章 15: Her Loss, Not His

Kaden headed to the parking lot just for Lina. When he got there and discovered a brand new car, his face went blank. He stared at the admirable black car from a luxurious brand.

The vehicle was the newest model with shiny tires and an elegant matte design, with iconic red lights and horsepower too fast for the civilian streets. One of the most sought-after cars that not even money or connections could buy.

"W-woah…" Sebastian breathed out, his eyes going wide at the sight of this immeasurable present.

Then, Sebastian's attention drifted to his Boss and he shivered.

It was damn cold in the parking lot, despite the beginning of Spring. W-was that icicle forming on the ceiling? Sebastian hugged his shaking shoulders, his face paling at the murderous expression on his Boss's face.

"Who sent this?" Kaden demanded.

"I-it seems to be Lina…" Sebastian trailed off, letting out a small squeal when the Boss grounded his teeth.

Kaden tightened his jaw and stared at the present. "So, she wants a gift war invented by the founder of Feili and her husband."

"B-but a gift war hasn't happened for generations, and they were the only ones who could do it because of their overwhelming wealth, Boss," Sebastian whispered. "How does Lina have access to that kind of money when she isn't even considered an heir to Yang Enterprise? What does this mean?"

Kaden narrowed his eyes upon the car.

"It means your research was inadequate and incorrect," Kaden snapped, turning away from the present with a scowl.

Sebastian's shoulders slumped in disappointment. He moped and pouted to himself, as he began to type away on his tablet, deciding to conduct more research on Lina Yang.

Truthfully, there wasn't a lot of information on Lina Yang. It wasn't like she was one of the important Yangs. When people heard of the Yang family, they thought of her Uncle, CEO of Yang Enterprise. Or, they'd think about her Uncle-In-Law, who was the second brother of the Imperial Family in the far East of Ritan.

"Very well, Boss," Sebastian finally said.

Lina Yang was a forgotten member of the Yang Clan, one of the most powerful in the entire East. Even so, Lina was still a Yang and therefore, she was still one of the most important members of society.

Surely, there would be more than what meets the eye?

- - - - -

"I am surprised," a voice spoke over the phone as Lina stared out the window.

Her room faced the flower garden, and every morning the soft scent would drift through her room. It was the only place that was keeping her sane in a house ruled by her crazy mother.

"You've rarely asked me for a favor, though you know my motto already," the voice continued.

"An eye for an eye," Lina said before he could continue. "Until the world goes blind. You stole it from your predecessor a few generations ago."

The voice laughed. "Well, Yang Feng is our great-great-many-greats-later-grandfather. Of course, I'd use the motto he went by."

Lina let out a small sigh. "But of course."

"Do you intend to start a Gift War?" the man asked.

Lina paused. She noticed the sun was quickly setting in the distance, painting the sky a soft blush.

"I haven't heard of that term for a long time now," Lina laughed. "But I am not as wealthy as our great-great-many-greats-later-sister-in-law, so no. I do not intend to waste my money like that."

"It's not a waste if the so-called sister-in-law was able to merge the Zhao and Yang Clan generations ago, making us one of the most powerful families in the East. If only you didn't stay in Ritan, you would've—"

"All of this power and none is destined to be mine," Lina mumbled.

"Well, with your special ability, you could've easily—"

"I wouldn't call it special when I wasn't born with it," Lina spat out, scowling at the horrid memories of her childhood.

Even now, Lina would not forgive the people that sent her there, but she didn't know who did.

"Whether or not you're born with it, you know I look favorably upon you. But favors are favors, so I hope you remember this one well," the voice responded.

Ever the cunning fox, this Uncle of hers. Lina didn't dare to complain, especially when he got the car sent over in less than a day and delivered so flawlessly.

"Of course, Uncle," Lina muttered. "You know I never forget my favors. The one I owe and the ones I'm owed."

Her Uncle said nothing, but she could picture his conniving smile as if he knew everyone's secret before they knew it themselves.

"Good."

Without another word, her Uncle hung up. The action didn't surprise Lina, for he was known to not have meaningless conversations. Something about the uselessness of greetings and goodbyes when a person was well-acquainted.

Letting out a small sigh, Lina went back to her desk where she had been working on her winter break assignments. But the more she was looking into history, the more drawn to the sketchbook she was.

Eventually, Lina allowed herself to be guided to the sketchbook, where her designs were found and kept away, forever.

The second she picked up the pencil, she was entranced, her hand moving on its own until she had finally begun to draw a suitable piece of clothing.

Lost in the art of drawing, she didn't hear the knock on her door until someone crept up behind her.

"Boo!" Milo shouted, earning a loud scream from Lina. Then, he also screamed when a pencil was nearly stabbed into his eye. Soon, the entire room was filled with their yelling.

"What the hell!" Lina shouted at him.

"I should be saying that! You nearly poked my eyeballs out!" Milo exasperated. "Have you no mercy for your younger brother?!"

Lina scoffed. "Who'd have mercy for an intruder in their room? Would you?"

Milo scowled. "You know, most older sisters are loving. They'd cradle their younger brother's head and ask if they're alright."

Lina laughed. "What do you think this is? A fictional story? No brother-sister relationships are that kind. If there is no bullying involved, are we even siblings?"

Milo paused and contemplated her words.

"True," Milo admitted. "I would be freaked out if we were suddenly nice to each other, instead of wrestling ourselves to death on the floor."

Lina snorted at his words and went back to her drawing, curled up in her chair. She ignored his lingering presence behind her, since he was the only one allowed to see her art.

"By the way, what are you doing in here?" Lina asked him, as she began to draw the flowy part of the eastern-inspired dress.

"I overheard a conversation you might not want to hear," Milo slowly said, nosily peering over her shoulders.

Lina had a talent for drawing, but that was not where her real skills lay, and they both knew it. Yet, she was always distracting herself with art. He couldn't help but wonder why.

"If it's a conversation I don't want to hear, why are you here to tell me?" Lina mused, picking up her color pencils to begin sketching in the light blue of the airy and layered dress.

"Because I figured you might want to hear about it," Milo responded.

"Well, I don't." Lina frowned at how the dress was coming out. She grabbed another color and decided to play around with it.

"Fine then," Milo sang, smiling to himself.

Perhaps this could be revenge for her nearly poking him in the eye and damaging his handsome face. If he were to lose his only selling point, he'd have no prospects!

"Suit yourself," Milo snickered, walking out of the room, knowing what was coming to bite Lina. And he tried to warn her about it too, but she just wouldn't listen.

Her loss, not his.