Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Turning a man into a fertilizer.

A strong hand suddenly closed around Elara’s wrist, yanking her to an abrupt stop. Her heart slammed against her ribs as her feet scrapped on the forest floor.

Someone had been watching her after all.

Before she could even draw breath, she was spun around. An arm slid around her waist with a grip so achingly familiar that her body recognized it before her mind could catch up. She froze. When her eyes finally lifted to the face of the person holding her, the rest of the world seemed to blur and fade away.

It had been quite long.

Though she had caught glimpses of him from afar and always looked away, she had still seen his face in newspapers and on the TV. Especially lately, with all the ugly news swirling around him.

It would be a lie to say she had felt nothing when she heard those rumors. She felt kinda annoyed. Not at him though... but at all the mess and at the situation itself.

He hadn’t changed much. He still carried that same cold expression and distant look. Seeing him like this, it made her wonder if the news surrounding him had even affected him at all.

"Have you stopped valuing your life?" Adrian asked, his voice low and somewhat sinister.

Elara pressed her lips together, her heart still hammering uncontrollably. Only then did she remember why she was here in the first place. If they didn’t do something quickly, the man advancing on Mrs Vale would definitely do something to her.

"Your mother is over there," she said grimly, ignoring his question. "Those men have been questioning her. I think they’re trying to force her to say something against the Vale family."

She stopped short, realizing that his hand was still firm around her waist and his gaze hadn’t left her face for even a second.

Her ears burned. A confusing mix of frustration and embarrassment flooded through her.

"Will you stop looking at me and look over there?" she hissed through gritted teeth.

Adrian’s lips pressed together. His fingers had just begun to loosen when a loud sound suddenly rang in the air.

Elara’s breath caught in her throat.

Adrian’s entire body went rigid against hers. Slowly, his eyes shifted toward the clearing and every trace of emotion drained from his face. The temperature around him seemed to drop by several degrees.

His arm fell away from her waist. Without another word, he stepped past her and walked out of the shadows, heading straight into the clearing.

With his back now turned to her, Elara couldn’t see the expression on his face. Though his steps remained calm and casual, it didn’t make him seem any less dangerous. If anything, it made him look worse.

The moment the men saw him emerge from the darkness, they froze instantly. The color drained from their faces so quickly that it was almost unbelievable. One of them even stumbled back a step. Of course, Elara knew the only reason they had spoken so boldly earlier was because Adrian hadn’t been there to hear it.

Mrs Vale’s lips pressed tightly together when she saw him approaching. The shock from the slap was still visible on her face, and the red mark on her cheek stood out clearly under the dim light from the moon.

Adrian didn’t even spare the men a glance. He walked past them as if they didn’t exist and stopped directly in front of Mrs Vale. Without saying a word, he lifted his hand and wrapped his fingers around her jaw gently. His eyes settled on the red print left on her cheek.

"Adrian..." Mrs Vale muttered. Her own expression had changed immediately. It was obvious that the fear in her eyes wasn’t for herself. "It’s fine. Let’s... just go."

A small scoff escaped Adrian’s lips. He released her face and turned his head to the side. His eyes landed on the man who had slapped her.

The man’s face turned ashen white.

The second man, the one who had been questioning Mrs Vale moments ago, seemed to finally realize that this was no longer an interview. Survival had suddenly become a much more urgent concern. Without another thought, he turned and bolted into the darkness abandoning both his partner and the car behind.

Adrian didn’t even appear to notice. His attention remained fixed on the remaining man.

The man began backing away immediately, his movements stiff and panicked. Step by step, he retreated toward the vehicle behind him clearly hoping to reach the driver’s seat before Adrian got any closer.

When he finally reached the car, he spun around exactly as he had planned. But in the next second, Adrian was already standing in front of him. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

His hand shot forward and wrapped around the man’s throat. The impact of his body hitting the vehicle was so hard that he might need an MRI because of the way his head slammed against the metal.

Elara’s brows drew together in horror as she watched.

The man had absolutely crossed a line. But even so, she couldn’t stop herself from feeling a little pity for him.

His feet were now completely off the ground. They kicked helplessly through the air while both off his hands clawed desperately at Adrian’s wrist. And somehow, he had already gone from insulting Adrian to begging him.

"Please sir..." he choked out. "I was sent... I didn’t mean to do this... My boss forced me... He made me do all what I..."

His voice gradually weakened and his movements became slower. But Adrian didn’t seem to notice any of it. Or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

Just then, a small giggle sounded beside Elara.

She turned instantly. Only then did she realize Zia was standing there.

Who knew how long she had been watching. The little girl had a fascinated expression on her face as if she were watching the best cartoon of her life.

Elara quickly bent down and covered her eyes.

"Why are you covering my eyes?" Zia complained immediately.

Elara shook her head a bit, her gaze drifting back toward the figures by the car. "Because you’re a child," she whispered without thinking.

"But I’m watching Scary Suit Uncle win," Zia said with a giggle. She immediately tried peeking through the gaps between Elara’s fingers. "What if he turns that bad man into fertilizer?" she asked excitedly.

"We can take him to Crelou!" She continued happily. "Then when Grandpa comes back, we can give him the fertilizer and he’ll use it to grow tomatoes!"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "We won’t tell him it’s made from an ugly man."