Heroes sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Villains sacrificed the world for their personal gain. The two were more alike than they appeared. Atlantis grew up listening to Lina babble about the fairytales she'd read as an escape from reality. He'd listen to the journeys of the heroine who slain the villain. All along, Atlantis thought he was her knight in shining armor. He believed he was the hero rescuing her from the wicked dragon, not realizing, there must be sacrificed.

  Atlantis had been fully prepared to sacrifice himself for Lina if he must. He was willing to dodge the bullet for her, but realized it was aimed for him. He was ready to thank her out of the crossfire, but understood a startling fact.

  Lina would never take a bullet for him. She would be the one holding the gun. Amidst his double vision, he saw the truth plain as day. His grip loosened on her as he collapsed to the ground. He felt cold all over, spreading to his fingertips, to his chest, and everything was growing dimmer.

  Atlantis heard a loud commotion in the background.

  "NO!" Lina had shouted, her cries sharp as an infant's first.

  Amidst the chaos, Atlantis could only hear her. She was the only thing his eyes focused on. Then, his eyes rolled back and he saw the ceiling. A moment later, George was roughly yanking him away. Atlantis tried to fight off the sleep overtaking him. He struggled in George's clasp, attempting to reach Lina.

  Atlantis wanted to take a bullet for her, to prove his love for her like the heros in her books. All along, he should've known. The Princess was never kidnapped by the dragon. She willingly went to the villain, for it meant a means of escape. That was exactly what happened.

  Lina didn't make any preparations to help him to his feet. She collapsed to her knees and screamed in horror, but did nothing to help him. Lina went with the villain. She was swept off her feet by the villain who'd sacrifice the world to keep her.

  When Atlantis slipped into pure darkness, only one thing flickered in his head.

  "Lanlan!" A voice too tender for his own good was calling his name. He remembered the memory clearly, of her small figure standing beside the willow tree, her hands excitedly waving him down, the sun beaming upon his silhouette. He glanced down and realized it was all just a dream.

  A blissful dream that developed into a nightmare. That was how their love story began and ended. What a bittersweet thing it was——

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Atlantis was going to burn this hospital to the ground. Damn the equipment his company manufactured! All these years of technological progress and none of them managed to get rid of that irritating sound? He was going to shoot one of his engineers dead. What a useless employee. At least make the beeping sound better, like wind chimes.

  Atlantis furiously sat upright.

  George let out a freakish shriek, as if he witnessed a dead man sit upright on the morgue table. He even jumped back, shielding himself from the worse. When he saw it was just his Boss pretending to be a Zombie, he let out a shaky breath.

  "Boss—"

  George didn't get the first word out.

  Atlantis threw the blanket off his feet, yanked out his IV drips, and angrily slipped his shoes on. He ignored his frantic secretary and shoved the man aside to search for his coat.

  "Lina, where is Lina—" Atlantis buckled.

  Atlantis painfully wheezed. Swords stabbed through every inch of his body, the agony resembling a freak magician show. He let out a choked cough, tasting iron in his mouth, and feeling a gape. When he glanced down, he saw his chest was tightly wrapped in white bandages, fresh blood dotting the clean cloth. He gritted his teeth, tightened his hospital shirt and tried to push his nerves down.

  "As much as I enjoy seeing you in pain, you must sit down and rest, Boss!" George reprimanded, grabbing the stubborn man by the shoulders.

  "Medeor Conglomerate is a mess right now! That damned DeHaven Chairman! Rumors are spreading that our increased organ supply wasn't obtained through legal measures. On top of that, the previous Medeor Chairman was rumored to be an abusive father and husband. Do you know anything about this, ah, hey, Boss!"

  Atlantis shoved past George, feverishly grabbing a coat from the hanger. He was rushing towards the hospital doors. Atlantis stumbled and nearly fell. The pain in his chest was immeasurable. His arms and legs were immobilized by the wretched torture. He trudged onwards.

  Even in a scorching hot desert with poisonous snakes and dangerous robbers, Atlantis would crawl home to Lina. he always would.

  "Boss, please, we can worry about your adulterous wife later! Your health comes first, then the company, and—"

  "My wife is not an adulterer!" Atlantis snarled, grabbing George by the collar.

  George stiffened and froze. His eyes went wide with disbelief. George had seen Atlatnis get into violent fights in college. There was madness in the man's eyes, his punches volatile, and someone always ended up in the hospital. Never him, though. Never Atlantis. He was clean and unscatched. He was the strongest fighter George had ever seen. This was why George followed Atlantis without question. In George's eyes, Atlantis was the perfect leader. Strict. Stern. Brawns. Brains. Everything in between.

  Never in a thousand years did George believe his loyalty would be awarded with the same violence. Not until now.

  "Boss," George said in a solemn voice. "I rarely use that title with you, Atlantis. The address is reserved for special and critical moments like now."

  Atlantis's nostrils flared. "I do not have the time for this—"

  "Your company is on the line," George calmly explained, for that would be the only way to get through this man.

  Fire shouldn't be fought with fire. George knew yelling with Atlantis would lead to nowhere but doom. The only reasoning could be through cold-hearted calculations like this.

  "My company can be damned if I can't use it to get Lina," Atlantis snarled. "All I've worked for, all I wanted is—"

  "For gods sake, please listen to me," George seethed.

  George was reaching the limit of his patience. He couldn't believe his Chairman was this illogical just because of a woman. A woman! Not even some Princess, but just a human girl! Why did people treasure Lina when she was just a human?

  Atlantis was a Pure-Blood. A new one, albeit, still a Pure-Blood. How could he not get it through his thick skull?!

  "Shut it, you know nothing," Atlantis chided. "I have it all under wraps. I already have Medeor Conglamorate in control. I only need Lina now, I've worked through blood and sweat for her. And if I lose her, all of my hard work is for nothing!"

  George wondered if a rough punch to the patient's stomach would sober him up faster. George tightened his jaw. He fought with words, not fists. That was why Atlantis hired him.

  "Do you really think you can get her back now that our stocks are plummeting, people are selling faster than they're buying, and we might not recover from this sharp dip?" George spat out. "Do you really think Lina wants to be associated with a company that's quickly heading to bankruptcy?!"

  Atlantis instantly sobered up. He breathed sharply through his nose. His eyes flashed with hatred. As much as he abhorred the truth, it was bright as day. George was right.

  "We can worry about saving your Princess later. First, let's address the burning castle. First, we prioritize Medeor Conglomerate. You'll make a public speech. Tell our shareholders that everything is well. Share your condolences with your friends and family present at the wedding and then—"

  "Lina," Atlantis breathed out. A terrible realization filled his soul.

  "Lina can come afterward, like I said—"

  "You traitor." Atlantis's comment halted the entire conversation.

  George blinked.

  Atlantis tightened his grip on George's collar. He yanked the man close and gritted out a horrible truth.

  "You promised me," Atlantis breathed out.

  George's confusion washed over. His heart fell. He opened his mouth to explain, but Atlantis beat him to the chase.

  "You swore you'd keep Lina safe. You swore you'd prioritize her over me!" Atlantis roared, a sound that'd send the mighty lion running. "Why didn't you cover her from the bullets? Why—"

  "Because no one dared to shoot at her!" George shouted. Screw the peace talk! "They were trying to kill you, Boss. Not her. Never her! Lina Yang has two of the most powerful men in all of Ritan wrapped around her pinky. And one of them is trying to kill YOU, not her!"

  Atlantis knew it loud and clear. At the altar, he had not only lost Lina, but he's lost her for good. Now, she was back in Kaden's palms. Kaden arrived to steal back what never belonged to him. Kaden had come to Wraith, conquered the country with bullets, and captured Lina.

  The Princess and the Villain…… It was just as Atlantis feared.