Chapter 314 - Attracting Storms
Ever since that announcement two and a half weeks ago, Lina had been on edge. Everyone had. Who wouldn't be when they hear an ex-employee is in possession of a weapon?
Lina was always looking over her shoulder. But that wasn't the worst of it. After their usual gathering at the cafe, Isabelle frantically summoned the two of them again.
"My god, Lina."
It was the first thing that Isabelle said the second Lina arrived, last of the trio. Isabelle's expression was pale and Krystal broke out in a cold sweat. Lina settled her purse down. She felt her heart racing.
"You know there is always a paparazzi tailing you, right?" Isabelle said. "Hoping to find some photos of you. Well, one of my journalists captured this freelance photographer to scare him away and he managed to get the SD card after you were seen leaving a club last night."
"Yeah?" Lina took a seat and poured herself a cup of today's drink which consisted of hot chocolate thanks to the freezing cold weather.
"There's three people who are always showing up in your photos, somewhere far in the background," Isabelle said. "It's so scary."
Isabelle placed the photos down onto the table and shakily pointed at the closest images of the three people.
Lina was scared of ghosts and anything that terrorized her life. She could feel goosebumps crawling over her skin. The word 'crawling' itself scared her as well. There was nothing good associated with it.
"That looks like the ex-artist," Lina mumbled. "And the other two…"
Lina squinted and pulled the photo closer. "If it's three people, then the other two just have to be Atlantis and Kaden. You already know they're crazy."
"Look closer," Isabelle said.
"That's a female figure," Lina whispered. "Who the hell is it?"
"And the other?" Isabelle pressed.
"I don't know, it looks like a man. Is this the only close up you could get of the third person?"
"Unfortunately, so. Whoever that man is, he must be acquainted with the feeling of having cameras on him. Whenever he feels like a photo is being taken, he looks away and he's always far enough where the camera barely sees him," Isabelle said.
"It's either Atlantis or Kaden. I can't imagine anyone else but these two psychopaths who would want to follow me. As for the woman and the ex-artist, my people didn't even pick up on their presence," Lina sighed. "I'll have to let them know."
Lina took a gulp of the hot chocolate. For once in the past two weeks, she felt at ease. The delicious drink filled her insides, warming her heart and stomach. She was barely keeping food down from how anxious her stomach was half the time. She was queasy thanks to her nerves.
"Well, I'm would be surprised if you're terrified it could be either of them," Isabelle sighed.
Lina believed she had every right to be frightened of a man who had the ability to wipe her memories. Atlantis was another shit show of its own, willing to capture her to another city. She could never anticipate what they'd do to her. Kaden and Atlantis both swore to love her, but they never knew how to properly communicate. Kaden acted on his anger and Atlantis acted on his angst. The two were a tornado meant to wreck her life.
The problem was… Lina had a habit of attracting storms.
"Have you heard any word from Kaden?" Krystal suddenly asked.
"Hm? No, I haven't," Lina said.
"Do you want to talk to him?" Krystal pressed.
"What's happening to the three of us?" Lina mumbled. "Isabelle is shaken up by the photos. I'm on edge, and you look like you'll vomit any second now."
"You were right last time," Krystal breathed out, shakily crossing her fingers onto her lap.
"You beat me to it," Isabelle complained. "I was just about to go into other details."
"You say the other side, and I'll reveal the business one," Krystal decided. She knew Isabelle had informants all around the world and city. Isabelle even had a good friend who was high in the police force hierarchy.
In the world of journalism, it was easy to understand why Isabelle was an Executive Editor, just one step below Editor-in-Chief.
"Before that, have you talked to your family lately?" Isabelle asked.
"No, of course not," Lina responded. "Why would I?"
"It's about your Second Uncle, Clyde," Isabelle whispered.
Lina's entire body grew rigid. Her mouth went dry. She could die of stress at this moment. Just the mention of Clyde terrified her as much as it made her hate him.
"My police friend informed me just this morning, no one else has caught wind of it yet," Isabelle said. "But Clyde has been reported missing by his son, and your oldest cousin, Cedrick."
"What does that have to do with me?" Lina asked.
"Your oldest uncle, William was recently shot in the shoulder and leg when he was out at a conference," Isabelle stated.
Lina's blood ran cold. She was beginning to understand.
"Someone switched the usual pills that your Grandfather takes," Isabelle whispered. "The pharmacist was framed."
Isabelle quietly looked around the table, hovering closer. She had so much to say.
"It's terrifying, Lina. Kaden is targeting everyone in your family. Evelyn, your mother, was recently slandered by her friends who claim she's a horrible person for mistreating you. Your father, Linden, was uninvited from many events with his friends. All these people are familiarized with Kaden through second or third connections," Isabelle continued to explain.
Lina's heart trembled with the realization.
"He once told me… I didn't believe it… but… I," Lina could barely speak. "I didn't take him seriously."
"What did he say?" Isabelle pressed.
"If you do not tell me, I will shoot each of your family dead one by one," Lina repeated the exact words he had said. "Do you think he's warning me? To threaten my family to get me back with him?"
"No, you're thinking too horribly of him," Isabelle reassured her. "Kaden has gone insane. He doesn't care who he's hurting. He's punishing your family for what they've done to you."
"Wait, what did your family do to you?" Krystal asked.
Lina slowly shook her head. "Not much except they restricted my freedom. The usual heiress problems."
"Right…" Krystal said, dubious of the extent of things that happened.
Before Krystal was well-acquainted with Lina, she always thought Lina was living the best life. After getting to know Lina, Krystal discovered it was the opposite of that. The Yangs treated Lina well, but they also had their fair share of mishaps.
"And your cousin Cedrick," Isabelle finalized. "He was recently poisoned by his own chef! Your family is furiously tracking down the culprit."
Lina swallowed hard. "This is unlike Kaden. He's always considerate of my family, even if they weren't the best. He wouldn't hurt them knowing it could affect me."
"That's not all," Krystal said. "As a businessman, he's turning into steel. You were right last time. Something about him has changed. All of his partners say he's like a robot. He has never worn a satisfied expression for the past two weeks, so many people are panicking."
Krystal hoped that Lina understood what this meant. Kaden was at the top of the pyramid, even if a few of his incomes relied on investors. With him being the leader of the business world, it was a frightening place with his current behavior. There were detrimental effects on his employees, which would then change the standard of the industry. It was all a butterfly effect of pure chaos.
"Kaden has become far more strict. He's always displeased or disappointed by something," Krystal whispered. "People used to call him the Iron King because of how heartless he was. But now, he's even colder, it's like a blizzard around him. You don't even feel his humanity."
Lina realized Kaden changed for the worse that day in the garden. She knew she wasn't seeing things. The flash of his red eyes. The warning. The brooding.
"Kaden DeHaven has become a completely different man," Krystal said. "He's a terrifying tyrant, with a temper worse than the Second King of Ritan himself.. A completely emotionless chief executive."
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