, as half an hour passed. Suddenly, the weather turned, and dark clouds rolled in, followed by large raindrops pelting down.
"Ah, let’s run—it’s raining!" Ella quickly pulled Eric up, urging him to run towards the car parked not far away.
But Eric held her close, standing in the pouring rain, and kissed her fiercely.
All the other couples had run off, leaving just the two of them, passionately kissing in the storm.
Ella didn’t resist. Instead, she responded to Eric’s kiss with equal fervor. The slightly stifling weather, cooled by the downpour, felt exhilarating.
Ella understood that Eric was releasing all the pent-up frustration, pain, and passion he had been holding inside, and it was all pouring out now in this moment.
The rain came down harder, turning the world into a white blur where nothing else was visible.
In the rain, Eric held Ella tightly, the water streaming into her eyes, making them sting slightly.
But the heat of his kiss, his possessiveness, his dominance, and his hunger made her body slowly melt into his.
She had never experienced kissing in a storm before, and it was incredibly thrilling, as if they were the only two people left in the world.
Eric’s hand gripped the back of her head firmly, and though the heat of his body was being dispersed by the rain, he refused to let go. He wanted to stay with Ella forever.
No matter the storm, he had no fear.
Finally, Eric released Ella, quickly bending down to scoop her up in his arms and sprint towards the beach.
Within seconds, he had carried her back to the car on the road, opened the door, and tossed the soaking wet Ella inside.
The car door slammed shut, and Ella, gasping for breath, wiped the rain from her face, only to feel a weight pressing down on her. She opened her eyes to find Eric’s stunningly handsome face right in front of her.
He was gazing deeply at her, soaking wet.
Ella instinctively looked down at herself and saw that her thin chiffon dress was now clinging tightly to her body, highlighting her most seductive curves.
Eric’s rain-soaked face was glowing with intensity, his eyes filled with a burning desire, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
He held her tightly, kissing her over and over. "Thank you, Ella... Thank you for staying by my side!"