Reborn: The Tyrant's Obsession
Chapter 226: She was one of his phases

Chapter 226: She was one of his phases

The woman’s gaze moved to Ella, unreadable. "Aren’t you going to introduce me?"

Adrian did not.

Ella was not surprised.

Adrian King was not the man who could be commanded or questioned. Not many dared to do so but knowing him, he would never comply with whoever tried.

The silence stretched till the place was blanketed in a suffocated tension.

"Mrs. King," Ji Yan bowed to the woman, piercing through the silence in the place.

...

Before, Ella disliked the royal dining setup sort of restaurants she and Adrian went to.

But at this particular moment, she touched upon that memory with fondness.

Because, sitting across Mrs. King and besides Adrian in the VIP room of a top restaurant, Ella doubted she would feel hungry in the days to come.

Mrs. King elegantly ate her food, gazing at her every once in a while as if she was the show playing in the background.

"How long have you been with my son?" She asked, her voice neither soft nor harsh.

"It has been..."

"It’s none of your business," Adrian cut Ella off, his voice calmer than his mother’s.

The undercurrents in the private room unsettled Ella.

In both her lives, she hadn’t encountered Adrian’s parents. And his reaction the time she asked him about them led her to speculate whether they were even alive.

But things did not seem as simple anymore.

’’Is this one of your phases, Adrian?" Mrs. King glanced at Adrian.

Adrian’s gaze lowered.

Something twisted in Ella’s gut and her hands gradually turned cold.

"Very well, then," Mrs. King nodded calmly.

The rest of the meal passed in silence as nobody uttered another word. And Mrs. King did not spare another glance at Ella, unlike before, till the end of the lunch, as if she had lost her significance.

After the lunch, Mrs. King left the restaurant. The mother and son exchanged no greetings or hugs or whatsoever and passed by each other as if they were strangers.

However, Ella was no longer in the mood to figure out their moods and tendencies. She simply picked up her purse and left the private room.

"Elle..."

Adrian called out to her but Ella did not stop.

The man could easily catch up to her in a few large strides but he seemed hesitant. He walked at a distance.

"Miss Yu," Ji Yan opened the door of the passenger seat for her.

Ella stood still for a moment before she flashed him a bright smile, "No need, how about accompany you today?"

"M-M-M-Me?" Ji Yan pointed a trembling hand at himself when Ella circled the car and went for the front passenger seat.

He had barely registered the shock when a layer of gloom pierced through him, "S-S-Second Master."

Ella was looking out of the window when she heard the sound of the door opening and closing, "Secretary Ji, how is your day going so far? Did you have your lunch..."

Her words trailed off when she looked to the side.

The person occupying the driver’s seat was not Ji Yan, but rather Adrian.

Ella moved to open the car door but just as she moved her hand, Adrian leaned closer.

’Click’

In a matter of a few seconds, he secured the seatbelt.

And when Ella tried to open the door again, it was locked.

"What are you doing?" She turned to the man.

"You are not going anywhere," Adrian met her gaze, completely calm.

"And who are you to decide that?" Since her rebirth, Ella doubted her voice had ever been this harsh with Adrian.

Yet, as she spoke, she could not tone it down, "I am only sitting in this car if Secretary Ji is the one who drives."

"I will make sure he never drives," Adrian said without a beat.

"You... You are unreasonable. Just let me out, Adrian. I have no interest in being driven around by a princess who might get me killed."

"Princess?" Adrian arched his brow.

Ella froze and shut her mouth realizing that she had said her internal thoughts aloud.

Adrian did not wait to hear her response before he stepped on the accelerator.

Oddly enough, Ella had never seen him drive before but the man could drive. And he could drive pretty well at that.

Ella folded her arms and stared out the window, refusing to spare him a glance.

The city blurred past. Then, the buildings thinned. The traffic disappeared. Soon, the car was surrounded by nothing but trees and winding roads.

Ella bit the inside of her cheek, "Where are we going?" She turned to him.

The car rolled to a stop at the edge of an empty stretch of land surrounded by trees.

There was no one in sight and the only sound that could be heard was the faint chirp of cicadas and distant rustle of leaves.

"Are you willing to talk to me now?" Adrian rested an arm on the steering wheel, turning to her.

’Click’

The moment the car door opened, Ella stepped out, "No, I’d rather take a cab and find my way back," She slammed the door and pulled her phone out of her purse.

But looking at the dark screen, she fell speechless.

The past few days, she had not bothered to charge or phone or get any updates of Country V.

After talking to Adrian 3 days ago, Ella realized that she should probably take some time off the things there and enjoy her time here in Country A.

But she hadn’t expected herself to regret it so soon.

A shadow towered over her and Ella instinctively took a step back.

Adrian’s face darkened but he did not take another step close to her.

After a few seconds, he reached his hand towards her.

But Ella slapped his hand away, "Don’t touch me. Am I not just a phase to you? Don’t you think that this phase—" she pointed to herself, "has lasted for quite a few years and should now end?"