Chapter 62 - If My Parents See This
"Do you still like me?" Lina naively asked, growing sleepy in his arms. She had slept plenty, but something about him made her feel safe and secure. It was a difficult feeling to describe. She had never felt it anywhere.
"Oh I don't know," Kaden sarcastically responded. "Would I let a woman sit on my lap and play with my hair if I didn't?"
Lina didn't respond. She buried her face into his shoulder, where his scent was nearly as strong as his neck. He smelled like the forest after the rain.
Kaden couldn't believe she had the guts to ask him such a stupid question. After all he had done to acquire her, after the way he treated her, and the things he gave her, she thought he didn't like her?
Kaden stroked the back of her hair. She shivered in response, her grip tightening on his shoulders.
Kaden smirked. Did she like that? A praise kink, perhaps? For a people pleaser like her, he wouldn't be surprised.
"Will you be a good girl and eat?" Kaden asked.
Lina made a small noise of protest. Kaden slid his hand under her bum and tightened his grip on her waist. He stood up, causing her to yelp and wrap her legs around his abdomen.
"Where are we going?" Lina asked, pulling back to look him in the face.
Her breath was caught in her throat. She was looking at him eye-to-eye now. His piercing stare read her expression perfectly.
"Where else?" Kaden retorted.
Lina blinked. "I didn't faint from malnourishment. My head was hurting when I was beginning to think about a psychiatric ward. I don't understand."
Kaden narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't adding up.
"Tell me about your childhood," Kaden said as he began to walk towards the door. "I saw the text Milo sent you about summer camp. Tell me about it."
"Wel..." Lina trailed off.
Lina was impressed by his strength. He carried her like she weighed nothing, but she knew better. Even so, she didn't protest. That is, until she realized she was in her room, and her parents could see them like this.
"Put me down first," Lina argued, wriggling her legs.
Kaden's smirk widened at how childish she was being. He paused and looked at her.
"You don't have the strength to walk. I'll carry you," Kaden said, giving her bottom a light squeeze. She jumped in his arms and glared at him. He loved this feisty side of her.
Sometimes Lina was as sweet as candy, but other times, as fiery as flames could get. The hatred in her eyes was a match for hellfire. He always loved her duality. Such an innocent yet hardened heart she possessed.
"I can walk on my own. If my parents see this—"
Knock. Knock.
"Lina, are you awake?" Linden called from the other side of the door.
Lina's eyes widened. Kaden narrowed his gaze.
"Put me down, now!" Lina squeaked out, tapping his chest furiously.
Oh god, she hoped her Uncle was gone. She'd die of embarrassment if her parents caught her like this. In all her twenty-two years, she had never brought home a boyfriend, and wasn't even sure how her mother or father would react.
"And if I say no?" Kaden asked.
"Don't be a brat, Eden," Lina groaned, pushing herself back in the hope he'd release her. She kicked her legs and couldn't believe his strength.
Kaden didn't budge. He didn't even blink.
"Says the brat herself," Kaden relented, releasing his arms. She cried out and fell right on her butt, groaning in pain.
"What?" Kaden mused when she angrily kicked his shin. He wondered how much weaker she could possibly get. Her jab felt like nothing to him. Then again, nothing had ever pained him. Nothing except her, who was his everything.
"Lina?" Linden called again.
Lina quickly scrambled to her feet just as the door opened.
A silence ensued.
Linden glanced at Kaden who was standing in the middle of the room. Then, he looked towards his daughter, who was awkwardly standing beside him. Something happened. But he didn't know what.
Linden narrowed his gaze upon Kaden, frowning with disapproval. He would've preferred Everett, who had a squeaky clean reputation, in comparison to the heir with an unknown background.
"What are you doing out of bed?" Linden stated, his voice filled with concern.
"I… uhm…" Lina trailed off, nervous around her own father. Not because he had treated her badly, but because they rarely had interactions.
Lina's relationship with her father was as good as estranged. They existed under the same household, but never talked to each other unless necessary. He was just… aloof.
"The Doctor says she's malnourished," Kaden stated, his eyes centering on Evelyn. As a mother, how could she not realize her daughter was skipping meals?
Evelyn wondered why Kaden was intensely staring at her. She touched her hair, wondering if it looked weird or something. She had freshened up her make-up in the presence of guests.
"It's impossible," Evelyn said. "Have you not seen the size of my daughter? How could she be malnourished?"
Kaden's gaze darkened. The atmosphere turned frigid. Dark, frightening wisps formed around his presence. What did this woman just say?
"Evelyn, prepare Lina a meal. She skipped breakfast," Linden ordered his wife.
Evelyn scowled. Just as she thought Lina was going to be skipping breakfast, she was now being instructed to prepare a meal for her daughter. It made her happy whenever Lina didn't eat something. That way, her figure could be maintained, and she'd slip into pretty clothes with ease. When Lina was a child, she could never fit into the cute outfits that her peers always wore.
"Evelyn." Linden grabbed his wife's hand and gave it a soft squeeze, understanding that she rarely liked to cook anymore. He didn't know why. She used to be such a wonderful chef.
"Fine." Evelyn ignored Lina's dismayed expression. She stormed off, deciding to whip up a salad for her child. She didn't understand what the problem was.
"You must forgive my wife," Linden calmly told Kaden, though it wasn't a suggestion. "She is just sensitive of Lina ever since my daughter was a small girl—"
"Papa." Lina shot him a warning look. She didn't want Kaden to know. She was frightened he'd discover her flaws.
Linden sighed. "Come downstairs and have your meal. Then, we shall discuss this marriage."
Lina noticed how her father didn't talk about the wedding. Something about his disappointed gaze told her he knew the truth—she had been cornered into marriage. She slowly nodded her head and walked as he offered her a curt smile.
"Come now," Linden stated, refusing to let his daughter be alone with Kaden DeHaven, even if they were to be husband and wife.
"We will, Mr. Yang," Kaden responded, placing a hand upon Lina's small back.
Linden's eyes flashed at the intimate action. He took a step into the room, warning the man to stay away from his precious daughter. But that'd be impossible. They had a marriage contract.
Kaden raised his brows, daring the man to challenge him. What was he going to do? Try to take Lina from his arms? It had happened once before, in their first life. And the results weren't pretty.
"Let's go," Lina said, walking off without Kaden, worried that something could happen between her Papa and Kaden.
Kaden's lips twitched at her expression. She shot him a warning look. He instantly knew she was her father's little Princess. A little people-pleaser like her would do anything for their parents. Especially her father. He wondered if she ever went against the man's commands.
Probably not, considering Lina's background. Lina went to the elementary school, middle school, and high school that her mother couldn't afford, was currently attending the university that her father was rejected from, and studying a major that her grandfather always dreamed of doing.
Lina Yang wasn't just the Princess of the Yang Clan for no reason. She had earned that position and nickname in exchange for her happiness.
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