Soon, Lina reached Yang Enterprise. She dressed herself in a white turtle neck with a pastel blue blazer and matching suit pants. With silver accessories and white heels, she walked through the doors of Yang Enterprise, Estella hot on her trail.

  Everyone paused and watched her. The floor was made of marble tiles, but her stroll made it look like a runway. Employees stopped whatever they were doing, paused, and debated whether or not they should bow in greeting.

  Lina Yang walked like she owned the place.

  "Madam, Miss Elit arrived five minutes prior and is waiting in Conference Room 2," Estella said to her with great diligence.

  Seeing as Lawrence hadn't called Lina about her withdrawal from the Heir Race, Lina concluded Estella wasn't a rat. She had given out classified information that only Estella would know.

  With a curt nod, Lina approached the private elevator. Along the way, her entire spine went rigid.

  "My, my, if it isn't my favorite niece."

  Lina's heart dropped all the way to her stomach. She could feel the contents of her breakfast come up. Goosebumps broke out on her arm. She shakily turned and saw her nightmares manifest into a man.

  "Second Uncle," Lina managed to say. She was grateful that her voice didn't tremble. Instead, she stood her ground.

  "Please, you know I prefer for you to call me by my name," he murmured in a sly voice, like the hiss of a venomous snake.

  Lina kept her face as collected as possible. "What brings you out of your rat hole?"

  His eyes flickered with amusement. The way he stared at her made her skin crawl.

  "My name," he insisted.

  "I am your niece, I wouldn't dare."

  "Even your father calls me by my name and he's my youngest brother," he said, amusement lacing his deep voice.

  Lina said nothing. She ignored him, but felt the temperature drop instantly. When she showed him her back, it was a sign of disrespect. And he took it full heartedly. Without warning, she felt a hand grab for her nape.

  "Sir," Estella declared, seizing the man by his wrist.

  Lina turned around in time to see Estella being grabbed by her collar. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief. With his fingers curled around her white blouse, she saw the buttons straining.

  "Clyde," Lina deadpanned. She kept her voice under control, despite the tremor in her heart. She expected Estella to flinch and cry, but the woman didn't even blink. Instead, Estella kept her eyes wide open.

  "Ah, there's my name," Clyde teased, releasing the secretary.

  Lina instantly pulled Estella into the elevator and stood protectively in front of her. That way, Estella could be shielded from the man's gaze. And, she could fix her shirt. Instead, Estella pressed the elevator button.

  Lina cast Clyde a glance like he was beneath her. She couldn't fathom the sight of him. The way he looked at her made it feel like parasites were squirming under her skin. His gaze was just that leery. And she knew it was from his crazy obsession with her mother.

  "What?" Clyde said with a tilt of his sadistic head.

  Sometimes, Lina wished his head would roll on the ground. She'd love to make a soccer ball out of it.

  "You disgust me," Lina snarled.

  Before he could proceed, the elevator doors dinged shut. Lina furiously glared at the silver doors, even though he was no longer in sight. She could still feel her heart racing at a thousand beats per minute. She could barely catch her breath, much less ease her nerves.

  "My Second Uncle," Lina said to Estella.

  Lina turned around to see Estella had already smoothed out her outfit. Not a single hair was out of place. Both women saw their reflection in the elevator. Their skin was pale, their eyes were wild, but their faces were calm.

  "It's a delight to meet him, isn't it?" Lina dryly commented.

  "As delightful as a pond of cow manure," Estella deadpanned.

  Lina's lips curled in amusement. She had never heard that kind of saying before. But recalling Clyde's brown eyes, she thought it was a befitting description.

  Soon, the elevator doors opened.

  "Does he usually visit the office?" Estella asked in a nonchalant voice that hid her turmoil.

  "Once a month," Lina explained. "His last visit was only two weeks ago. He's coming more and more to the office."

  Without a doubt, Lina knew it was because of her. Now that she had joined the Heir Race, every relative was feeling uneasy. Not because she was a girl, but because she had the highest chance of winning the title.

  Cedrick had worked all his life to secure his position. Lina had worked all her life running from the job. Lina believed she worked hard to get to where she was. Despite Lina's disinterest in the position, she was forced into training for the role from a young age.

  It wasn't through choice. Lina had been sculpted for the position of heiress by her grandfather. Therefore, Lina had sacrificed her childhood and youth to accompany her grandfather and uncles.

  Lina had chosen consultation meetings over playdates, pens over crayons, and extreme foreign language lessons over relaxed childhood. All the things that a little girl got to enjoy, she did not.

  "Krystal," Lina instantly addressed when she saw the familiar brunette.

  Krystal paused and turned around. She was in mid-sip of her coffee when she saw Lina. Only then, did her chestnut eyes light up with joy. Underneath the brightness of the conference room, she looked much healthier than her anxiety-riddled self two weeks ago.

  "Lina!" Krystal excitedly declared, quickly rising to her seat.

  "Cedrick!" Cedrick copied the women, his voice awfully high-pitched.

  Lina narrowed her eyes onto her oldest cousin. Whenever she created an opportunity for herself, he was present.

  Lina decided to change the meeting locations in the future. She couldn't have her cousin lurking around her like a predator. Not because he'd win, but because it made them uncomfortable.

  "Your birth giver is downstairs," Lina warned Cedrick.

  Immediately, Cedrick's expression was twisted into a grimace. He offered her an apologetic smile and turned to Krystal.

  "My pleasure to chat with you," Cedrick said to her in a playful voice.

  Krystal naively blinked up at him, like a doe who just learned to walk. Cedrick flashed her a friendly smile, then exited the meeting room as quickly as he came. On his way out, he heard a quiet command.

  "If you don't keep him on a leash, I'm going to put him in a cage," Lina snarled to her oldest cousin.

  Cedrick froze. He turned to her like he had witnessed a ghost behind him. With a grim, but understanding expression, he forced a nod. Then, he left, leaving a cold gust past her.

  Lina didn't make mindless threats. She made promises. Now that she had made herself known to the public, she was going to make her moves on the chess board soon.

  "He seems nice," Krystal managed to say.

  "Yes, he's nice to everyone he meets," Lina responded in a friendly voice. Her message came off as a reminder to Krystal. She was just one of the many women he treated with amicability.

  Krystal immediately understood. It took a single sentence for her kindled heart to die down. Like every other girl, she dreamed of becoming Mrs. Yang. But she was already Krystal Elit, and that was enough for her. For now. Her goal was to become Chairwoman Elit, and she'd stop at nothing to gain it.

  "Have a seat," Lina gestured…… "We'll start the meeting now."