Chapter 6 Found Her

Adrian noticed the shift in her expression, but thought nothing of it. He continued to wolf the noodles down.

He had to admit that the dish was very good. He managed to finish such a large helping in just a few mouthfuls.

"Hey! You didn't even leave a single bite for me?" Elyse huffed in frustration. "I'll have to add one more condition. We split the living expenses, fair and square. For instance, since you ate this plate of spaghetti..." She held out her hand before continuing, "you'll have to pay me fifteen bucks."

Adrian stared at her for a moment, speechless. "You're obsessed with money, aren't you?"

Elyse didn't take offense and just shrugged. "Only money can give me the sense of security I need to get through life."

He frowned at her glib reaction. Something serious must have happened to this woman before, to make her think like this.

Elyse plowed on, giving him no time to mull over her past. "Do you see that small room over them?" She pointed up ahead. "That's where you'll stay from now on."

Adrian looked over. It was a tiny room that could barely fit a bed.

Just then, he received a message from Grayson.

"I think it would be better if we stayed at my place instead," he said calmly.

"Your place?" Elyse narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "But I thought you had no place of your own?"

"Doesn't mean I can't rent one, now, does it?" Adrian countered. "It may not be my own, and I may not have a lot of savings, but I am still able to afford a three-bedroom apartment."

"Well, what are you waiting for, then? Let's go there right now!"

"What? I..." Adrian was dumbfounded yet again.

He was expecting Elyse to refuse. Didn't women like to be all coy and reserved at first?

He was prepared to coax and persuade her, yet here she was, already grabbing her backpack and raring to go.

This woman was clearly an aberration to the social norms!

Adrian took a deep breath, completely at a loss. Unlike all the other women in his life, Elyse was straightforward.

She was quite special, really.

But this only strengthened his resolve to keep his real identity from her. At least for the time being, anyway.

Given what he knew of her so far, she would surely cause a fuss once she learned of his billion-dollar fortune.

Maple Apartments was a fifteen-minute drive from her place.

To avoid arousing Elyse's suspicion, Adrian instructed Grayson to arrange for a regular Santana.

As soon as he slid into the driver seat, an overwhelming sense of discomfort washed over him. He was used to luxury cars, so every inch of this vehicle grated on his nerves.

Thankfully, the drive wasn't that long. Soon enough, they were at Maple Apartments.

Elyse was utterly bewildered by her surroundings. Adrian was just an ordinary white-collar worker, wasn't he? How could he afford such a prime piece of property?

But her apprehensions melted away as they stepped inside, and she saw the layout of the apartment. It was spacious and well-planned. She absolutely loved it!

Beside her, Adrian felt... nothing in particular. The apartment was a drop in the ocean compared to his massive villa. If he were to be honest, he didn't even really like this place.

His phone rang. It was Grayson again.

"Mr. Lambert, I have news about the person you asked me to investigate."

Adrian's expression turned somber. "Where is she?" he asked in a rush. "Tell me, right now!"

Years ago, when Adrian had just taken over the leadership of the Lambert family, the circumstances were volatile. Someone had drugged him and tried to set him up with a scandal.

Thankfully, he managed to escape before anything irreversible happened. He did run into a random woman, however, and with the aphrodisiac still in his system, he ended up spending the night with her.

He had fully intended to take responsibility for her, but she was gone when woke up.

In the years that followed, Adrian used his connections and resources to look for her, but he didn't really have any substantial leads. He had been drugged, after all, and could barely remember the woman's face.

The one thing that stuck to him was that she had very clear eyes.

Now that he finally had some news, his emotions were all over the place.

"Something wrong?" Elyse called out to him in confusion. Why was this guy so excited all of a sudden?

"Why don't you look around and familiarize yourself with the place? I have something very important to take care of!" Adrian tossed the keys to her and left before she could say anything else.