Empire of Eternals (Book 1 of The Eternal Series) ✔️

Chapter 7 | I'm Going To Be Here For A While

The next day, Anderson Manor, outskirts of Naarden

***Aiden Sullivan POV***

After the sudden revelation yesterday afternoon between me and Adriana, things had changed between us. Afterwards, Adriana and I had talked for the next couple of hours, about all sorts of things. She had insisted that I stay at the Anderson Manor before she can get all the paperwork for me.

Turn's out, since I was stuck in prison the bureau had seized all my property and money, and the bureau would officially own all of it after my memory would be wiped. I bet they didn't things to take an unexpected turn in the courtroom.

Adriana was planning on collecting the paperwork from her dad on the day of her graduation, which was this Friday. Her father would be there, attending her graduation, and an extra set of security at the venue to avoid any trouble.

Till then, I was going to stay at her place. But, I knew Adriana was planning on making me stay here longer. She openly expressed her desire for me to stay here, with her.

Dexter was going to be working at the bureau after his internship was going to be completed next month, meaning he would have to move to Schneeburg where he would move back in with his dad. Hermione was going on a trip next week after graduation with her girlfriend, meaning Adriana was going to be alone.

I felt bad for Adriana. She had lost Katherine, her brother was going to move away and Hermione was going to go on a trip. It must feel weird to be living in a manor by yourself, and was there going to be a guarantee that Hermione will actually stay here after coming from the trip? Probably not. Seeing how serious she and Jenna were, I think they are planning on moving together somewhere else.

Ever since I found out that Adriana might end up living alone, I didn't give her a definite answer if I was going to stay here or move into my parent's house in Switzerland. I knew it was quick, but I didn't want her to be alone. Not after being along for 6 months.

But, I guess she was alone right now. I had woken up after Ana and hadn't seen her the entire morning. I think she had gone out. She hadn't left a note or anything, but I'm guessing she was shopping for her graduation party.

The housekeeper that came by every morning had made me breakfast. I asked him about Adriana, but he said he hadn't seen her. A couple of hours had passed, and I began to get worried about where she was. I tried calling her through the phone she had bought me, but she wouldn't pick up.

I had walked around the house, looking for her, and where was she? Holed up in the library with Hermione. Hermione had been helping her every day get her hybrid powers under control, and here I thought something had happened to her.

Eventually, I had left the 2 alone, much to Adriana's discontent, who wanted to spend time with me. I had smiled in return, giving her a thumbs-up before Hermione had snapped at her for not focusing enough on the conjuration spell.

While Adriana practised with Hermione, I had spent the afternoon exploring the manor. The manor wasn't big, it was massive. It was hard to believe that only 3 people were living here, and the fact that it was always spotless, not a single item out of its place.

Adriana had told me she had spent a fortune renovating the manor. After her mom's death, her dad had moved her and Dexter to Schneeburg, but a month before she turned 18 he gave her the papers to the manor. She had asked for the renovation to be completed within a month. It sounded impossible, but the workers did it.

The manor was 3 storeys tall. The first floor contained the living room, sunroom, dining room, and kitchen which stretched over 100 meters. The second floor had bedrooms, a private room that served as a study or retreat with a piano in the corner. Next to that was a soundproof home theatre with a star ceiling and an enormous screen.

At the end of the second-floor hallway was an empty living room, well almost empty. Adriana hadn't bothered to decorate, so there was just a couch in the middle, a glass table in front of it and a chandelier above it.

The windows in the room were enormous, making me appear small in front of them as the bright sun shined through them. The room had 2 doors leading into it, one that I came through, and one right across from the other one.

Hermione had told me that at the other end of the hallway from the second door was the staircase that led to the third floor. She said half the third floor was occupied by furniture and antique items that Adriana had, a greenhouse and an observatory room which also served the purpose of stargazing.

I felt an urge to go to the third floor, but I pushed it back. I didn't want to waste my time. Instead, I went to the study room, walking around it as I took in the sight of the in-built shelves which were stacked with books.

The shelves reached to the ceiling, a couple of spiral staircases attached to them, so it would be easier to grab the books at the top. The room was warm from the sunlight peering through several windows, revealing the hardwood floor and the piano that was right in front of me.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." Adriana's loud voice echoed in the room as she threw open the door, the tip of my fingers gliding against the piano keys

Her fuzzy slippers thudded against the wooden floor as she closed the distance between us quickly, coming up from behind before poking her head over my shoulder to look at what I was doing.

"You play the piano?" She asked, intriguingly

I smiled a little to myself, shaking my head before putting my hands in the pockets of my jeans. I didn't know how to play the piano, but a friend of mine did really well. There was a piano in the male dormitory at the boarding school, and my friend would play the piano almost every day.

"No. I don't even know any of the keys." I laughed, turning around to face her

The bright sun shined behind me, causing my shadow to fall over her. Her olive-green eyes had darkened, her face was a little more pale than usual as her eyelids were heavy. I guess this is what happens when you study with Hermione.

Adriana was a mess. When I had seen her earlier, her hair was straight and well-kept, reaching to her waist. But now she had put it into a messy bun, a couple of strands falling on the sides of her face as my eyes landed on her many piercing on her ears. I think she had 4 piercings in each ear. 2 on the lobe and 2 on the cartilage in one ear, and the same for the other.

She wore 2 snowflake-shaped diamond studs on both her ears lobes and 2 diamond studs on her cartilage piercings. Adriana had told me the earrings were a gift from Dexter last Christmas, and that she jumped up and down from the joy of receiving them.

"So, since we're going to Switzerland, can you show me around Lauterbrunnen?" She asked, her eyes lighting up with joy as the corners of her lips turned into a smile

A couple of my friends had asked me if I could show them around Lauterbrunnen, but I refused. I wasn't particularly fond of that area. If I wasn't at the boarding school, I was at the orphanage, holed up in my room whilst the other kids played with their friends.

I didn't have friends in the orphanage. I never knew why. The kids just didn't like me, which caused me to be the odd one out of the group. I would sit alone at breakfast, lunch, dinner and wouldn't attend any trips to the neighbouring towns. What was the point of visiting those towns when all the other kids were just going to give you the evil eye?

But, seeing Adriana so happy about going to Switzerland made my heart pound against my rib cage as I felt sudden blood rush up and down my body. If she was any other person, I would have refused immediately. But knowing it was Adriana I wanted to show her where I grew up, I wanted to go and have fun with her.

"Yeah, why not?" I smiled

Her smile stretched from ear to ear as her eyes became half-closed. She looked so happy, so excited, that I felt terrible that I had snatched away her last year of school from her. But, I could always make up for it by taking her sightseeing to Switzerland again and again.

I liked seeing her happy. I figured she would be hostile towards me, but I was wrong. She was always talking and laughing with me, letting her soft side take over her. If Adriana was happy, then I was happy.