Kaden took a slow, long drag of his cigarette. The smoke pricked his eyes, but filled his chest with polluted air. The burnt flavor permeated his tongue. The narcotic that he used to be addicted to no longer tasted the same. There was no sweet release. No calming effect. The cigarette only made the situation worse. He was suddenly reminded of something else he was addicted to. Her lips, her touch, her words, every part of her was ingrained in his mind.

  Kaden leaned against his car. With his gaze up at the sky, his black suit tight on his biceps, he witnessed white birds flying too high to the clouds.

  "She wants to spread her wings," Kaden murmured to Sebastian.

  Sebastian tilted his head in confusion. He peered up at the sky and squinted to the glaring sun. He hated the outdoors, especially the irritating heat.

  "She wants to fly," Kaden stated in a cold voice. He flicked the cigarette ashes to the ground. Watching the ashes fall, he was reminded of a pitiful poem. Sometimes, he thought about the riveting conversation of the past.

  Standing in the ashes of love, I wonder if I was your ruin.

  "Who wants to do so? The Lady Boss?" Sebastian asked, momentarily casting his gaze towards the men they'd brought here. There were twenty five of them, all armed in lethal weapons beyond that of guns.

  "Will you not fight for her?" Sebastian curiously asked, shifting his attention back to his silent Boss.

  Sebastian always admired how collected and composed his Boss was. Amidst the scene of another man kidnapping his wife, manipulating her with foolish words, Kaden was cold as ice. His eyes showed little to no reflection of his irritation.

  "Are we… to let her go?" Sebastian pressed on in a hesitant tone.

  Sebastian and Kaden never left the hospital. They were waiting for the hospital director to take the bait. And luckily, he did. Now, Kaden was able to discover who was keeping tabs on Lina—Atlantis.

  Now that Atlantis had rushed here, Kaden's suspicions were confirmed. It would be the perfect time to ambush Atlantis. The empty parking lot was also the perfect spot for Atlantis to fall into a trap.

  Killing two birds with one stone.

  Kaden's favorite specialty.

  "Boss?" Sebastian addressed, growing eerie by the silence. "Our men reported Atlantis is on his way."

  On his way with Kaden's woman.

  "She wants to fly," Kaden mused like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "So cut off her wings."

  Sebastian's amiable expression slowly dropped. He blinked carefully. He saw his Boss' head turn. Now, Sebastian understood what the cryptic message meant. Doves were symbols of freedom and peace. Everyone wanted such an animal—even the beasts that hunted them.

  Carried out of the hospital like a child was Lina Yang herself. With her small face buried into the neck of another man, her hands tightly gripping his shoulders, Sebastian realized what his Boss meant.

  Kaden never intended to stop her from soaring high up the pyramid. But he did have a problem with her soaring away from him.

  Click.

  Fifty men held each other at gunpoint. Twenty-five on each side. Amidst the chaos were powerful men with way too much time on their hands. Kaden took a drag of his cigarette. Atlantis tightened his grip on Lina.

  This made Kaden's lips curl into a dark smirk. Atlantis was trying hard to make sure she didn't run. What was he afraid of? His words changing her mind? Kaden intended to keep his promise. Should she cheat, he'd just fuck her until her insides were molded to his shape, and the only thing she could say or think of was—


  "Kaden," Atlantis snarled.

  At the mention of her kidnapper, Lina whimpered. She hugged Atlantis like her life depended on it. She believed it did. The only person who came to her aid was Atlantis. It had always been Atlantis. No one else.

  "Dove."

  Lina's entire body froze like ice. She felt immobilized by the nickname. Her heart skipped. She felt her skin hum to life, burning from a single word. Her body reacted to the nickname, the hair on her nape rising.

  His tone was colder than death. There was a sadistic edge to it. A warning.

  "Come to my side, dove."

  Lina trembled. She raised her head from Atlantis' strong frame and peered over her shoulder. She instantly wished she hadn't. His eyes were dark and dangerous. His face was composed, like nothing fazed him. He was the kind of man that her mother warned her about.

  Kaden was cunning and charming. His eyes flickered with sins, his long fingers drawing her attention. The way he looked at her made it feel like he was caressing her skin, his hands wandering to places he shouldn't. All she could feel was his strong grip on her body, his warm lips on her mouth, and his restrained voice.

  Lina felt a pulse between her legs. She didn't understand. What was this feeling of deja vu? Why did she suddenly envision his body on hers? His fingers on her wrist, her cries filling the room, and her body instinctively arching to his touch.

  Almost like he knew what she was thinking, the devil smiled.

  Kaden's lips curled upwards. With just a few words, he already had her full attention.

  "Linlin."

  No response.

  Lina's eyes were glued to Kaden. Her attention drawn to the cigarette dangling between his fingertips. His nails were trimmed and neat. He took a slow drag of his cigarette and released a puff of smoke. Slow and sensual. Her gaze fell to his mouth, pink and inviting. When she realized what she was looking at, her face grew warm.

  Lina tried to look away. She really did. But something about him was magnetic. He drew the attention of the entire room. The kind of handsome face that'd make drivers crash their cars, strangers stop in the streets, and people drop everything to look.

  "Dove."

  Lina could feel her arm loosening around Atlantis. His voice was deeper and darker than a siren. But like a foolish sailor, she felt her body move on its own. She wanted to cross the distance. To breathe in the toxic smoke of his cigarette, to feel his hand on her back, and touch the hardness of his body. His suit was well-tailored, hugging him in all the right places. There was no man more handsome than him.

  And he was her kidnapper. Just great.

  "Don't make me wait, dove. Come."

  Atlantis held her even closer to his body. His arm snaked over her upperback, refusing to let her go. She was his.

  "Don't listen to him, Linlin. He'll only hurt you. He's the reason you're in this predicament in the first place," Atlantis reminded her.

  Lina softly gasped. She felt the trance break. Blinking in disbelief, she peered at Kaden. To her surprise, he was still watching her.

  "The reason I'm in all of this?" Lina repeated.

  Lina believed Atlantis was eluding to more. Her thoughts were hazy and she could no longer look at either of them the same, ever again. In fact, she had taken a peek of the hospital floor. She witnessed the madness of spilt blood and fallen bullets.

  "Yes, he's the cause of the problem," Atlantis reminded her.

  What did Kaden have to say to that?

  Lina felt her heart skid like a pebble bouncing across a pond. He hadn't stopped looking at her. His eyes were electrifying, despite being the darkest shade of black in existence.

  Instead of saying anything, his lips twitched. The ghost of a wolfish smile flickered on his face. Her attention dropped to his mouth, where strange memories flooded her. Her body remembered what he once did.

  "Lanlan…"

  Fearful that her body would behave on its own, Lina held onto Atlantis. She pressed herself close to his chest, intertwining her hands behind his back. She was frightened that her heart would lead her to do stupid things—like going to her kidnapper's side.

  "You're right, Lanlan…" Lina whispered.

  Kaden took a long hard look at the two of them. He saw the desperation in her grasp, for she knew she could not deny him. He saw how eager she was to hold onto Atlantis. The two were inseparable.

  "Truly," Kaden murmured under his breath.

  The sight made Kaden laugh. A cold, deep chuckle that resonated across the parking lot. Amidst the drawn guns, the helicopters in the air, and the snipers in the distance, Kaden burst into small laughter.

  Without warning, Kaden dropped his cigarette to the ground, crushed it with his shoes, and wiped the humor from his face. The change in his emotion shook them. He saw it in Lina's soft flinch and Atlantis' darkening expression.

  "Just as I've predicted," Kaden slowly said, his voice as manic as a man being burned on a stake…… "In the end, I'm the villain of your love story."