10. Eliana
Eliana
For the next two days, I tried to convince myself that Sophia's warning didn't matter.
It should have been easy. I had a manuscript deadline, a half-finished chapter staring at me from my laptop, and more than enough reasons to keep my mind occupied. Instead, every time I tried to write, Sophia's voice slipped quietly into my thoughts.
If you care about my brother, walk away before it's too late.
I hated how much those words bothered me.
I hated even more that I had started wondering what could I possibly do wrong to make Sophia anxious about her brother so much.
I closed my laptop and rubbed my temples, frustrated with myself. My headaches had been getting worse lately, my manuscript was barely moving, and now I was spending more time thinking about Adrian Ashford than my own characters.
Focus, Eliana. You need to focus.
By Saturday morning, I had packed an overnight bag just in case we returned later than expected since I wasn't sure when I'd be home. I left Cookie in my neighbor Mrs. Rodriguez's care, along with a long list of cautions she probably thought she didn't need.
"Don't let him convince you that he's starving," I told her as Cookie perched proudly on his stand. "He does that every time he sees someone eating."
Cookie tilted his head. Mrs. Rodriguez laughed. "He looks innocent."
"That's how he gets you."
Cookie suddenly chirped, almost as though he objected to the accusation.
"See?" I pointed at him. "He's already defending himself."
By the time Adrian arrived, I was standing outside with my bag.
He had promised to pick me up early, and for once, I had actually underestimated how early he would arrive. His car was already waiting by the curb when I stepped outside.
He lowered the window. "Good morning."
"Morning! You're early."
“I know,” he chuckled, stepping out and holding the car door open for me.
I smiled as I got into the car. "I thought billionaires enjoyed making everyone else wait.”
He glanced at me with a faint smile. “I like being punctual. Especially when I can’t wait to see someone.”
His words caught me off guard. I looked down, suddenly very occupied checking everything was properly arranged in my bag.
The drive took us westward, away from Richmond and deeper into Virginia's quieter countryside.
Nearly three hours later, we approached the Ashford family's estate near Hot Springs, tucked away among rolling hills and dense woodland.
The mansion appeared beyond a long private drive, partially hidden behind mature trees.
I had expected something cold and imposing. Instead, the moment I stepped inside, I was surprised by how warm it felt.
Fresh flowers filled crystal vases throughout the entryway, old family photographs lined the walls, and the scent of freshly baked pastries drifted through the house.
The furniture looked expensive, but nothing felt untouched or decorative.
There were books stacked on side tables, framed photographs arranged along the staircase, and signs of a family that had actually lived here.
"This is beautiful," I murmured.
Adrian looked around as though he'd seen it a thousand times. "My grandmother refuses to let anyone make it look modern."
"I like her already."
"I was afraid you might."
Before I could answer, Eleanor appeared from the adjoining room with Sophia and Walter behind her.
"My dear!" Eleanor greeted me warmly, taking both my hands. "I'm so glad you came."
Sophia smiled politely. "It's good to see you again, Eliana."
There was still something uneasy in her expression, but she seemed to be making an effort.
Walter, meanwhile, lifted a hand in greeting. "Welcome to the Ashford estate. Please ignore anything that looks expensive. It's probably fragile."
Adrian looked at him. "Would you quit it?"
"I'm just trying to prepare her, boss."
Eleanor waved them off. "Come along. I wanna chitchat with Eliana in the kitchen."
"The kitchen?" I asked, surprised.
"Of course. I want you to see what I'm making."
She turned to Sophia. "You're coming too."
Sophia obeyed immediately.
Adrian barely had time to protest before Walter appeared beside him. "Sir, we have a situation."
Adrian narrowed his eyes. "What kind of situation?"
"The fountain. It became ambitious.”
Adrian stared at Walter. "What does that even mean?"
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.
"It's overflowing, sir."
"That's not an emergency."
"It's overflowing onto your grandmother's roses."
Adrian sighed and glanced at me. "I'll be back."
I smiled. "Go save the roses."
His eyes lingered on me for a moment before he followed Walter outside.
In the kitchen, Eleanor immediately put us to work, although my contribution mostly consisted of arranging pastries while she supervised everything with the precision of a head chef.
She asked about my teaching first, wanting to know what I liked most about working with literature students. Then she asked about my writing and whether my new novel was progressing well.
I hesitated before answering honestly. "It's been difficult lately. I think I've been distracted."
Eleanor gave me a knowing smile. "Life has a habit of interfering with our plans."
But she didn't pry further. Instead, she asked about my parents.
I told her briefly about my father, the restaurant my mother had built, and the financial difficulties that had eventually taken it away from our family. I didn't go into every detail, but Eleanor listened without interrupting.
When I finished, she reached across the counter and gently touched my hand. "Your mother must have loved that restaurant very much."
"She did," I said quietly. "It was her dream."
"And yours is to bring it back?"
I nodded. "One day."
Eleanor smiled. "Then don't give up on it."
Something about the simplicity of those words settled warmly inside me. For the first time in days, Sophia's warning disappeared from my thoughts.
Eleanor began telling me stories about Adrian's childhood, and I couldn't help laughing when she described him as a boy who seemed determined to turn every room into his personal playground.
"He was very naughty," she said affectionately. "Vases mysteriously broke whenever he was around. Once, he climbed onto the library shelves because he wanted a book from the highest row."
"What happened?"
"What else? He fell. Along with all the books."
I covered my mouth, laughing.
"He was fine," Eleanor assured me. "The shelf wasn't."
Sophia laughed quietly from beside us. Eleanor's smile softened as she continued. "But Adrian changed drastically after his parents died."
The warmth in the room seemed to fade slightly.
"They were his pillars," she said. "Losing them so suddenly left a space in him that nothing could fill.
And then Sophia left for school abroad. She had her own life to build, but Adrian was left here with responsibilities no young man should have had to carry alone. "
Sophia lowered her gaze.
"He had to step into the family business far too early," Eleanor continued. "He learned how to negotiate before he learned how to grieve. He grew into a man before he had the chance to properly enjoy being a boy."
I thought about Adrian then, about the effortless smile he wore even when something sad seemed to hide behind his blue eyes.
Suddenly, so many little things about him felt different.
Eleanor excused herself to speak with one of the maids, leaving me alone with Sophia.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then Sophia turned toward me. "I owe you an apology."
I looked at her. "For what?"
"For the way I spoke to you at Adrian's office." Her voice was sincere, and the defensiveness I'd expected wasn't there.
"I wasn't trying to be cruel," she continued. "I've watched my brother spend years trying to survive something that almost destroyed him."
She looked directly into my eyes. "I don't want to watch him break again. So please take care of him."
My heart gave a strange, uneasy beat. "What happened to him in the past?" I asked quietly.
Sophia opened her mouth. Before she could answer, footsteps sounded in the hallway. Adrian appeared in the doorway, brushing a few strands of hair away from his forehead.
"The fountain survived," he announced.
Sophia immediately fell silent. Eleanor returned moments later, smiling as she called everyone toward the dining room. "Lunch is ready."
I followed them, but Sophia's unfinished words stayed with me. Whatever had happened to Adrian in the past, I was beginning to understand one thing.
His family wasn't afraid of me. They were afraid of what loving me might do to him.
* * *
That afternoon, after lunch, Eleanor suggested we take a walk through the gardens. I expected Adrian to protest, but surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he followed his grandmother outside with the rest of us, slipping his hands into his pockets as the warm late-spring air settled around us.
The gardens stretched far beyond the terrace, filled with flowering bushes, old trees, winding stone paths, and carefully maintained beds of roses. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering shifting patches of gold across the grass.
For once, Adrian didn't look like the billionaire whose name appeared on magazine covers. He looked like a grandson spending an afternoon with his grandmother.
Eleanor told him something that made him laugh, and the sound caught me completely off guard.
His laughter was heartfelt, genuine, and nothing like the polite amusement he sometimes gave reporters or strangers.
I found myself watching him longer than I meant to, wondering how long it would last before that lightness disappeared again.
Walter interrupted the peaceful scene when he somehow managed to get a garden hose tangled around the base of a tree.
"I have a question," he announced, staring down at the mess. "How did this happen?"
Adrian walked over and looked at him. "Because you were holding the hose and you're an expert at creating complications." He sighed and crouched down to untangle it.
Walter watched him work for a moment. "You know, sir, you're very good at this."
Adrian glanced up. "At untangling hoses?"
"At making me feel incompetent without actually saying I'm incompetent."
"I've had years of practice."
I laughed before I could stop myself. Adrian glanced back at me, and a small smile tugged at his mouth. For a brief moment, our eyes met, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
This man doesn't look dangerous.
And yet Ethan's warning returned almost immediately.
People like him rarely do.
That was the problem. Every time I thought I understood Adrian, something else appeared to make me question him. He was kind to children. Patient with his employees. Gentle with Eleanor. Protective of me. He remembered the smallest things and seemed to notice whenever I was uncomfortable.
And yet, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there was more to Adrian than what he allowed me to see.
By late afternoon, Eleanor insisted we have one last cup of tea before leaving. I noticed Adrian checking his phone several times, but he never complained about staying longer. He seemed almost reluctant to leave his grandmother.
Eventually, though, we gathered our things.
As I said goodbye, Eleanor pulled me into a warm embrace. I hadn't expected it, and for a moment, I simply stood there with my arms around her.
"I'm very glad you came," she whispered.
"Thank you for having me."
She pulled back and smiled. "Come again soon."
"I will."
She glanced at Adrian, who was speaking with Walter near the entrance. Something unreadable passed through her eyes before she reached into the pocket of her cardigan.
When Adrian approached, Eleanor quietly slipped something into his hand.
A small antique key.
"I think it's time," she said softly.
Adrian's fingers immediately closed around it. The change in him was subtle, but I saw it. His shoulders went still. The easy warmth that had remained throughout the afternoon vanished from his face, replaced by something I had never seen there before.
Fear.
For the first time since I'd met him, Adrian Ashford looked genuinely afraid. Eleanor simply held his gaze for a moment before giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Take care of her," she murmured.
Adrian nodded. "I will."
I didn't ask what the key was for. Not there.
On the drive home, the quiet between us felt different. The landscape passed beyond the windows, but my thoughts remained with that tiny piece of metal resting somewhere in Adrian's possession.
Eventually, curiosity won. "Where does the key belong?"
Adrian kept his eyes on the road. For several seconds, he didn't answer.
I turned toward him. "Adrian?"
"You'll know..." His voice was quiet. I waited. He drove another few miles before finally speaking. "There's somewhere I've wanted to take you."
I frowned slightly. "Where?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel. “Somewhere that holds a piece of who I am.”
There was something about the way he said it that made me stop asking questions. I looked out the window, watching the trees blur past us. "Then why haven't you taken me there?"
His silence lasted long enough that I wondered if he'd answer at all. Finally, he glanced at me. There was a faint smile on his lips, but I couldn't read what was behind it.
He said slowly, "Because I wasn't sure I was ready."
My heart skipped. "Ready for what?"
He looked back at the road. "When the right time comes you'll know everything."
I studied his face, trying to find an answer. There was something almost vulnerable in him at that moment, something that made me forget every warning I'd heard.
Then he glanced at me again, that faint, unreadable smile returning. "If you still want to know who I really am," he said softly, "I'll show you soon."
I didn't know why those words sent a shiver down my spine. Perhaps because, for the first time, I had the feeling Adrian wasn't inviting me into another part of his life.
He was opening a door he'd kept locked for years.
And somehow, I knew whatever waited behind it would change everything.