Chapter 207 - Your Child
Chapter 207 – Your Child
"Where's your grandfather?" Lina asked when she took a seat while ignoring Atlantis who had stood up and had attempted to greet her. He should've expected as much from Lina. She had set boundaries. They were childhood friends, but all of a sudden, he was so formal with her.
Lina missed the boy who only knew how to make jokes and beat people up. Now, he was plain. Boring. He was like every other businessman. Or maybe, he had grown up, and she was still a child.
"Speaking to your Uncle," Atlantis told her.
"Then, we'll wait," Lina decided.
Lina leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and looked out the window. Estella was seated far down the table, where secretaries were usually meant to be stationed. Lina didn't like this kind of hierarchy.
Lina was well aware of how beautiful her ring was. The sunlight beamed right at them, painting the room a vivid red hue. The diamond was so large, it nearly blinded Atlantis.
"Can we talk?" Atlantis gently asked her. "As friends, like before?"
"We can never be friends like before."
"Lina—"
"Ever."
Lina continued to look at the view of the office buildings. They were located high in the sky. Even this meeting room was above the other skyscrapers. Only one other building was different. The building that was as tall as Yang Enterprise. It was DeHaven Conglomerate, standing like a beacon amidst Ritan.
"Is it because I came too late?" Atlantis murmured. "If I had shown up before Kaden, before Everett, would I have had a chance?"
Lina stiffened.
"Would I be able to call you Mrs. Medeor? Would you actually be wearing the Medeor's Family Heirloom instead of a makeshift ring? Would you have been happier?" Atlantis asked.
Family Heirloom? Makeshift? Lina glanced down at her ring. What the hell was Atlantis babbling about? Was he trying to make her feel insecure about her relationship? She grew furious.
"You have no right—"
"Ask him," Atlantis insisted. "Ask him for the truth."
Lina narrowed her eyes. "You repulse me."
Atlantis didn't seem bothered by her words. He wasn't even fazed. He continued to stare at her with kind, patient eyes. Kaden had never looked at her that way.
At the comparison, Lina was shaken to her core. She was doing it again. Guilt stabbed her in the chest. Kaden was more patient than Atlantis. He, who waited one thousand years for a woman, could never be bested by a mere boy.
"Does he hit you?" Atlantis questioned.
Maybe Kaden should. Lina would like to try being spanked in bed. At the thought, she smiled to herself. His large hand would hurt.
"Does he hit you in places that aren't visible?" Atlantis insisted, this time, his voice darkening.
"Don't spin your own story into becoming a hero," Lina scoffed.
Atlantis frowned deeply. "Lina, I care for you."
"I wish you wouldn't."
Atlantis let out a loud sigh of defeat. If only she'd look at him. If only her vision wasn't clouded. If he could start anew, if she had seen him before anyone else… she would've loved him. And maybe, if her memories were wiped, she still could. The thought settled deep into his heart.
Finally, the room was engulfed in a tense silence. Atlantis was admiring her beauty, but that was not why he loved her. He fell for her brains. He fell for her wit. For her kind heart. For everything that she thought she didn't have. He loved her so much that it hurt his heart. Why was she so beautiful? Why did the sunlight fall so perfectly on her hair?
Lina's beauty was ethereal. She was an angel who caused men to drop to their knees and worship her. Lina'seyes were like those of a deer; large and dewy. Like her name, she was tender and delicate. Even a peony couldn't compare.
"Now this is a sight I like to see…" A tired voice commented.
Lina's head snapped to the doorway. Wobbly and frail was the same old man from the celebration. Somehow, he seemed much more ancient than before. His brows were as white as snow. She wondered how he could be so different from her grandfather, who was glowing with health.
"A destined couple together is so blinding…" he murmured, covering his eyes and letting out a fond chuckle.
Lina's stomach churned.
"I'm here to inquire about what you said last time, about—"
"Favored girl, you have both your destiny and destruction wrapped around your fingers. Just like the past," the old man stated. "What is there to inquire about?"
Lina frowned at this. "You're adamant that Atlantis is who I should be with, but you're also good friends with my grandfather."
The old man smiled. "I am a servant to the Heavens before I am a servant to emotions. I say things that benefit the royal family more than anyone else."
Royal family.
"I had a dream," Lina told him. "I was running from someone in a realm of white and clouds. There, I witnessed a man jump into—"
"You're special. Your dreams are memories of the past," the old man interrupted. "Whatever you dream of has happened or will happen. Is that not why you're a clairvoyant?"
Lina was floored. She stared at him like she saw a ghost. How did he know? Her heart began to skip. She hadn't been able to see anyone's future in a long time. Her clairvoyance disappeared after her long coma.
"I'm not clairvoyant," Lina demanded. "I—"
"Not anymore. Not since the awakening of your memories," the old man commented. "As you slept, your conscience healed itself."
"I'm lost," Atlantis admitted. "What are you talking about, grandfather?"
"Nothing of your concern, boy," the old man said in a curt voice, urging his grandson to be silent.
"Tell me of Heaven," Lina insisted.
"I can't say anything, for it'd ruin the course of your cycle of life and the many people entangled with you."
"Are you a seer?" Lina asked, then.
"Yes. I am the last elder seer left… there was another one in Wraith, but she met her end," the old man said.
For a split second, Lina heard the melancholy in his voice. It must be lonely for him. She couldn't care less.
"There is a child in Wraith who could be the next," the old man commented. "Once I am deceased, there will be another in Ritan to take my place."
Lina's brows shot up. There were more than two seers? It did make sense to her. One in the West and one in the East. That way, the world was balanced.
Suddenly, he began to approach her.
Lina was still in the chair. But she stood up to create distance between them. He moved at an alarming pace, appearing in front of her before she could even blink. She gasped, startled at how close he was. She tried to leave, but he grabbed her hand. For an old man, his grip was like iron.
"Grandpa!" Atlantis argued, shooting out of his chair.
Atlantis quickly came to her aid. He seized her elbow and tried to force his grandfather to release her.
Suddenly, Lina elbowed him and forcibly yanked her wrist back. Simultaneously, she freed herself from these maniac Medeors.
"You've lost your mind," Lina told the old man.
Lina was alarmed by how wide his eyes grew. She could see the glassiness of them. Was he… blind? No, he was just old.
"But who knows?" he muttered. "Perhaps your child will be the next seer of Ritan…"