When Lina walked through the Yang Mansion doors, the maid and butler barely contained their expression.
"Welcome back—" they froze in shock.
Even the head butler was startled. He opened his mouth and closed it. Then, with trembling eyes, he glanced over at their Young Miss. Lina was nothing like the woman she was five years ago. There was no hatred, no anger, but acceptance. The maturity of half a decade was evident. She had always been an adult, even when she was a child, but now, she had truly lost her innocuous gaze.
"Welcome back, Young Miss."
Lina barely acknowledged him. She simply glanced in his direction. With each step, her high heels clicked on the porcelain tiles of the house she grew up in. The air felt chilly, despite the heaters. The corners were darker than usual even with all of the crystal chandeliers in the world.
Whilst Lina moved on, so did her family.
"Lina."
Lina slowly turned her head. At the announcement of someone returning home, Linden came out of the living room. He was shocked by the sight of her, but quickly fixed himself.
"Is it so weird for your daughter to come home?" Lina coldly asked, glancing around her surroundings.
"You still wish to be my daughter?" Linden returned, almost humored, yet pained by his own question. Five years. He hadn't seen her in five years. No one in the Yang family did, except for Milo. Then again, the boy always had a soft spot in her heart.
"Seeing as grandfather refused my Yang family emancipation, I don't see why not," Lina deadpanned.
"The Yangs have always doted on their daughters. You are no exception, Lina… especially when you are the first and only granddaughter," Linden reminded her in a seldom voice.
Then, Linden gestured to the living room. "Come and have tea. I'll have the cook prepare your favorite dessert—"
"Why didn't you ever stop Evelyn?"
Linden paused. He turned towards her and quirked a brow. What did she just ask?
"I came today to get answers. I didn't come to become your daughter again," Lina coldly said.
"Then be a good guest and enjoy tea with the host," Linden effortlessly responded.
Lina was surprised by his sudden decision. He was usually never this firm. Out of everyone in the family, her father was the youngest of the three. He was usually timid and rarely argued. There was a reason why her first Uncle, William, and her second uncle, Clyde rarely targeted Linden. There was nothing to take from this man who was just living life. Linden never poked at the family business, nor did he interfere with anything.
Linden was the neutral ground.
"To get something, you must give something. So come and sit." Linden didn't give her the time to respond. He simply walked through the doors and took a seat.
Lina had no choice, but to go with her father. She wondered if he had ever truly loved her. All these years of raising Lina, she refused to believe he didn't witness her mother's toxic nature. Everyone did. Even her grandfather, Lawrence saw it.
But there was one thing that Linden did, it was loving Lina. Lina knew her father cared for her in his little way and to the best of his abilities. It was a shame that his effort yielded no results.
Lina sat on the opposite couch to her father. Not a minute later, the head butler returned with a teapot of freshly brewed tea. She was amazed by how quickly it came out, but knew the leaves would still have to be steeped. When the butler left, Linden finally opened his mouth.
"The head butler made your favorite tea. You always liked the refreshing, yet minty things," Linden reminisced.
Lina pressed her lips together and said nothing. She crossed her legs and frowned at the scent that tickled her nose.
"Cut to the chase," Lina deadpanned. "Why did Evelyn treat me as such? Why did she have to verbally abuse her own daughter? And Uncle Clyde, why—"
"Tea?" Linden asked, picking up the pot and pouring her a cup.
Lina blinked. He placed it in front of her and instantly, the spearmint pierced the air. Before she could speak, he continued to make himself a cup. Then, he placed a sugar cube into her teacup.
"I always knew you'd ask this question one day," Linden murmured. "I just thought it'd happen before you left us for good."
Lina said nothing. She picked up the teacup and blew at the steam. Seeing the sugar cube melt, she realized her father knew a lot more about her than she initially thought.
"Evelyn was one of Rina's favorite candidates for marriage into our family," Linden suddenly said to her. "She came from a good-natured household who had been loyal to the Yangs for a long time."
Linden quietly stirred his tea to cool it down. "Your mother and I initially hated each other from the very start, but things eventually improved."
Linden glanced at his daughter. "Except, I wasn't in love with her and neither was she with me. We both knew it, but the passion was there."
Lina nearly gagged. He could've left out the intimate part.
"I needed someone to fill the boring times of being the youngest Yang heir with no virtual responsibility," Linden murmured. "And your mother wanted to secure her position in the Yang household."
Suddenly, Lina was reminded of what Everett once said to her. A marriage of convenience.
"Eventually, when your mother found out I planned on having no part in Yang Enterprise or the underworld we controlled, we decided on a mutual break up." Linden brought the tea to his mouth.
"To her luck, your second Uncle Clyde was in love with her."
Lina's heart fell. She knew where this was going. Shooting to her feet, she felt sick to her stomach.
"Evelyn fell madly in love with Clyde, who had more power than I did. And he, with her. Clyde always loved ambitious women."
"I don't—"
"They thought it was a match made in heaven," Linden continued, despite her obvious discomfort. "Until your mother discovered she was pregnant—with you."
Lina was repulsed in more ways than one. All of her Second Uncle's bullying… his desire to always endanger her, to ruin her beyond repair, now Lina understood why.
Clyde wished Lina was never born. If it had not been for her, then Evelyn wouldn't have married Linden. If it hadn't been for Lina, then both Evelyn and Clyde could've had their happily ever after. But they didn't—Lina's birth was the cause of it.
"Your mother doesn't hate you, Lina," Linden explained. "No mother would hate their own daughter, for you are her flesh and blood. She is just saddened that you were the reason her and your uncle couldn't get together."
"You're sugarcoating the truth." Lina wished she never set foot in here. She wished her curiosity hadn't killed her. Now, she was left with the revelation that she had ruined her mother's happiness.
"Your mother couldn't control her own life, so she wanted to control you, the only thing she knew she could. Your mother loves you in her own, twisted way." Linden wished she wasn't such an inquisitive little child. If she hadn't learned the truth, would she have been much happier?
"Am I your daughter?" Lina suddenly asked him. "Is Clyde my—"
"You are my flesh and bone. My blood runs through your veins, rest assure," Linden sharply said, his voice leaving no room for agreements.
So that was why the wedding proceeded. It's for certain that Evelyn was pregnant with Linden's child and not Clyde.
"You're going to leave again," Linden realized, glancing at her untouched tea. She never drank it. "I do know I have wronged you, my darling girl, but I do want you to know I did what I thought was in your best interest."
Lina's eyes flashed with irritation. "Dragging me to that mental hospital was for my own good? Gaslighting me meant you still love me? Did you think I was that stupid?"
"If your daughter comes up to you and tells you that she remembers memories of her past lives and of suicide, what would you have done?" Linden returned. "Would you have sat idle and pretended to not know?"
Lina was stunned. She opened her mouth, but he quickly continued.
"There is nothing I can do to change the past, Lina, except atone for my behavior. You have deprived me of your presence for five years, it is surely more suffering than a father can ever go through."
Lina didn't even know what to say to him.
"I love you, Lina. I am not selfish enough to ask for you to return back to me, but your presence once in a while would not hurt. That is all I dare to ask of you, my darling girl."
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