novelraw Chapter 111: He will tell you himself.
Chapter 111: He will tell you himself.
Mrs Vale smiled at Elara’s reply and then walked toward her, stopping a small distance away. "I’m not joking, you’re getting more beautiful day by day," she said warmly.
Elara felt uncomfortable. She only wished Mrs Vale would say what she had called her for, even though she herself did not have any explanation ready.
Seeing the look on her face, Mrs Vale chuckled softly and reached out to hold her hand. "Come with me," she said.
Elara almost flinched at the sudden touch and looked up at her immediately, but Mrs Vale did not seem to care. She gently pulled her along, opened the door, and walked out. "Let me show you something."
Elara did not even have time to resist before she found herself following behind.
As they walked up the staircase, Mrs Vale spoke again. "Filming and singing at the same time must be very tiring. Don’t overwork yourself, okay?"
Elara only gave a small nod in reply. Everything felt strange. She did not even question how Mrs Vale knew about her filming.
When they reached the top, Mrs Vale smiled teasingly. "And next time, when you’re with him... make sure the door is properly locked."
Elara suddenly choked and started coughing, her face flushing instantly.
Mrs Vale looked at her in concern and held her shoulder. "Oh, I’m sorry, dear. Should I get you a cup of water?"
Elara coughed again before quickly shaking her head. "It’s fine," she muttered, clearing her throat.
In her mind however, she thought:
What kind of mother says that?
Mrs Vale only smiled again and looked away before gently pulling her forward. They walked past several more stairs which Elara found more decorative that necessary, before arriving at a wide open space.
It was surrounded by a large curved glass wall that looked out over the calm garden.
An easel stood in the center with a small stool placed in front of it.
The moment Elara’s eyes landed on it, a strange uneasiness rose in her chest.
"He loves painting here... and in the garden too," Mrs Vale said suddenly. "Lia would sit right there," she added, pointing toward a small step at the side, "and watch him."
Elara looked at her and noticed the change in her expression.
For a moment, Mrs Vale looked older, as if the memory had weighed down on her. But soon, she shook it off and turned back to Elara with a gentle look. She then reached out and helped her tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Elara looked away, her chest tightening with something she could not name.
"When he did that... to her..." Mrs Vale began slowly, "do you think he’s truly cruel... or just a child who never learned how to handle what he feels?"
Elara frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Mrs Vale looked at her calmly. "Didn’t he tell you about her?"
Elara understood she meant Lia, but she still did not understand the earlier question.
At that moment, she realized just how deeply Mrs Vale had misunderstood everything. She had thought she and Adrian were close enough to share things like that.
Is Adrian even that kind of person?
"No... he only told me her name," Elara finally said. Then, after a short pause, she added quietly, "Actually... everything is not really how you think it is."
She lowered her voice a little. "We’re not... a thing."
She almost said more, but stopped herself, pressing her lips together.
Mrs Vale looked at her without any change in expression. Then she smiled faintly. "Let’s go."
Elara did not protest, she simply followed her obediently.
They walked down another staircase and passed through a door. The moment they stepped in, Elara froze.
It was the same staircase. The one she had seen in her dream. The one where the little girl had fallen. The same place where Adrian had suddenly strangled her when she opened the door above it.
"Have you been here before?" Mrs Vale asked when she saw her reaction.
After a long silence, Elara nodded her. "Yeah," she muttered honestly.
Mrs Vale looked at her for a moment but did not ask any more questions about it. She walked toward the paintings on the wall and ran her fingers gently over them. "He painted all of these. He’s very talented, you know."
Elara nodded in agreement.
Well, that was quite true.
"Even if he doesn’t understand emotions well," Mrs Vale continued, "he still knows how to express them... in his own way."
"Hm." Elara replied without thinking.
"That’s Aurelia," Mrs Vale said, pointing at one of the paintings. "You’ve seen her picture before?"
Elara nodded.
After a brief pause, Mrs Vale spoke again. "I wanted to tell you something about Lia... but I won’t."
Elara turned to her with raised brows.
"He will tell you himself," Mrs Vale added softly. "Everything."
Elara did not argue. She simply looked away...
Later, when they sat face to face at a small table with tea in their hands, Mrs Vale spoke again. "If you need anything in your career, feel free to ask me. You understand what I mean. If you want to host concerts or explore other areas in the industry, I’ll support you."
Elara sighed inwardly but nodded anyway.
By the time she stood to leave, the sky had already gone dark. She wondered if she could still return to Crelou at such hour.
She called Harris, and he told her he would come right away. Just as she was about to step out, Mrs Vale suddenly stopped her. "Wait."
She walked upstairs quickly and returned with a small box in her hand. Opening it, she revealed a bracelet.
Elara’s lips curved into a frown as she looked at it.
It was simple, elegant, and clearly expensive.
"This will suit you," Mrs Vale said, reaching for her hand.
Elara immediately shook her head. "I’m sorry, I can’t accept this."
But Mrs Vale did not listen. She took her hand gently and slipped the bracelet onto her wrist anyway. "Don’t refuse things from me," she said softly.
Elara raised her brows slightly, surprised by her tone.
It sounded almost... like–
Well, nevermind..
She felt confused by everything, but in the end, she did not argue. Even when Mrs Vale hugged her, she simply stood there quietly.
When she heard the sound of a car horn outside, she finally stepped away and walked out. As she headed toward the car parked a short distance from the building, she wondered why Harris had parked so far away this time.
Earlier, he had stopped much closer.
She did not think much of it and walked over. Reaching the front passenger seat, she opened the door and got in.
"Good evening," she said as she fastened her seatbelt. When she noticed that the car did not move, she turned her head sideways. Her heartbeat sped up instantly.
The person in the driver’s seat was not Harris.
But rather– Adrian.