REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight

Chapter 173: Not a request.

"What’s the meaning of this?" Elara asked, still staring at him sharply.

Adrian didn’t even react. He only tightened his grip around her ankle and pulled her back easily until she was sitting properly on the bed again.

"Let me see it," he muttered calmly.

Elara tried to slap at his hand again, but before her palm could even touch him, he had already caught her wrist and held it firmly in place.

"See what exactly?" Elara snapped impatiently.

"There’s another bruise higher up," he said flatly, his gaze moving slowly along her thigh.

The corner of Elara’s lips lifted into a mocking scoff, but this time she didn’t argue again. She only watched him silently, waiting to see what exactly he planned to do.

What had come over him these days? First it was suddenly involving himself in her affairs and even buying her unnecessary things... now he was sitting in her room in the middle of the night asking to see whatever bruise he claimed was on her.

Resting one hand against the edge of the bed, Adrian leaned closer and ran his fingers lightly over her leg again.

"If I intended to do something to you," he said calmly, "we wouldn’t still be arguing."

The mocking smile on Elara’s lips froze instantly at his words, heat rising uncomfortably to her face.

"You can stop acting like this now," she said stiffly, forcing her attention toward his hand instead of his face. "Since when did you start caring about injuries?"

She paused for few seconds before adding, "And why bother coming to that industrial area if you were just going to leave immediately?"

Adrian’s hand paused for a second before a cold snort escaped his lips.

"The ones who survived amongst those men," he said quietly, "don’t have hands anymore."

Elara went completely silent. A chill ran through her body as the meaning of his words settled in her chest.

Hands. They didn’t have hands anymore.

Didn’t that mean he had...

Her thoughts stopped abruptly. Her heartbeat turned uneven no matter how hard she tried to stay calm.

"Why are you acting like this?" she asked quietly, her face turning strangely calm.

Adrian didn’t answer immediately. He simply pulled his hand away and straightened up a little. Then his eyes locked onto hers.

"Come with me somewhere tomorrow."

"What?" Elara exclaimed, sitting up straighter despite the pain. "Where?" she scoffed in disbelief.

"You’ll know when we get there," he replied simply.

Elara laughed softly, her brows lifting in amusement. "And for what reason would I go anywhere with you?" she asked. "You think you can just suddenly walk into my room in the middle of the night and start giving orders?"

She paused before adding in a much colder voice, "You have a fiancée, remember."

Adrian’s eyes darkened instantly. His lips pressed into a thin line before he suddenly stepped closer again. His fingers moved to her jaw and gripped it firmly.

"You don’t get to throw that at me whenever you feel like it," he said quietly.

Before Elara could react properly, his hand slid to the back of her head, his fingers tightening in her hair as he leaned closer. His voice dropped lower near her ear.

"Say it again," he muttered. "And see what happens."

Elara’s brows furrowed immediately at the position she was trapped in. She reached up quickly and grabbed at the hand behind her head, trying to pull it away. But it didn’t move at all.

"Let me..." She never got to finish the words before his lips suddenly crashed against hers.

Elara’s eyes widened instantly at the sudden kiss. For the first few seconds, her mind went completely blank. She could only sit there stiffly as his lips moved against hers. When she finally snapped out of it, her hand flew to his chest and pushed hard against him.

But he didn’t move back. Instead, his fingers closed around her wrist smoothly before he pushed her gently against the mattress again. Her breath caught in her throat as he pinned both her hands above her head with one hand.

His other hand moved slowly down her side before sliding between her thighs.

Elara’s heartbeat slammed wildly against her ribs. She quickly tried to move her legs away from him but the moment her injured ankle twisted slightly, a sharp pain shot through it at once.

A painful gasp escaped her lips.

Adrian’s body stiffened in that instant. His lips paused mid tour along the side of her neck, lingering for one last second before he slowly pulled away.

Displeasure darkened his expression as he locked eyes with her.

Without saying anything, he released her hands. His fingers moved down calmly and tugged the hem of her shorts back into place properly before he straightened from the bed. One hand moved lazily to his cuff, adjusting it carefully.

Elara stared up at him, still clenching her teeth from both pain and irritation. "You can’t just do whatever you want to me," she muttered angrily.

Adrian acted as though he hadn’t heard a single word. He only stepped away from the bed calmly, his expression already composed again.

"I’m coming back when it gets bright," he said flatly. "Be ready before ten."

Elara almost laughed in disbelief. "And when exactly did I agree to that?" she snapped. "I’m not going anywhere with you."

"That wasn’t a request."

His voice remained calm as he turned toward the door. When he reached it, he paused briefly and glanced back at her. His lips pressed into a thin line as his gaze rested on her for one small second.

Then he opened the door and walked out, closing it gently behind him. Not long after, the faint sound of the apartment door opening and shutting echoed through the floor.

Elara sat up properly on the bed, staring toward the door he had just walked out from. The anger on her face slowly faded away, leaving behind only narrowed eyes and deeply furrowed brows...