And truly, no more questions were asked.
"I handled it,’’ Ella finally responded when Adrian did not budge from his spot.
The man paused and then raised his hand to pat her head, "Good girl."
Ella’s nerves relaxed.
Weird. Was Adrian, the paranoid, overbearing and possessive man always this easy to talk to?
A man who wanted control in every aspect of her life suddenly let the strings loose?
In her muddled thoughts, Ella suddenly realized. The only times Adrian had truly wanted control was when she tried to leave his side.
Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she felt a weight on her lap.
The man who was standing by the bed had loosened his collar and laid his head on her lap.
Seeing his handsome face up so close, Ella’s heart skipped a beat. She could never get used to how beautiful he was!
Truly a devil, once the god’s favorite, huh?
As seconds passed by, Adrian’s expressions kept getting worse.
Did he perhaps not like the silence?
"Baby, I told you that I want to make money, right?"
Adrian looked at her in silence.
"I have a few things in mind actually," Ella raised one finger, "But the first point is having some base money. Base money, as in, the minimum amount that I need to have before I can go ahead and make more."
Adrian’s gaze shifted from her face for a moment, his brows slightly furrowing.
Not noticing the change in his expression, Ella continued, "I had an apartment before and in there, I still have some of my expensive stuff, bags, jewelleries, shoes... I am planning to sell them all but you know what, I made a mistake..."
Ella briefly narrated the ad that she had posted and the misunderstanding that had followed with the first customer.
"So, I decided to go back to my old Instagram account..."
She trailed off, watching him carefully.
Adrian didn’t move, but his grip on the phone tightened. A slow frown started etching into his brows.
Thin ice, Ella. And his silence was louder than thunder.
"Nobody likes me there, though. I’ve got over a million followers but most of them are haters..."
The furrow in his brows deepened. He wasn’t just displeased, he looked murderous.
He met her gaze and uttered few words frostily, "Delete that account."
Ella stiffened, "Baby, I can’t..."
Ella held her breath and met his gaze, "Haters or not, this is the only account I have with so many followers. I can’t rely on those ordinary ads to sell these branded products. I can only use this platform where they won’t have doubts about the authenticity..."
Adrian sat up on the bed, pulled out his phone and typed something on it.
Out of sheer curiosity, Ella peeked. Her eyes nearly bulged out of the sockets when she saw the text.
Adrian: [Get a social media account with 100 million followers.]
Sir, they are real followers, not cabbages, ah! Even my current account has only a little over 1 million!
Just as Adrian was about to hit ’send’, the phone in his hand disappeared.
His face frosted over.
Ella held her breath. He seemed territorial when she said she had followers and he got angry when she said they are all haters.
"Baby, if you solve all my problems for me, how am I ever going to learn?"
"You don’t need to learn anything." ’I will deal with everything for you’ was silent.
Ella shook her head, "Even if you hand me a new account in a perfect state, how would I deal with all those followers if I have no real experience? What is the guarantee they won’t turn into haters?"
"I will make sure they don’t."
"_" Stop talking like a mafia lord. You cannot be saying such illegal things, ah!
"Baby, you need to understand that if I can’t even take on my own challenges, I will never deserve the glory you buy for me."
Adrian’s brows knit even harder. At this moment, he suddenly felt a hint of softness on the corner of his lips.
The feeling was gone just as fast as it came. But sweetness and the warmth lingered. The fragrance of fresh bloom of magnolias whirled around him.
"So, trust me more. Also promise me, you cannot let your people deal with my problems! Do you agree?"
Adrian looked at the girl who was gazing at him expectantly.
Not getting a response from him, Ella opened her mouth, ready to negotiate further but the man pulled her into his arms.
He laid down on the bed and she was half sleeping on him.
The way Adrian held her in his arms mirrored the way people held their pillows when they went to sleep.
The man pecked her on her lips, interrupting her words.
Ella was instantly silenced for a moment.
Ella noticed the faint green lines under his eyes and suddenly stayed still. He probably hasn’t slept in days. Was he having difficulties sleeping again...
Her thoughts trailed off when she noticed his steady breathing pattern.
"_" He was already asleep.
Damn, his doctors! They really needed to up their game.
Ella wanted to get in a comfortable position but the way he held her forbade her movements. Half of her body was laying atop him and his arm wrapped around her waist.
When her next started feeling stiff, Ella leaned in and placed her head on his chest.
Her thoughts raced here and there before her attention stilled on the sound of his steady heartbeats.
And in no time, Ella dozed off.
Ella was stirred awake by the sound of knocks on the door.
When she opened her eyes, Adrian was gone from the room and the sky had turned dark outside.
Her devices had been neatly shifted to the bedside table while one small light glowed in the room, lighting up the place dimly.
"Miss Yu, are you awake?" The butler’s voice came from outside.
Ella rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up on the bed, ’’Yes you can come in..."
"Please freshen up and come downstairs. The Old Madam wants you to meet someone."
Ella nodded, "Where is Adrian?"
Ella: Here, these are the variety of pillows I have gotten for you. You can pick any of them!
Adrian: *picks Ella in his arms*
Ella: Hey, hey, put my down!
Adrian: *hugs her tightly* My favorite pillow.
Ella: *turns to readers and glares* Enough laughing. Be good and drop golden tickets for your sister who is suffering here!