The Mandatory Talk (1)

"I heard that you spent an entire day with Andrew?" Adrian whispered softly into Arella's auricle. His voice had a tinge of complaint. 

"Hmm." By now, Arella was comfortably nestled in his arms. There were times when she thought that she was suffering from some sort of skin hunger. Only that could explain why whenever he avoided or rejected her advances, did she feel so bad. 

Once in his arms, she wanted to pour her emotions out. She had a lot of things that she was curious about, and only Adrian could satisfy her curiosity. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, an irritating ring disturbed her.

It was the intercom. Even Adrian felt his serenity being disturbed by it. By the looks of it, he had no intention of answering it, but it kept on ringing. 

Annoyed, Adrian walked toward the source of the disturbance and answered. From the other side came a charming voice.

"Sir, the dinner is ready. Would you like to have it served now?" The honey dipped voice gave goosebumps to Arella. 

But to her contentment, there was no visible change in Adrian. On the contrary, he looked annoyed. And should he not? It was still too early to have dinner! Who eats this early? Evidently, the speaker had ulterior intentions.

Alarm bells started ringing in her mind. 

If the ships are not attached to the anchor, any wind or wave has the potential to lead it astray.

The same was the case with Arella now. Adrian was her anchor. If she didn't talk to him and clear her doubts, any misleading information would make her doubt her existence. 

What she sought was clarity. Was Adrian avoiding her? Was her being in the military compound troublesome for him? Then, there were topics like the Scott family ghost ancestors and Nicholas' words. Her mind was in a jumble. And she wanted to clear it out. 

"No. Don't disturb us." Adrian succinctly spoke and cut the line. When he turned around, he found a dazed girl staring at the intercom with unfocused eyes. A frown appeared on his face.

"Are you hungry? Did you want to eat?" Adrian walked towards her and gently caressed her face. He was right in front of her. Why was she not looking at him? He liked it better when all of her attention was focused on only him. 

Sensing his touch, she looked up to him.

"No, I am not hungry." She spoke composedly.

"Good," Adrian spoke and then, in one swift motion, he picked her up in a princess carry.

Due to the sudden loss of gravity, she haphazardly put her hands around his neck. She instinctively hid in his arms for security.

Noticing her small actions, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. He steadily walked towards the bed and sat down. Due to their position, she was firmly seated on his thighs. Her head was on his chest, and his arms had a firm hold around her waist.

After making sure that both of them were comfortable, Adrian spoke.

"I am working on a project. So, I will not be able to keep you company during the day. But I will try to come back early. Okay?" He shared his thoughts.

"Okay." Arella had a lot to ask and share, but she was not sure where to begin. Hence, a silence enveloped them.

Adrian unconsciously started playing with her fingers.

He liked her long fingers. He liked her soft hands. In fact, he liked everything about her. From her blazing red hair to her captivating eyes. From outside to inside. From the head to the toe.

He could dare to blatantly think about her because he was sure that the injection would help him suppress his urges. Otherwise, under normal conditions, he would have started ravishingly tasting her by now.

A few moments later, Adrian's voice pierced the veil of silence. 

"I hope Andrew was not careless in attending to you. If he was, you can tell me. I know how to fix him." 

"No need. He was good." Arella mindlessly replied. And with it, she found an opening to begin seeking her answers.

"He told me about how he became your personal assistant. But he is still not sure why you picked him up. Why did you choose him?" Arella tilted her head and looked into Adrian's eyes.

When he looked at her, he could not stop himself from kissing her. A slight kiss on the forehead, and then he backed away.

"What do you think of him?" Adrian, instead of answering her, put forward another question.

"I? I think Andrew is good. He is reliable and efficient." With a haze of confusion, Arella answered.

"Hmm. During the competition, he was the only one who did not use any underhanded tactics. He never hit his opponent on his back. He was weak, but he was swift." Adrian stopped for a moment and then continued his reasons. 

"He did not use any covert means to attack or suppress. He had a great command of his beast. And above all, he was flexible in his approach. He attacked when he found an opening and hid when he could not hit anyone." Adrian put a hand on the back of her head and started caressing it. 

"I saw potential in him. He was way better than those who could stoop to any level to reach their goals." Adrian said at last. 

"But he is still C ranked. It must have been hard on you to pave a way for him." Arella lightly added.

"Arella, I do not believe in the rankings. They only measure your current strength. Not your potential. I think, as long as one has the right attitude, one could become more powerful than any high aptitude clan member." Adrian piously looked at her and spoke his mind.

To others, his words might sound revolting, but to Arella, these were the words of comfort.

His words had a resonance of the thoughts of the Scott family's ghost ancestors. They also claimed that as long as one has the will, the beast or tamer could reach unfathomable heights.

"Adrian, have you met the Scott family's ancestors?" Arella carefully asked.