Lina barely made it out of the car with her modesty intact. Kaden refused to let her go? during the drive home. His kisses were eager and passionate, leaving her breathless and wanting more. When they exited the vehicle, her cheeks grew warm.

  The entire servant population came out to greet them. In unison, they bowed their heads and loudly welcomed the Master and Madame home. She tried to suppress a blush, but couldn't.

  Eventually, Lina managed to escape up the stairs, but not before a blaring phone call rang through the hallways. She paused and glanced at it. Theodore instantly went to answer the phone, but she already knew who it was.

  Lina still hadn't given him her phone number yet.

  "I'll get it," Lina told Theodore.

  Lina could feel Kaden's pressing gaze following her. She hurried to the phone, picked it up and heard his familiar voice.

  "Hello?" Atlantis murmured in a soft and tender tone.

  Lina didn't know how to react. Atlantis… Was he respecting her boundaries? She never gave Kaden her number, but he got it anyway. Atlantis had the same power, but didn't wield it.

  With the comparison, Lina froze. The way she had just mentally compared the two men happened too naturally for her to feel comfortable.

  "Hello?" Atlantis repeated, this time, with confusion.

  "Atlantis," Lina said out loud. It was with intent.

  Lina didn't want to make it seem like she was hiding something. She straightened up and turned. Kaden was at the foot of the grand double staircase. His brooding eyes lingered upon her, then they flickered to the ring on herhand. Suddenly, his hard expression softened.

  "Did you get back safely?" Atlantis warmly asked her.

  Lina was distracted by Kaden's handsome features. Kaden stood by the staircase as if he were in a painting. The light shone favorably upon his sharp face.

  "Y-yes," Lina managed to say.

  At her stammer, Kaden's lips curled. He was so charming it was beginning to hurt. His nose was regal, his lips just the right size, and his jaw sharp as a blade. His features were unconventionally appealing. Even from afar, she could see his eyes. So dark they were sometimes midnight blue.

  "You missed my speech," Atlantis added on.

  Lina had been drowning out what he was saying while distracted by the dominant presence of Kaden. She quickly shifted her attention back to the phone.

  "I didn't feel comfortable after speaking to your grandfather," Lina admitted to him.

  Lina watched as Kaden disappeared up the staircase. She was touched. He trusted her.

  "I'm sorry, he's usually not like that. Some of his friends say he used to be much more cheerful, but after the death of my grandmother two years ago… he hasn't been the same," Atlantis revealed to her. "Death of a lover does horrible things to people."

  Lina would know. Kaden had waged two wars.

  "I'm sorry for his loss," Lina murmured.

  Lina recalled her grandfather was good friends with this man. Maybe she could ask Lawrence what Atlantis' grandfather's personality was like.

  "Perhaps that's why your grandfather got? along so well with mine," Atlantis joked with her. "They were both head over heels in love with their wives. Some would say they're whipped."

  Lina wondered if the grandmothers could say the same. She kept that comment to herself. Instead, she bit her bottom lip. What was the purpose of this phone call?

  "I'm sure your speech was great," Lina told Atlantis.

  "You'll likely hear about it in tomorrow's news," Atlantis told her. "I credited many things to you."

  Lina appreciated the heads up. "What did you say?"

  "You'll find out tomorrow," Atlantis mused. "Don't worry. I'm not as sleazy as that Everett Leclare."

  Lina's heart lurched. She felt a chill crawl up her spine. She hadn't forgotten that obsessive man. Speaking of which, Everett had been silent for quite some time now. She wondered what happened.

  "You know him?" Lina asked.

  "I know of him," Atlantis told her. "He didn't go to Serendipity, so I don't know his personality."

  That part was strange. Serendipity School of Success had three campuses. One was for younger children, another was a middle school and the last was a high school. Almost every heir known to man attended that place.

  "I guess he's not as much of a cookie-cutter heir as I thought he was," Lina muttered to herself.

  There were selected families who wanted to expose their children to the real world. Those families would send their children to public schools, albeit always the best ones as well.

  "Hm, what do you mean?" Atlantis curiously asked her.

  Lina straightened and forced a soft laugh. "Nothing of importance."

  "Alright then," Atlantis mused.

  Lina was glad that he didn't seem upset by her departure. His tone was gentle and he sounded like he had retired for the night as well. Leaning her hip against the console table, she debated how to end the phone call.

  "I just wanted to confirm you had made it back safely," Atlantis said. "If Kaden is around, I'd like a word with him."

  Lina slowly blinked. "No, Kaden went upstairs. Why?"

  Atlantis' brows shot up. He didn't want to directly ask if Kaden was with her. That was one way to piss off the abuser. Instead, he made the straight suggestion, so that it'd come off as less suspicious.

  "Right," Atlantis curtly said. "Just wanted to thank him for tonight's performance, that's all. Everyone enjoyed it."

  "Ah, that was Krystal—"

  "Krystal's father, although rich, doesn't have the connections to get the soprano. I know it was your doing, after seeing you cover for Krystal," Atlantis smoothly told her.

  Immediately, Lina was worried for Krystal. "And how do you feel about the situation?" she carefully asked.

  Lina didn't want to insist on anything. It'd only show her anxiety. Instead, one should always encourage the other person to talk. The more they talked, the better.

  "I'm fine with it," Atlantis mused. "A performance is still a performance. I see your gentle nature still hasn't changed. You always loved to help those in need."

  "You think too highly of me…" Lina trailed off.

  "It's a wise decision to support Krystal," Atlantis told her. "She's rational. Instead of expecting free hand outs just to be kind to me, she worked for it by attempting to provide the music for today."

  Lina blinked. Atlantis was growing arrogant. He had never spoken like this before. Free handouts? This wasn't the kind of word he used around her. She supposed he should be haughty, now that he was going to be the chairman soon.

  "I won't keep you for long," Atlantis said. "But will you give me your number, Lina? I'd still love to stay in touch."

  Lina smiled. He was asking like a proper gentleman. So, she gave him her number.

  Shortly afterwards, the two parted from the phone. Lina placed the receiver down and found it amusing that Kaden? still had a landline. It had been years since Lina last saw a phone with the wires still attached to it.

  "As expected of such a conservative man," Lina murmured under her breath. She raised her head and proceeded up the stairs, in a great mood.

  With Krystal secured, Lina's next step was to draft the proposal. In this lifetime, Lina would no longer be that powerless Princess. She was going to forget her success. She was going to create a name for herself. No one could take anything from her anymore.

  Maybe then, Lina would be able to stand proudly beside Kaden, who had achieved everything in the world.