Chapter 155 - Trust Me

"So... if I ask you to surrender yourself to me, will you do it?" Erick asked her softly as he cupped her troubled face in his two hands.

"Will you...? Will you marry me, Elle?" he added.

Elle's mind went blank and her racing heart seemed to stop from beating. She was out of words.

She blinked several times as her lips slightly parted from bewilderment. 'Did I hear it wrong? What was the last sentence he said?'

Erick took in all the emotions coming from Elle. He smiled at her cheekily. 'Urgh... she is really pretty even when she is fl.u.s.tered. D*mn... I love her so much.'

He took advantage of that chance when Elle was still in a trance. He brought his face closer to her until their forehead touched each other, then he sealed her lips with a gentle kiss once again.

'D*mn. I could not really get enough of her. I felt addicted to her delicate lips.'

Elle was pulled out in the daze when she felt his warm lips covering hers. She closed her eyes and let go of all her emotions along with that kiss.

The world that she thought crumbled a while ago was suddenly back to its original form, it was revolving around him. No...it was not... instead, he became her world.

'Oh sh!t. I am confused with his answers.'

Despite the confusion, she did not want to dwell with it right now especially at this very moment, when her beloved man was kissing her lovingly, pouring out all his love and affection for her through this kiss.

This time the kiss was very gentle and slow. Both were taking their time, savoring the moments as their lips collided and pressed with one another with so much tenderness.

After he let go of her lips, Elle looked down as she mumbled: "Why?" 

Erick's lips curved upward. "What do you mean why?"

"Why are you giving me that answer. I am confused by your answers. You ask me to marry you, what does it have to do with putting me in prison? Are you not taking my question seriously?"

He held her chin up so that he could see her eyes clearly as his other hand moved to caress her cheek. 

"Of course not. I am serious. I don't know why, but it just came out to me naturally. Why you look so troubled?"

"Elle, can't you trust me? Don't think of anything, just trust my love for you, okay?"

Elle just looked at him helplessly. She sighed deeply before nodding at him.

"But... it seems like I got rejected right away with my first proposal. I thought she would answer yes right away." Erick mumbled softly to himself.

"Huh, what did you say?" Elle could not hear it clearly because he almost said it through a whisper.

Erick just smiled at her sheepishly. "Nothing. I said I got addicted to your lips."

Elle shot him a glare as she hit his shoulder. He just giggled with her action.

"Oh, by the way, you have not answered my question why you and James are together. This time you need to answer mine."

"Well... the truth is..." Elle paused for a moment, contemplating whether she would tell him what happened or not.

"It's alright. I am not upset anymore. I am just curious. So tell me." Erick urged her to speak as he saw her hesitation.

"Promise... I won't get mad." He added as he assured her. He waited patiently for her answer.

"Okay... you promise you won't get mad and get upset again right?" she wanted to make sure.

Erick nodded at her. "Yeah... I promise."

"The truth is... James and I were kidnaped this morning." 

Erick was rendered speechless the moment he heard that. He was astounded at first but as he absorbed what she just said series of emotions flashed on his face.

Of course, those emotions were the ones a person would naturally feel when he learned that someone important and dear to him was put in danger.

The smile on his face disappeared once again. He was back to being serious and silent. It looked like he was suppressing something inside him.

"What happened?" he asked her. There was firmness in his voice, as well as worries and concerns.

Erick was calm but deep down he was freaking mad and fuming with rage right now. He was just trying to control his emotions as he promised her that he won't be mad.

'Who the hell did this to Elle? I will make sure to punish them.'

Of course, he was not mad at her. He was angry, certainly at the perpetrators but also to himself.

He was enraged by the thought that his woman was kidnapped just this morning and he had no idea about it.

And what made him more upset was that he was not able to do anything to protect and save her.

Before Elle could answer his first question, Erick spoke again as he bombarded her with questions.

"Are they the members of Skull Gang? How did you able to escape? Why James is with you?"

Sensing his unhappiness she decided to answer all his questions directly to the point.

"No, they are not members of that gang. Someone hired them, the culprits are three men."

"It just so happened that James accidentally saw me and he approached me that's why he got involved. We successfully escaped because of the safety items you gave me."

"And they are not after my life. Their primary goal is to ruin and disfigure my face. We also learned who the mastermind was. She is Chlarice, the famous actress. We also got the evidence."

"Did you remember, I had a fight with her during James Birthday Party? Probably she bore some grudge against me after that incident at the party."

After hearing her response, Erick immediately stood up and was about to leave when Elle stopped him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Elle asked him confusedly.

"I have to catch those bastards." He said with his angry tone.

"You are not allowed to leave the house. You are not fully healed." Elle looked at him with disbelief.

"Where are they?" fury was evident to his eyes.

"Don't bother with them. Probably, they are now in police custody now. Besides, James said he will handle this." she was trying to appease him.

However, Erick refused to listen as he tried to take a step again. She could feel his agitation as he clenched his fists.

He was desperate to punish them with his own hands. There was a heavy frown on his face, bitter discontent in his dark brown eyes.

She knew that Erick tried his best but still he lost control. It looked like he was ready to beat someone to death right now.

She must stop him before he could do something that would hurt himself. He was not yet fully recovered after all.

'Bryan was right, Erick is so frightening once he is mad and angry, just like now.'

A sudden hug from behind stopped Erick on his track. Elle's arms around him tightened. She would not allow Erick to take another step.

"Erick please calm down. Listen to me. I am here safe and sound. Where do you think you are going? Leaving me here alone." 

The feeling of her warmth against his back and her soft arms wrapping him right now was able to calm him down a little bit.

"Can't you just let James handle it? Please just stay here with me. Don't you think that what I need most right now is for you to comfort me? please Erick... just stay." Elle pleaded him.

After hearing that, the raging fury in Erick's heart immediately disappeared. The concern and worry about Elle overpowered his emotion.

"Alright... I won't leave you. But still, I won't just stay here doing nothing." Erick removed her arms and he turned to face her only to wrap her into a warm embrace.

"I won't let someone off easily for doing this to you. I don't want you to be hurt. I promised to protect you, remember?" he said to her softly. 

Elle just nodded at him. She buried herself into his warm chest. He started to stroke her hair and her back, trying to comfort her and assure her that he was there for her.

Elle heaved a sigh of relief as she felt that Erick already calmed down and she was able to convince him to stay.

Seconds later, Erick spoke up again.

"Come, let's go back to the house. I need to call Bryan and ask him a favor. Have you brought the evidence with you?"

"Yes, I brought the culprit's phone. It is inside my bag I left in the balcony. There are messages there regarding their transaction. We also recorded Chlarice's voice during her last call."

"Let's go I want to see it."