Chapter 64 - I Like Him
"Don't move," Lina mumbled, reaching up to touch his clothes.
Kaden was amused by her frantic antics. He allowed her to adjust his tie with shaky fingers, as if that was going to hide the obvious mark on her neck. But for her sanity's sake, he pulled up her shirt and arranged her hair to hide it.
Lina flashed him a thankful expression.
Kaden decided he liked that far more than when she hovered on the verge of tears from his teasing. She had this small smile that drove him nuts. It was like she was struggling to compose herself from a large grin.
"You're going to be the death of me," Kaden breathed out, shaking his head at how quickly she was affecting him.
"Hm?" Lina innocently blinked, tilting her head.
"Stop torturing me," Kaden groaned, his voice hoarse with desire. His fingers curling under her chin.
Lina laughed at his words, completely not understanding what he meant. All she did was smile. How could that be so tempting?
Lina stared at the meal prepared for her. Now she understood why her father looked so cross.
Lina said she was hungry and her mother made her food suitable for rabbits. She stared at the plate of leaves with only a sprinkling of toppings and barely a drizzle of sauce. At least there was hot lemon tea.
"You're raising rabbits now?" Kaden dryly commented, lifting one of the sad leaves off the salad with a scowl.
Kaden hated seeing the damn thing. Humans were omnivores for a reason.
"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked, baffled by his wording.
Lina smacked his hand away and stabbed into the salad. The smell was nauseating. She was craving soup with noodles. Even so, she brought the bland and bitter leaves to her mouth and chewed.
"So what do you like about my daughter?" Linden asked, cutting straight to the chase.
Lina choked. She coughed and glanced at her father, not expecting to get straight to the point.
Kaden, who was sitting beside her, smirked at her reaction. He offered the cup of tea and patted her upper back. He could feel Linden glaring daggers. Kaden leaned closer to Lina.
"Drink slowly," Kaden said, blowing on the drink before offering it to her.
Lina glowered at him. She knew he was having a laugh out of her pain. This man was so damn irritating. Even so, she took the lemon tea and drank it, wincing at the sour taste.
Where's the honey?
Lina met her mother's pressing gaze. Honey was too high in calories, she guessed. Holding back an exasperated sigh, Lina poked around at her salad for a crumb of bacon bits. She felt like even rabbits ate better than her.
"My question still stands," Linden said, sitting across from his daughter and the monster that lurked under her bed.
"My daughter doesn't have the best qualities," Evelyn added on.
Despite the expensive gifts that came Evelyn's way, she still couldn't approve of Kaden and his unknown background. Evelyn had been ostracized by the Yang Family for her illegitimate status. She wanted someone to suffer the same pain as her. It was only fair.
Everett, on the other hand, had aristocratic blood through and through. He was human. His family owned one of the Big Three law firms that attorneys would die to get into. His background was reputable, and he even commanded over Vampires.
With a position as secure as that, how could Evelyn not like him?
"That's rich coming from you," Kaden mused, returning his attention back to Lina. He grabbed the tea spoon from the plate and stirred her piping hot drink. She offered him a worried look.
The conversation was going south.
Lina knew she had to intervene.
"I picked Kaden myself, Papa," Lina said to her father, in the hope she could appeal her case like this was a court and her parents were the judges.
"He treats me well," Lina stated. It wasn't a lie. As much as he teased her, he treated her better than most people in her lifef. For starters, he made sure she ate.
"I can see that," Linden reluctantly admitted, watching the great Young Master of House Dehaven hold a tiny little spoon and stir the tea with it.
Linden had heard the terrifying rumors that surrounded this man. The mastermind driving House DeHaven's tremendous success. The man behind the curtain. The illegitimate heir who commanded his relatives as if they were hound dogs.
Not a single person in this world dared to disrespect him. Grown men double Kaden's age would shake in their boots at the sight of him. Women fought viciously for his attention.
Behind the multibillion business that secretly controlled the city was a young man. And he was Kaden DeHaven.
With his bloody business empire and iron fist regime, Kaden DeHaven was a tyrant. None crossed him. None had the guts to.
So, what was this kind of man doing, hovering over Linden's innocent daughter, blowing her stupid tea for her?
"Drink," Kaden urged, bringing the tea cup to her lips as if her fingers were broken.
Kaden disliked seeing her search for the last crumb of bacon that she had already eaten. He was going to take her out for a large meal later with her favorite dishes.
"It's sour," Lina whispered, turning her head away from the drink.
Kaden set the tea down. Lina suddenly felt guilty. He had spent his time cooling it for her. Suddenly, she brought the teacup to her lips and drank.
Kaden's lips twitched, his hand moving to grab her thigh.
Lina jumped and glared at him. She nearly choked on her tea.
Kaden gave her thigh a soft squeeze, smirking when she pressed her legs together. That was a mistake. His fingers were stuck between her thighs and he enjoyed that.
"Lina."
Lina jolted, forgetting her parents were in the room.
Lina realized Kaden had his full attention on her parents. Only she had been affected. And her parents clearly didn't know what was going on under the table. Or else, Linden would have clubbed Kaden in the head with his golf bat.
"Y-yes?" Lina managed to say, her tone rising.
Lina tried to keep her voice as calm as possible. It was hard. Kaden was dragging his long fingers up her thighs, teasing her through the fabric. She wished he wasn't so damn sneaky. His fingers were dangerously close to the pool of heat.
"What do you like about Kaden?" Linden asked his daughter with a frown.
Why did Lina look so flustered? Was the food reacting badly in her stomach? Her face was slightly flushed. Did she catch a fever?
"He cares for me," Lina admitted, her voice shy and subtle.
Kaden's hand halted. He turned towards her and she was already looking at him. He offered a rare, genuine smile that reached his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat, mesmerized by him again.
"We care for you too," Linden stated. "Surely, there is more—"
"I like him, Papa and he treats me well. Isn't that enough?" Lina asked.
"Are you marrying him because your Uncle attempted to force you into signing a certificate with Everett?" Linden said, getting straight to the point.
"You already know the answer, Papa," Lina responded.
Linden's hard expression grew soft. He couldn't man up enough to stop the wedding on his own accord. His daughter had to completely rely on herself to stop it. Guilt threatened to consume him.
"Well, if you like him and it's a consenting marriage, then you have my blessings, Lina," Linden relented with a tired sigh.
Lina's face brightened. "Really, Papa?"
Linden's heart squeezed at his daughter's adoring expression. It had been so long since he last saw such joy. He softly nodded with a smile of his own.
"Of course, Lina. Whatever makes you happy will make me happy," Linden promised her.
Lina's eyes lit up and she excitedly turned to Kaden. Maybe he didn't care about this. Maybe he found her childish for being excited. But she was truly happy. Her father rarely approved of her, and this small acceptance meant so much.
"Your Mother agrees as well," Linden added, nudging his wife to say something.
Evelyn was reluctant. She couldn't directly go against her husband, even though she controlled the finances of the house. The money was still coming from the Yangs. Linden could take back the control whenever he wanted to.
"We'll see," Evelyn managed to say, ignoring the disappointment that flashed in Lina's expression.
Suddenly, a sharp ring was heard.
Every pair of eyes snapped to Kaden, whose phone was ringing in his pocket. Kaden pulled out the phone, saw the contact, and frowned.
"One second," Kaden said, standing up.
Lina's face turned dark. She watched with disapproval as he exited the room to take the call. She had seen the contact and it wasn't one she wanted to witness.
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