Chapter 174 - You Won't Come?
Kaden rested one hand on her face. She leaned into his touch. His heart was squeezed. She had closed her eyes, lost in his caress. He didn't dare to move his hand. Didn't dare to disturb her. She was so beautiful, like a lovely bird taking a rest on a branch. He slipped his other hand to her lower back, pulling her close.
"It is not death I am worried about," Kaden murmured.
Lina did not say anything. You'd think she was asleep. That was how peaceful her expression was. In reality, she was thinking of all the things that her Second Uncle could do to her.
Shoving her into a van. Tying her to the ends of a helicopter. Making sure she wakes up in shark-infested waters. There were many things a man could do to a woman that was worse than death. And her Second Uncle didn't hesitate to cross the line.
"It is your wellbeing I care for," Kaden deadpanned.
Kaden stroked her cheek with his thumb. She rested her hand on his belt loops. He swallowed. She was like an innocent bird learning to fly. He was so worried over who'd dare to shatter her wings. Worried who'd try to hurt her along the way. Terrified of how high she'd fly to the sun only to come falling down.
He'd be there to fix her wings. Be there to protect her every step. Be there to catch her in case she fell. He'd always be there, so long as she allowed him.
"If he did something to you, you'd tell me," Kaden demanded.
"He tried to kidnap me on many occasions," Lina finally admitted. "He went so far as to shove me into one of his vans when I left school."
Kaden's aura darkened. That bastard did what?
"O-on my eighteenth birthday, he lured me outside claiming his gift was too grand to bring inside. He pushed me into his car, drove me to the worst part of town, dropped me off at midnight in nothing but my short birthday dress, with a sign that said I just turned eighteen and was now legal."
That man was going to die in the worst death possible. Atlan's torture was going to be child's play in comparison to the Second Uncle's death.
Kaden let out a slow, calculated laugh of disbelief.
"My grandfather was furious," Lina whispered. "When he found out, he beat my Second Uncle in front of the entire family. My oldest cousin still hates me for that. And during the entire beating, my Second Uncle only laughed."
So he was a masochist.
Kaden would keep that in mind. Pain pleasured him, but what if there was nothing to feel pleasure from? A wicked smile formed on his face.
"I-I just… have bad memories around him," Lina said.
Even now, Lina could remember his crazy expression. Blood dripped down his forehead, with a busted nose and lips, as he laughed in her direction. Her grandfather had beaten him with a cane and did not stop until he was covered in sweat. Her Second Uncle's sadistic laughter only made things worse.
Lina did not understand why her Second Uncle was obsessed with her. Some say she should be lucky to be the favored girl of the entire Yang family. She said it was a curse. It didn't help that she had her mother's features either. Her mother, who was pregnant before marriage.
"Soon, those memories will cease to terrify you," Kaden said in a lowered voice.
Lina shuddered at how serene his voice was. It was like the silence before you took your last breath. She could only grip his belt loops tighter.
"Let me handle it, I'll be the one to capture him in my trap," Lina stated.
"You have your hands full with winning the Race of Heirs for Yang Enterprise. Worry about that," Kaden reassured her. "Leave the monsters for your husband to slay."
"I have a trap in mind, help me set it up in the future and capture him, but not now," Lina said.
Kaden narrowed his eyes. Now that he remembered it, when he saw her five years ago, she was standing beside a black van. People had come out to grab her, but she had resisted.
Kaen recognized her features first, but didn't believe it was her. Not until he saw her fierce expression, the wind blowing at her straight black hair, and how violently she fought back. The same sword fighting stance with her school bag, instead of a sword.
"I'm an impatient man," Kaden said. "DeHaven men take what isn't theirs to take. It is what gets us with a bullet in our skull."
"But you were not born a DeHaven man. Their wild genes do not run through you," Lina argued.
Kaden let out a slow, sadistic laugh. Indeed. She was right. His genes were much worse. It was within his bloodright to be a tyrant. A man who's regime started off with the massacre of his family. A man who's dynasty began with a river of blood spewing from the staircase leading up to his palace.
It was fortunate that Lina did not witness him in his peak of madness. A fortune, indeed.
- - - - -
"Call me if anything happens," Kaden emphasized as he held the door of his car for her. He gazed at the chauffeur in the front, who was in a simple suit. It didn't look like it, but there were four guns strapped on him. Two in the halter, one on his back, and another on his side.
"You won't come?" Lina asked.
"I'll come on any other occasion, dove," Kaden responded in a low murmur, only for her to hear.
Lina's face was flushed red with disbelief. She shoved him away from the door, causing him to laugh at her antics. She glared at him, knowing exactly how much he'd come in any other situation.
"But no, dove, there's loose strings with Holton I must tie up, especially with Atlantis distracted tonight," Kaden told her.
Kaden gave her a gentle pat on the head and flashed her a smile. She worriedly peered up at him, but he didn't give her the chance to probe.
"Enjoy the night, dove. I'll be watching over you," Kaden informed. Then, he closed the door, gave the car a tap and watched as it drove off into the distance.
Kaden checked the watch on his wrist. By now, his men should be on the move. So should he. Thus, he stood and waited for his car.. Only when it came, did they drive off into the night in pure silence.