Chapter 69 - This Crazy Man
Chapter 69 – This Crazy Man
"Madam, a package has arrived," the head butler said.
The maids were accompanied by two maids who were struggling with the elegant black bags of food, with an infamous golden logo of the city's most popular sushi restaurant. They said the fish there was caught on the spot and every single thing was fresh.
"The delivery man stated it is a present from Mr. Dehaven," the head butler added, noting the reluctant yet excited expression on the Madam's face.
Lina was just walking down the stairs to grab a glass of water when she noticed the servants gathered in the foyer.
Lina checked the large clock on the wall and noticed it was indeed dinner time. Her stomach grumbled for food.
"From Kaden?" Lina repeated, reaching the bottom of the stairs in time to see the expensive restaurant he ordered from.
Lina remembered that place. Isabelle had been eager to get a reservation there, but not even the daughter of an A-list actor could skip the long line just to get an appointment. The restaurant was booked for the next eight months, with a hefty deposit just to save a seat.
Lina should've been surprised that Kaden had ordered food from there. But she wasn't. She had heard of his accomplishments, connections, and network that stretched far and wide.
"Yes, Young Miss," the head butler warmly said, but his smile slipped a bit.
The butler noticed her dirty hands, covered with charcoal from her drawing, paint smeared on her face, and a few splatters on her clothes.
"Oh my," Evelyn gasped, taking the bag in her hands and admiring the restaurant.
Evelyn had been eager to attend the restaurant and get her pictures taken there. Her socialite status would be boosted if that did happen, but the restaurant rarely made any exceptions. Thus, she had to wait in line like everyone else, even if she was a Yang.
"Come, Milo," Evelyn beckoned her tech-savvy son over. "Take a natural photo of me holding the bags. Do it quickly!"
Evelyn was going to post it on her social media later, to show off to all of her friends. Their children were prominent figures, but still struggled to get a seat there. So far, Evelyn was the closest in line to dining, with a mere wait of one month.
"It seems you've hooked a whale behind my back. I should've known the big fishes were no match for you," Evelyn said to Lina whilst posing for the pictures that her son was reluctantly taking.
"Get me in my better angle," Evelyn scolded her son.
Milo rolled his eyes and sighed. He lowered his body until his knees touched the floor. Then, he angled his entire body to capture his mother in a youthful position, where the lighting hit her perfectly.
"What's wrong, Young Miss?" the head butler said when he saw her walking off. "Dinner is almost ready, you're not going to eat, Young Miss?"
Lina stiffened. She felt her stomach cry in protest, begging for food. She touched her aching belly and glanced at the take-out bag. Sushi was her favorite food… She nibbled on her bottom lip.
"Uhm…" Lina trailed off.
Then, Lina made eye contact with her mother. Evelyn's delightful smile morphed into a scowl. She grew irritated thinking Lina was going to eat such a large meal with that many carbs.
Lina felt a stab to her chest. She was suddenly reminded of the video that Evelyn showed her this morning. Then, the unpleasant memories of her boarding school came back to her.
"No, I'm not hungry," Lina finally responded to the head butler.
Lina turned on her heels and stalked off, deciding to grab some hot tea to soothe her stomach pain. She often drank hot tea on her menstrual cycle, since it calmed upset bellies.
Milo watched with a soft frown as Lina disappeared down the hallway. His shoulders were slumped at her reaction.
Milo wanted to have a family meal together. Lina had been home for many days now, but they never sat down for a proper dinner.
"Mother, did you do something to Lina?" Milo asked, handing the phone back to her.
Evelyn took her phone and began to look through the photos. She smiled at how she posed with the delivery bags that her son-in-law ordered her. Evelyn wondered how he even managed to get food delivered. The restaurant was far too prestigious to accept takeaways.
"As expected of my son, you've inherited my good eyes! These photos look stellar," Evelyn complimented Milo, ignoring his initial question. S
Evelyn patted him on the shoulders and beamed.
"Now come and eat dinner Milo, before the food gets cold or soggy. I know how much you love sashimi," Evelyn stated, grabbing her son's hand and pulling him into the dining hall.
"Where's Lina?" Linden instantly asked when he saw his wife walk in with the employees accompanying them.
"She doesn't want dinner again," Evelyn sighed and shook her head, placing a concerned hand on her chest.
"There's no use in arguing with our Lina," Evelyn added. "Once she's made up her mind, nothing can change it."
Linden frowned at this. Lina had been skipping dinner every single day now. Was she never hungry?
Linden didn't want to force her to eat if she didn't want to. That'd be absurd. Did she just not have hunger pains? He thought back to what the doctor had said about her malnourishment.
"Besides, let's not force her to eat if she doesn't want to. It'll be painful if she gets indigestion or throws up the food from shoving it down her throat," Evelyn continued with a sweet smile.
Evelyn flicked her wrist and gestured for the butler and maids to present the food beautifully.
"Right," Linden reluctantly agreed, believing it was the best for Lina to come when she wanted to.
– – – – –
Lina was curled up in her chair drinking tea and could hear the laughter from downstairs. Her bedroom was just a floor above the dining hall. She hugged her knees and peered up at the night sky.
The moon was beautiful tonight.
Her mother always wanted her to move to a higher floor, where it was more lavish and the rooms were larger.
Lina had always rejected, stating she loved this room the most.
The reason was simple. The moon shone the largest and brightest here. It reminded Lina of her bedroom window from Teran, which specifically faced the magnificent night sky.
"Having fish this late will lead to indigestion," Lina told herself whenever she wished the hot tea would taste like food.
Lina let out a small sigh and leaned back in her chair, frowning when she saw the paintings on the floor.
Lina thought she was designing a normal piece. Who would've thought she had drawn her dream wedding dress? Her eyes glazed over the sheer sleeves with tiny pearls, meant to look like the flap of a swan's wings. It was a beautiful dress that she'd imagine the swan princess to wear when they danced upon a crystal lake.
Lina hoped she'd never get to wear this wedding dress. It was to her horror that this dress resembled the exact one she saw in Kaden's future.
"Unable to forget that moment in the past… when the sun was high, and droplets of desperate tears destroyed my heart…"
Lina jumped at the melancholic ringtone from an infamous song. Her head snapped to her phone, wondering who the hell it was.
When Lina picked up her phone, her eyes bulged at the contact. When did he have access to her phone? And why did he have enough time to set his ringtone to something so depressing?!
This crazy man!