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Chapter 274 - Guard Dog

Lina always admired the women that made sacrifices for the better good. With adoration came baffleness and then curiosity. She wondered how someone could muster such courage. She didn\'t know the answer to that until today.

Staring into the distance, she saw the crowd of people. Servants quick on their feet, maids running about, butlers arranging the details, and planners scrambling to get everything ready. Flowers were withering away in the beginning of Winter, but the palace gardens were brighter than Spring.

The royal children ran about with their friends, pulling pranks here and there, teasing the housekeepers that scolded them. Their laughter filled the garden; innocent and lovely.

The next generation of world leaders were all gathered in the garden. The Crown Prince who\'d one day rule Wraith, the Crown Princess who\'d one day become Prime Minister, the wealthy children of Claymore Conglomerate, the virtuous daughter of another Immortal, and a few more people Lina didn\'t recognize.

"I must get the ruby ring back."

Lina didn\'t know where the thought came from. But when she saw how quickly the preparations were going, Lina shot to her feet. She had been seated in the guest bedroom for the entire day, doing nothing but daydreaming. What else was she supposed to do? Everyone seemed better at handling the ceremony than her.

With Atlantis distracted by a guest list and invites, the Queen occupied with her children, and the King attending to lordly matters, Lina was left alone.

Lina instantly went to Atlantis\' guest bedroom. Along the way, she tried to be discreet, but knew that would be impossible. She was startled at the sight of George leaning near the door, browsing his tablet.

"Hello," Lina reluctantly greeted him.

George raised his head with disinterest. He cast her a brief glance, then went back to his work, where he was vigorously typing out an email. His fingers flew against the tablet faster than people could speak.

"Lady Boss," George finally acknowledged.

Lina said nothing. An awkward silence ensued. Neither of them believed in that address. Neither of them pretended to. Without another glance, she placed a hand on the door knob.

"I wouldn\'t do that if I were you," George leisurely commented.

George began to scroll through a report, his eyes glued to the numbers. When Atlantis first took over, embezzlement was at an all-time high, including under the table deals, bribery, forgery, and the list went on. Even now, all of the loose strings weren\'t properly tied.

George and Atlantis worked tirelessly to ensure everything was up to code, but there was only so much they could do with their team of accountants.

"What? Did Atlantis adopt a guard dog?" Lina asked.

Finally, George looked up. Disdain flickered in his eyes when he took in her disheveled appearance. Two-days of unwashed hair, dry lips, unpresentable clothing, and slippers. She looked like she had been through hell.

George heard she was a prim and proper heiress, the cream of the crop. Who was this birdnest of a woman?

George initially pitied Lina Yang, but after the rejection, he despised her. He felt nothing except for irritation. She had the most eligible bachelor pining after her, one who offered his family heirloom.

There was no bigger catch than Atlantis. Atlantis might\'ve been an illegitimate son, but he made up for it with his power and status. What he lacked, he replaced with wealth.

"I dislike you," George suddenly told her.

Lina remained unaffected.

George meant it. He saw the marriage certificate in the records between Kaden DeHaven and Lina Yang. Unfortunately for the two of them, the application was never finalized. Something about unfinalized contract agreements. Adding more rain on the parade was Wraith\'s policies.

In Wraith, Kaden and Lina\'s marriage certificate was not acknowledged because it wasn\'t properly submitted.

Thus, Atlantis could legally marry Lina in Wraith. Some would call it eloping, George titled it reckless.

"Even so, I\'m obligated to tell you the truth," George stated, his lips dipping into a deep frown. He was exhausted from dealing with the marriage lawyers this morning, and then, the accountants this afternoon.

"If there\'s something you want from our Boss, you should tell him directly instead of snooping like a thief," George leisurely said. "Who knows? People might even mistake you for a gold-digger quite literally digging for gold in his room."

Lina\'s expression darkened. She took a threatening step forward, her eyes flashing with warning.

"If I were you, I\'d watch my mouth around my Boss\'s eternal obsession," Lina softly said.

What George didn\'t expect was the lethal silence. He thought she was wild and wicked. He expected a violent tantrum, one that broke priceless properties and ruined a house. He thought she\'d be a tornado, destroying everything in her path. It seemed he thought wrong.

"My response remains the same," George stated. "If you want something, you should talk to our Boss."

"Your Boss told me to fetch the wedding ring I gave back to him," Lina said.

George\'s brows shot up. He glanced at her fingers and realized, sure enough, there wasn\'t a ring. For some reason, she looked better without one. Even so, the reason was good enough.

"And he couldn\'t get it himself to put it back on your finger?" George countered.

"He\'s busy."

"Right," George dryly said.

Lina didn\'t wait for his permission any longer. She twisted the doorknob, swung it open and walked in like she owned the place. Before he could follow her, she slammed the door shut on his face and locked it. She heard his violent knock.

"Hey!"

Lina ignored him. She heard the door knobs loudly rattling. Even so, her heart never once skipped in fear. She glanced at the guest bedroom, which was the same layout as hers. Immediately, she saw what she was looking for. Atlantis\' suit was slung over the couch. Everything was almost too easy.

Lina immediately dug through the suit\'s pockets. Her heart dropped when she found nothing. Letting out a shaky breath, she continued to search for the ring, turning every pocket inside out.

"Nothing," Lina realized.

Lina was certain this was the suit he was wearing that day. Immediately, she ran to the bathroom where the dirty laundry hamper was. She saw another suit lying in the basket and quickly took it out, dug through the pockets, but was met with disappointment again.

"Where the hell is it?" Lina frantically asked herself, her gaze sweeping over the enormous guest bedroom. Such a small ring could be anywhere.

Lina raced back to the living room, where she saw an ugly ring box. The one that Atlantis presented her, with red leather and gold embroidery. She hated the sight of the ring box, for it was where the sapphire ring must\'ve been. Glaring at the spot, she began to approach the box with the intent of destroying it.

"Imposter." Lina angrily picked up the wedding box. Her eyes began to prick, her heart growing heavy with frustration, and her voice thick with emotion.

Lina felt like her world was falling apart. The memories she possessed were half the truth and half confusion. She didn\'t know what was real or what was fake.

The Atlantis that Lina knew turned out to be a fraud. He was no longer kind. No longer gentle. No longer the boy that took her by the hands and ran down the school hallways.

Lina wished things had never turned out like this. She wondered if they could ever go back to their school days.

Lina could still picture the tender moments. The warm sunlight on their skin, the shouts during lunch break, and the soft grass they laid on, talking about the most random things, and laughing like no tomorrow.

Lina missed the thrill in her chest when they dashed away from the teacher after he caused mischief.

All of it was nothing, but faded memories.

Suddenly, an urge took over her. Lina picked up the ring box.

"Why would the box be here?" Lina realized out loud. "The ring should be with him."

BANG!

Before Lina could do anything, the doors slammed open. She screamed in fear, jumping back like she had been caught stealing. Her eyes grew wide. Atlantis placed his feet back onto the ground, his stare like a tiger chasing his prey. His hands rested loosely in his pants pockets, as if he hadn\'t just kicked down the doors.

Atlantis clenched his jaw when he saw the box in her hand. "You belong with me, Linlin.. Forget about that damn ring."