Chapter 16: Luring the Tiger Out of the Mountain

"Elliana? Elliana, are you inside?"

At this moment, Joy Lyle's voice suddenly came from outside the bathroom door.

"Oh~ I'm here, what's up?" Elliana Lyle felt her phone screen go dark as she responded from inside.

Joy's voice was gentle, "Aunt was just looking for you, she said grandma wants you to visit her."

"Okay, I'll be right there." Elliana finished speaking and deliberately pressed the flush.

...

Ada Lee had already sat down slowly beside Norman Bennett, her beautiful face breaking into a smile, as she made casual conversation, "Norman, how have you been lately?"

"Hmm, sis." Norman replied politely, partly because Ada was a relative of the little girl. Beyond that, his face showed no other expression, remaining as impersonal as ever.

Ada didn't care about Norman's coldness, instead, she smiled and quipped, "I heard from Aunt that Elliana is staying at the Bennett Family's house. She's really settled down quite a bit."

"She's always been well-behaved."

"Not even married yet, and he's already defending her." Ada covered her mouth with a light chuckle, her laughter was gentle and crisp.

Then Ada seemed lost in thought as if reminiscing. She sighed, "I remember last time when Elliana found out she was going to marry you, she was extremely unwilling. She tried to get us together to avoid the marriage, even locked the two of us in."

"It was so dark in the basement back then; you don't know how I've been afraid of the dark since I was a child. If it were just me, I don't know what I would have done. Luckily, there were the two of us, otherwise, it would have traumatized me."

"Hmm." Norman merely hummed in response, not continuing the conversation, but his brow furrowed lightly as he understood who Elliana was doing it for.

Ada tilted her head slightly, her long curls falling naturally behind her shoulders, revealing her lovely collarbone. She looked earnestly at Norman and said.

"Norman, do you know you have a reassuring aura about you? I felt it last time. I thought it was an illusion due to fear, but now I can still feel it around you. I think if Elliana stays with you long enough, she'd feel it too."

"At that time Elliana even went on a three-day hunger strike for marrying Shane Southwell, don't know what charm Shane has... later I don't know what happened to both of them." Ada suddenly stopped, as if realizing she misspoke, she quietly withheld the rest.

Then Ada sighed lightly, as if comforting, "Norman, Elliana was immature back then. Now that you two have reconciled, she must have severed ties with Shane too."

"Hmm." Norman's tone was emotionless, yet you could feel a heavier chill around him.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Elliana has grown up now, understands that what her parents arranged is right. It shouldn't be too long before she marries you." Ada maintained a serene smile on her face, her eyes revealing a concerned look.

What the parents arranged, huh!

What he's always wanted was never Elliana herself. What he wants is her heart, her entirety. But her heart doesn't belong to him, so what's the point of having the person?

It's just mutual torment.

However, Elliana's change towards him was so sudden, sudden enough to catch him off guard.

The little girl who used to say whatever she wanted, throw tantrums when unhappy, now seems to have unspeakable secrets.

"She's my wife regardless of whether she marries me or not," Norman said heavily, taking a deep drink from his glass, a reaction Ada was willing to see.

But Ada underestimated Norman's obsession with Elliana.

Even in a past life where Elliana married Shane, Norman never had the intention to marry someone else.

"My uncle's birthday is early next month, we'll host a banquet at Bright Cliff Sea. Elliana loves the beach; why not bring her then?" Ada used Elliana as a pretext to invite.

Norman promptly refused, "Heading to North City for a business trip at the end of the month."

"What a pity, well then, let Elliana come, and I'll take care of her for you, just the same." Ada still smiled warmly.

"She'll be coming with me," Norman said.

"I see, you've already made plans. I wonder if it's a business trip or a vacation?" Ada teased naturally.

Suddenly, Ada remembered something and continued, "I heard that South Wind Song is going to be shot in North City. It's one of my favorite novels. The lead role was supposed to be Joy's, but for some reason it was changed to an artist under Shane Southwell, Eleanor Llyod."

"I've heard... Shane Southwell seems to be in North City too. Norman, taking Elliana to North City on a business trip might be unwise, don't you think?"

The implication was clear, is Elliana going on a business trip with you, or for other reasons?

Just after Ada finished speaking, they heard Elliana's hurried voice.

"Norman Bennett!" The name was called with a hint of playful anger, as if dissatisfied with something.

Elliana had just seen the old lady, who inexplicably scolded her.

She didn't have time to ponder over what she had done wrong before sensing that something was amiss.

Sure enough, Ada was already talking to Norman Bennett, yet he didn't seem angry.

Did Ada not have time to cause trouble, or was this life different from the previous one?

"Elliana's here, just in time to accompany Norman. I'll go entertain the others." Ada always maintained a gentle demeanor in front of others, making it difficult for anyone to turn against her, including Elliana.

"You go ahead, cousin, I'm here." Elliana forced a smile and then sat beside Norman, wrapping her arm around his.

Elliana's reaction somewhat surprised Ada; had Elliana truly fallen for Norman or was she pretending not to have liked him before?

She couldn't probe further, only nodded slightly with a smile, and turned away.

Watching Ada's departing figure, Elliana finally sighed in relief. She looked up at Norman, softly complaining, "I told you not to talk to her~"

"She's your cousin; I can't very well ignore her." Norman gently stroked the little girl's hair, tenderly and patiently, as if smoothing out the fur of a porcupine.

...

The night settled in, marking the day's end.

Elliana didn't plan on staying long; Joy had already left in the afternoon citing work.

The car window was slightly opened, letting in a few strands of cool breeze with a grassy scent. Elliana, watching the enchanting nightscape outside, couldn't help but yawn.

Norman, busy with his laptop, looked up and asked, "Tired?"

The warmth in his voice had a soothing quality that made one want to drift into sleep.

"Mm~" Elliana turned and murmured like a little cat with a soft laziness, closing her eyes as she leaned closer to the man.

The man seamlessly closed the laptop, setting it aside, and gently pulled the little girl into his arms with a light press of his strong hand.

Entering this warm embrace tinged with a subtle lotus scent, Elliana inexplicably felt at ease.

She couldn't help but whisper softly, "Norman Bennett~, you grown man, wearing lotus-scented cologne~."

"Don't like it?" Norman tended to the hair splayed on her face, his voice low with a hint of hoarseness.

"I like it~." Elliana said and snuggled in deeper, taking a long whiff of the man's chest, once more savoring the scent.

"Norman Bennett, you smell so good~ so fragrant~." The mingling of his cool and warm breath created an itch, making the little girl in his arms seem somewhat greedy.

Driving them today was Raymond Wood, who only wished he were deaf right now.

Meanwhile, Norman sat upright, his heartbeat strong and rapid, his stomach burning, tightening his grip on the little girl.

"Even more fragrant than real lotuses~."

"Stop talking~ go to sleep." Norman's voice was deep and restrained, the little girl undoubtedly was a fatal temptation to him.

After some time, her face eased its tight press, light breathing signaled she had indeed fallen asleep.

His gaze was profound as he stared at her half-soft profile. This fragrance was crafted for this little girl, yet it adorned him.

He remembered the little girl saying in her childhood that she wanted to marry a man who smelled like lotus flowers when she grew up.

This sentence, perhaps, had long slipped from her memory.