CHAPTER 303: THE MASTERMIND

"I... I will be going to the Yu Mansion today."

Today was the day when her father had wanted her to visit and back then, she had confidently turned him down.

But over the past few days, various thoughts had lingered in Ella’s head. And now she knew that if she wanted to get to the bottom of those things, she had to start from her family.

Adrian saw the look of determination in her eyes. And after a moment of silence, he raised his hand and stroked her hair, "Alright."

It was only after Adrian left did Ella realize there was another presence in the living room.

When she turned to look at Mo Jun, she was startled.

The man seemed to have lost his faith in humanity.

"You..." Ella blinked, "I told you... You don’t need to be so wary of me. Since I joined hands with you, I have no ulterior motives against you."

"Was that... really Mr. King?" Mo Jun whispered suddenly.

Ella blinked slowly.

...

Ella couldn’t tell Mo Jun that she knew about Jenny’s motives and deeds from her previous life.

So, it her took a great amount of time and efforts to calm the man regarding the same.

After Mo Jun left, Ella was wondering when to go back to the Yu Mansion. At that time, Bertha came rushing in, saying that her father had personally come to pick her up.

Ella was startled by the information...

"Is it because of Adrian?" Ella asked the moment she sat in the car.

"What?" Mr. Yu looked over.

"In the past few years, I haven’t been treated like this..." Ella glanced out of the window. Although it wasn’t intentional, her tone sounded like that of a child complaining about her grievances in front of her parents.

"What are you saying?" A hint of disappointment flashed on Mr. Yu’s aged face,"I know you are upset because of what happened at the party and after that... But, your mother and I were also not in a good state after you left."

Ella did not say anything.

Mr. Yu continued speaking,"You are our daughter. And no disagreement between us will change the fact."

Ella smiled bitterly, "I had started thinking I was adopted."

The car swerved for a moment and Mr. Yu’s face darkened as he turned to Ella, "How can you say such things?! No matter what, you are our child. Must you push your parents to this extent?"

Ella closed her eyes and completely leaned back on the seat, "Dad, you can focus on the road."

...

This time, Ella received a grand welcome in the Yu Mansion.

Unlike the last time when she had to barge in like a guest, this time, the servants stood in rows to welcome her.

Mrs. Yu’s eyes teared up as she approached Ella, "You are here..."

"Too much for cutting your hair and cutting off the ties," A mocking voice broke Ella’s trance.

When Ella turned, she spotted Esther descending the stairs. There were a few bandages wrapped around her hands and feet.

Mr. Yu and Mrs. Yu exchanged a glance before they tried to salvage the situation.

"You fell down the stairs yesterday. Why are you not resting in your room?" Mrs. Yu chided gently. At first, it might look like she was scolding Esther.

But in reality, it was just gentle affection.

However, Esther did not seem to care about it at all. She looked at Mr. Yu and Mrs. Yu in disbelief, "You are going to chase me away right after you brought her back?" Esther’s eyes reddened as she glared at Ella.

Meanwhile, Ella simply ignored her.

"Fine... Fine...!" Not getting a response from her parents, Esther rushed back to her room and slammed the door.

Ella’s lips twitched. For somebody who was injured, she could still hop around perfectly fine.

Mr. Yu left for work and Ella was left in the company of Mrs. Yu.

There was a stiffness between the mother and daughter as Mrs. Yu led Ella to her old room.

When the door was pushed open, Ella halted in her tracks as her eyes took in the sight that greeted her.

Seeing her reaction, Mrs. Yu smiled, "Since the day I got to know that you will be coming over, I have had the servants clean your room."

Ella paused and bowed her head slightly, "Then, I will thank you..."

"Ella!" Mrs. Yu’s eyes reddened as she grabbed her shoulders, "I am still your mother. Must you treat me so coldly?"

Ella gently removed the woman’s hands from her shoulder as she smiled wordlessly.

Mrs. Yu inhaled a deep breath as she wiped her tears with shaky fingers, "Fine... Fine... Let the past be in the past. Now that you are here, just stay here with us, okay?"

To that, Ella had no response.

And Mrs. Yu did not seem to be asking her about it as well. More like, she spoke with conviction.

After Mrs. Yu left, Ella slowly walked around the room. Every corner of the room was decorated just the way it had been years ago.

It seemed like somebody threw Ella back in time. Before she entered the entertainment industry, and even way before her parents disowned her.

Ella was just about to sit on the bed when her picture landed on the picture on the bedside table. It was a family picture of Ella, Esther and their parents.

Just as she reached out to pick the picture, her phone vibrated...

She grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID, her expressions changed a bit. She immediately answered the call, "Did you..."

"Miss, we are sorry. We cannot follow through with the investigation," The person from the investigation agency spoke with a trace of panic.

"Did something happen?" Ella’s face turned solemn.

It hasn’t been long since the incident with the cab driver that day. If not for her quick response, Ella did not even know what would have happened to her.

When she reached out to the investigation agency, she had expected to at least get a clue.

Yet, the current situation... seemed to be far beyond her expectations.

"Miss, it’s not that we don’t want to help you but this case is hopeless."

"What do you mean by that?" Ella’s heart sank a little.

"The people who were assigned to investigate this matter... are dead."

...

"Ella, dear, what happened? Do you not have an appetite?" Mrs. Yu looked at Ella in concern.

The dining table was occupied by the family of four during dinner time.

Ella schooled her expressions before shaking her head, "I am fine..."

She spent the entire day thinking of who could be responsible for the death of those investigators and the scheme against her that day, and in the end, only one person crossed her mind.

The man from her previous life. The one who was the mastermind behind her kidnapping and eventual death.

’Clang’

Esther threw her spoon and got up from the chair.

"Esther, finish your food at least..."

Ella looked at her retreating back. In her previous life, Esther had joined hands with that man. But in this life...

Ella doubted that Esther was linked to that person at this juncture.

Mr. and Mrs. Yu glanced at both the girls before they exchanged a look between them.

Later that night, in the master bedroom of the Yu Mansion, Mrs. Yu closed the door behind her, "Esther is beyond upset... She wouldn’t eat or listen to me."

"I will go to her room..." Mr. Yu sighed.

But before he could walk away, Mrs. Yu grabbed his hand, "Yesterday, she pretended to hurt herself just to get you back to the mansion. She is still angry that you went to the ball without taking her along..."

"You know I cannot take her along. If I did, Ella would not step foot here today..."

Hearing that, a strange expression lingered on Mrs. Yu’s face.

She released her husband’s hand and fell silent for a moment. Then, she looked at him with a frown, "Must we do this?"

Mr. Yu’s face darkened slightly, "Are you having second thoughts now?"

Mrs. Yu looked at the man with a complicated expression, "Ella trusts us and..."

"What does her trust have to do with us? This is what she owes us in the first place." Mr. Yu cut her words off, his voice absolutely resolute.

Mrs. Yu shook her head. But seeing that her husband would never listen to her, she did not argue with him.

Instead, she softly said, "You managed to bring her here... But what now? What if something goes wrong?"

Mr. Yu chuckled as he pulled his wife into his arms, "Honey, just take it as if I am placing a bet. And I believe wholeheartedly that we will win this bet."

...

A/N: If you have stayed with me on this journey so far, please consider dropping a review for Adrian and Ella~