Once they were done eating their meal in peace, Adrian shared his thoughts with Arella.
"Andrew has not shown you the fifth floor, right? Come, I will show you." Adrian spoke unhurriedly.
Arella hummed in response and followed him obediently.
"How do you know that he has not taken me to the fifth floor?" Arella voiced her query. She does not remember telling this to Adrian.
"Because he does not have access to it." Adrian calmly stated.
Access? Arella wondered why a mere terrace like place was out of limits for others. When they reached, the interface scanned Adrian's retina, and the door opened.
"Later, I will get your access rights approved as well." Adrian nonchalantly mentioned.
Arella was in the middle of responding when a mesmerizing sight filled her vision, leaving her dumbstruck.
In front of her was a view that took her breath away. It was no ordinary terrace as Andrew had claimed.
The floor was covered with soft green grass. She took off her shoes. A smooth, velvety touch caressed her. Her pores felt like being tickled. Adrian witnessed Arella enjoying herself. He too took off his shoes and stood bare feet on the silky grass.
Satisfied and stimulated, Arella tilted her head to enjoy the feel of the grass. But before she could close her eyes, a dome shaped glass came into her view.
No wonder they claimed that it was both the fifth floor and the terrace! The glass cover made it a floor, but the open feel was just like a terrace. The stars and the moon gawked at her as she stood in their light.
She was enjoying the serenity when something attracted her. There was a path in the middle of the grass.
Bathed in the light of the moon, it was gleaming. Curious, she walked towards it and then realized that it was shining because it was not made of pebbles but real diamonds! A diamond encrusted pathway! Arella's eyes widened in surprise.
A few shiny colorful stones shimmered here and there, scattered on the grass. Open mouthed, Arella marveled at the beauty of it. She looked around and found a closed door. She looked at Adrian for a minute. He understood her intention at a glance.
He led her to the closed door, put his fingers on the scanner, and the door opened. Adrian took a step back, letting Arella enter the room first.
Arella was expecting it to be a small room, but when she entered, a bright light assaulted her eyes! She subconsciously squinted. After a minute, when her eyes got adjusted to the glow, she took in the appearance of the room.
Glittering gold entered her vision. Sparkling stones, gleaming gold, colorful glasses, golden artifacts, shimmering items, and whatnot! Everything twinkled in front of her. It appeared as if she had entered a mine filled with gold and silver!
The room was as big as the master bedroom! In the corner was a furnace. Everything was stacked properly. In a rack was jewelry, kept on full display.
One rack was filled with beast coins. On the other, were gold molded in a variety of forms such as apples, glasses, stars, geometrical shapes, and alike.
There was another rack, filled with colorful glass that reflected light, creating a mosaic of colors on the nearby wall. Another rack was filled with diamonds.
Starstruck, she stood rooted to her place.
"This is my lair. I hope you like it." Adrian sheepishly claimed.
He found it embarrassing to let her see it. But considering that they were supposed to live an eternity together, she would come to know of this sooner or later. So, he chose sooner instead.
He was afraid of being labeled as a gold maniac in her eyes, which is why, he found it hard to look her in the eyes.
Arella was speechless. She had never seen so much of gold, precious jewelry, coins, and diamonds in her entire life. This was like a fountain of fortune to her. In her mind, only one thought roamed, Adrian was so rich!
Was there anybody who was richer than him on the entire planet? Arella doubted it! She, on the other hand, was so poor that if left working for a month, she would become a beggar!
During the comparison, Arella had only one plus point, her wealthy identity. Even if she did not have many beast coins, she prided herself on a wealthy identity. But Adrian, he was loaded to the brim!
Damn! She was poor, had low aptitude, and had no connections. She was nothing but a hindrance to Adrian. Had it not been for the soul knot, she was afraid that she would not be able to even see his shadow.
She had to become powerful. She was afraid if she let things be like this, Adrian would someday slip from her hands. She could not afford that. She could not lose him. She had to find a way to keep Adrian.
She wanted to tie him to herself, and at the same time, she did not want to hinder him. If she could not help him, she would refrain from holding him back. She could not become his weakness.
She did not want to wrong him. She wanted to offer him whatever made him happy. But she did not have the capital.
So what? She could always become better. She wanted to become better for him. She wanted to give him a life full of luxury and happiness.
A fierce determination burned in her eyes. A sudden impulse rose within her. The rage to become powerful was consuming her from the inside. The red in her eyes burned fiercely, and the mark on her back started evolving.
From the shallow image of a flame, it had now taken the form of a pair of wings. Bright red wings covered the back of her neck.
The ruby, lying silently on her chest, suffered another crack on its smooth surface.
When Adrian did not receive a response for a long time, a weird sensation covered him. His thoughts started running wild. Arella was not despising him, right? She should not think that he was retarded! He was not a maniac! An urge to explain took over him.
He walked and stood next to her. She did not respond at all. Arella was embroiled in her own thoughts.
An agitation of being ignored took over Adrian's impulses. He raised his hand and touched Arella's face, making her look at him.
She mechanically raised her eyes and looked at him. When her eyes laid on his, Adrian's breath hitched for a few seconds.
Arella's eyes were glowing! He swore in his core that he had never seen anything so bright in his entire life. Even the mountains of gold and heaps of silver paled in the comparison.
He found himself lost in her eyes. So captivating and tempting! For a moment, he wanted to poke her eyes and take the gleaming orbs out!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his eyes widened at its monstrosity! He woke up with a jolt from his trance!
Once he regained his rationality, he realized that Arella's temperature was abnormal! And it kept on rising!
Flustered, he subconsciously brought the dazed Arella in his arms. He lowered his temperature and started rubbing her face. He was hoping that his cold hands could bring some comfort to her.
He continuously spoke to her, but Arella, at this time, was like a rag doll, lifeless. Adrian picked her up and took her out of the room. The furnace burning in the room had made it hotter in the room.
Out of the room, Adrian quickly took off his clothes, lowered his temperature to the freezing point, and tightly hugged Arella. He relentlessly kept rubbing her limbs with his cold hands to lower her temperature.
No, it was not working. Arella's temperature remained the same despite his fervent attempts. He, without any second thoughts, changed into his beast form.
After transforming into an ice dragon, he released an ice breath on the nearby grass. The grass was soon covered with a sheet of ice. Once making sure that the ice sheet was thick enough, Adrian changed back into human form.
He was naked, but he did not have the mind to worry about it at all. His thoughts were fully occupied by Arella. Her eyes were closed, and a frown appeared on her face.
Adrian quickly picked her up in his arms and put her on the ice sheet. Then, he transformed into an ice dragon again.
He released a small cold breath on Arella. He controlled it expertly. He was afraid of freezing her to death. When his short cold breath reached Arella, a thin layer of ice covered her body.
But within seconds the ice melted, leaving the unconscious girl drenched in water. The thick ice sheet under her had started melting away as well.
Her front and back both were drenched in water. She looked as if she was fished out of the water.