Chapter 54 ~ Ruined

Chapter 54 ~ Ruined
ELLA

I couldn’t believe my eyes, Lila had been allowed to come here? At that point, whatever Adrian’s intention was, it didn’t matter to me. 

The fact that he had done this for me warmed my heart, and I couldn’t help but wonder if his cold heart might have some life after all. 

Stop overthinking it. Maybe he just wants to keep an eye on his enemies, the little voice whispered, and I shut it down. 

“The last I saw you, those men had come after you. I have been so worried about you. I thought something terrible happened. Oh my God, Ella!” she cried, and I pulled her into a hug. 

She was right, I had been selfish for not letting her know I was okay. 

“I’m so sorry, Lila. I… Honestly, I have no excuse. I’m really sorry,” I hugged her again. 

How else could you tell someone you were bought from an auction to be a slave, but you ended up betraying a dangerous man and now didn’t know what he wanted to do with you?

“I’m not letting you off the hook that easily. Tell me what happened! Who is Adrian and why are you in his house?” 

I hated having to lie to Lila. But it was for her own safety, so I had to, in spite of the guilt creeping in me. No lie seemed to make sense at the moment. 

How did you explain swimming in a mansion? 

The bastard could have warned me! I would have pretended to work here. 

“It’s a long story,” I responded with my head down. 

Lila looked at me with a horrified expression. “Oh no! Are they keeping you here in exchange for the debt from those men? Did they sell you?” she whispered. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jay’s mouth twitching. 

If she kept this up, I’d end up seeing a dead body. 

“You see… I uhm…” Words failed me. 

“She is my wife-to-be.” A deep voice came through. From the way my body shivered, it could only be Satan himself. 

Wife-to-be? Was he enjoying playing games right now?

“You’re engaged to Adrian Morreti?!” Lila exclaimed, her eyes bulging like they might pop out any second. 

I just smiled. I didn’t even get a chance to respond when the scent of wood hit my nose. 

He walked toward us, and with each step he took, my heart beat two times faster. 

Shock and surprise hit me. Had he been serious when he said he would be home soon?

What had happened to the meeting?

My mind couldn’t help but race with questions. This man just didn’t act. There was a catch to everything he did. 

As he stood before me, his presence commanded my attention. His eyes were intense and full of emotions I couldn’t quite decipher.

I had to remind myself to breathe as he bent down to kiss me. The warmth of his lips and the electricity that surged through me with every touch left me momentarily breathless. 

It was as if the world had faded away, and there was only the two of us, sharing a moment of raw, passionate connection. 

Away from the games.

Away from the hatred.

Away from the betrayal.

Just passion. 

When he finally spoke, his voice was a deep, low, seductive whisper that sent shivers down my spine. “I want to be inside you,” he said, and my center exploded like a waterfall. 

His words were a heady mix of desire and need. My cheeks were now flushed, and my heart was racing as I tried to process the intensity of his words. 

At that moment, I didn’t even care that he might have been playing with me. I just wanted to play along for a few minutes. 

He turned to Lila, who had been uncomfortable during the moment, but I guessed he did it to sell the idea of us being engaged. 

“Can I borrow her for a few minutes?” he asked, although I knew what she said wouldn’t even matter. 

“Sure. No problem,” Lila smiled. 

“Jay, you can take her to one of our guest rooms,” he said as he dragged me with him. 

“Yes, sir. Miss, please come with me,” I heard Jay in the background as Adrian pulled me along with him. 

Adrian led me to his bedroom, and as I stood naked before him, I was confused by the many emotions that were raging inside me. 

I was afraid of this man. He hurt me, but he also kissed me despite his warning about how he never kissed anyone. I felt protected around him, like nothing could hurt me. 

I wasn’t sure of so many things, but this lust I had towards him was like nothing I’d known before. Toddy and I would go as far as holding hands and a small kiss on the lips, but the way Adrian had drowned me into this web couldn’t be explained. 

I had been ruined.