Death was always unexpected even though it was the only certainty in life. There were the lucky ones who knew how much time they had left, whether it was by a doctor's prediction or the flicker of their own hand. Would they consider themselves lucky, knowing that death was near? Waiting for the end.? How could a timely death ever be so lucky?

  Atlantis crumbled on his own footing. Pain shot through his body, erupting like volcano lava. He suppressed a groan as darkness began to flood his vision. Clutching his chest, he heard shouts in the background, doors opening, rushed footsteps, then, he witnessed black dots.

  "B…"

  "Qui……ck!"

  "……oss."

  The last thing he saw was the ceiling. White light blinded his vision, as memories of his life flashed before his eyes——

  "Ungrateful brat!" Chairman Medeor snarled, raising a heavy hand. In a swoop, he smacked his son across the face, sending the tiny boy flailing to the ground.

  The thing about slaps was how unexpected they were. The pain blossomed on the cheek, red as roses. Shock and humiliation flooded the system. Sometimes, it was replaced by raw anger and other times, reluctant acceptance. What was one supposed to do when they were smacked? Touch the face? Stare at the ground? Look ahead, into the distance?

  "Why did you have to be born now?" The man seethed, kicking the boy right in the ribcage.

  Atlantis choked, clutching the spot. It was too late. His father swung his leg and sent him skidding across the floor. Whimpering in pain, he squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to prepare himself. To brace the beating. To expect harsh blows. But that was what made Chairman Medeor even crueler—his attacks were unpredictable.

  Seeing his son prepare for the next hit, the Chairman angrily breathed through his nose. Loud metal clinked to the ground.

  Atlantis tried to open his eyes. His lids were bruised and quickly swelling, turning an ugly purple. Through great difficulty, he peeled the right one open and saw a dog collar. Dread filled his small body.

  "F-Father, I—"

  "SHUT UP!"

  Chairman Medeor stomped on his child's head. He repeated it for a few more seconds until the complaints were completely silenced. By the time he was finished, he was huffing and puffing, staring down at his useless son. He paused, to check the boy was still breathing.

  Through a small, broken wheeze, Atlantis was still alive. Just about.? He was shaking as much as a wounded dog on the road. To add the finishing blow, the man bent and cuffed the dog collar onto his own son.

  "Back to the cage you go," Chairman Medeor spat, yanking the broken boy by the metal collar.

  Atlantis didn't know what had gone wrong today. His father had never lost his temper like this. He couldn't remember the last time he went to school without bruises. He had lost count of how many times he claimed to have fallen down the stairs or walked into a phone pole. The teachers turned a blind eye, for his father's donation paid their salaries.

  "Those bastards can all rot in hell," Chairman Medeor growled under his teeth, angrily pulling his son like a dog to a cage far too small to house a child.

  Ah. So that was what it was.

  Atlantis realized a business fallout must've happened. He heard from the morning news of a large deal that was supposed to be signed today. He couldn't remember what the details were, except his father's excitement. His father fed him well this morning only to beat him after school.

  Atlantis was too tired to argue. The pain was far too much for him to even speak. He allowed himself to be skidded across the floor like a dog. His face burned from the friction of the cold marble ground.

  Choking on the dog collar, he tried to force in gulps of air. The last time he passed out, he was hung and whipped until he woke up.

  Suddenly, there was a rough knock.

  The two froze.

  "What is it?!" Chairman Medeor called out, his voice high with fury.

  "It's me."

  Chairman Medeor froze. His head snapped to his wounded son and the equipment in the room. He was going to brutally torture his servants one day! That useless garbage! How could they let such an honorable guest into the basement like this?

  Holding back an irritable growl, he dropped the chain.

  "G-give me a second, Lawrence," Chairman Medeor shouted, rushing to shove Atlantis into the cage and throw a cloth over it.

  "I don't have a second."

  The doors slammed open.

  Bright light blinded Atlantis. He groaned, trying to cover his face. Unfortunately, he had already lost feeling in his arm. He couldn't even open his eyes to see properly.

  "You're a mad dog, I tell you," Lawrence grunted, his lips curling downwards at the sight of the chamber. "What is that bag of flesh by the cage?"

  "Grandpa, grandpa, it's a child!" A little girl cried out, clutching his legs in disbelief.

  "You're sick," Lawrence said to Chairman Medeor with a deep scowl. He bent down, scooped the girl into his arms, and narrowed his eyes.

  "C-Chairman Yang, please pardon this unsightly thing, I was merely disciplining a child," Chairman Medeor stammered out, revealing a slight smile. He charmed his way into the pants of many women, including Atlantis' lowly mother. His charisma worked on men as well.

  Lawrence scoffed in disbelief. "You call caging a child discipline?"

  "We all have our forms of discipline," Chairman Medeor stated with a wry smile.

  Chairman Medeor took a step forward and instantly noticed her. How could he not? He had never seen a child more beautiful than her. She was like a doll with her large eyes, porcelain skin, cheeks glowing pink as peonies, and dressed in lovely bows.

  Chairman Medeor's attention was glued immediately.? Likewise, his son was staring at her as well.

  "Ugh…" Atlantis stifled a groan, squinting to see properly. All he saw was blinding light and a large silhouette. He was certain he saw angel wings on the little girl before when she was carried by the muscular man.

  "Is this your granddaughter?" Chairman Medeor asked, his eyes lighting up. He had always wanted daughters of his own. All he got was an illegitimate son from a useless wench that died a few months ago.

  "Unfortunately so," Lawrence stated with a sigh.

  The little girl tightened her grip on his shoulder, peering innocently at the boy on the ground.

  "Don't look, child," Lawrence muttered, turning her face in his direction. She was stubborn and continued staring.

  "What is her name?" Chairman Medeor eagerly questioned, approaching the two.

  Up close, Chairman Medeor was surprised. The child barely resembled Lawrence, but she had his eyes. Even at a young age, he could see the wisdom within her hazel stare.

  "Lina," she said before anyone else.

  "You heard her," Lawrence mused, humored by her self-introduction.

  "I see you take a liking to her. You don't do that with any of your other grandchildren," Chairman Medeor murmured. The information was useful. In fact, he had a son of his own.

  Speaking of the useless thing, he heard small clinks of metal. He spun to see Atlantis attempting to sit upright.

  "Get back down you—"

  "Grandpa, grandpa!" Lina complained, kicking her little legs for his attention. "Let me down."

  "Hmph, you've gotten too heavy for me anyway," Lawrence grumbled, hiding his disappointment for her reaction. It had been a while since Lina grabbed onto his legs. The sight of this torture chamber must've terrified her, but he wanted her to learn reality sooner.

  The world wasn't always blue skies and sunshine. What lurked on the streets were terrible people.

  "That's because you're old, grandpa," Lina chided.

  Chairman Medeor gawked at her words. He was shocked to his core. No one spoke to the great Chairman Yang like this! Not even his own sons! He prepared for the little girl to be smacked right in the mouth for her disrespect.

  Instead, booming laughter filled the room.

  Chairman Medeor jumped at the sound, startled by the unexpectedness. He blinked once. Twice. Then, he rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing things properly! Chairman Yang was actually chuckling at his granddaughter's disrespect.

  "Or maybe you've had too many candies to eat, child," Lawrence said to her, pinching her on the cheek.

  Lina responded by wriggling her entire body free from his grasp. His scent of old spice and cinnamon was beginning to tickle her nose. Sometimes, her grandfather smelled of cigarettes. But ever since she told him how harmful it was to smoke around children, the scent had gone away. Weird.

  "Let me down already, grandpa," Lina grumbled, growing tired of the uncomfortable position.

  "Alright, alright, grouchy little thing," Lawrence huffed, putting her to the ground.

  Before Lina could do anything, he grabbed her wrist and gave her a pointed look. The ground here was dirty. He was certain there was dried blood somewhere. The room was barely lit and he was worried she'd fall.

  "Don't run, child," Lawrence instructed, patting her on the head.

  So what did Lina do?

  Lina ran.

  "Hey!"

  Lina dashed to the cage, curious if there was an actual dog in there or not. She'd been wanting a pet, but everyone had told her no. Her grandfather had the audacity to tease her with a puppy doll a few months back!

  "Oh, you're actually a boy," Lina said, stopping right in front of Atlantis.

  "A-ah, Lawrence, that might not be the best idea, you see—"

  "What's your name?" Lina asked, bending down with both of her knees to look at him properly. Seeing his mangled form, she could only blink.

  "……tis…"

  "Hm?" Lina tilted her head out of curiosity.

  "Atlantis," he wheezed out.

  Lina's eyes lit up. "Like my favorite ocean!"

  Atlantis didn't know what the hell she was talking about. He only knew her voice was sweet as the candy his mother used to give him. From the light flooding into the room, thanks to the door, all he saw were shadows of her figure. But when he forced himself to look up, the wind was knocked from his breath. Bright eyes and dark hair, he had sudden flashbacks of his mother's gentle gaze.

  Without warning, he reached up to touch her. Despite the pain shooting up his arms, his fingers felt silky strands of her hair. Just as he predicted, they were as soft as his mother's.

  Atlantis could still remember burying his face into her shoulders and weeping during nightmares. She'd soothe him back to sleep, patting him on the back, and whispering sweet lullabies.

  "Like cotton……"

  Lina froze at the fingers touching her hair.

  "You filthy brat, how dare you touch her!" Chairman Medeor shouted, rushing to the little girl's aid.

  Even for a grown man, Chairman Medeor knew how valuable the little girl was. If this was the Great Lawrence Yang's favorite grandchild, then she must be the most important member of the Yang Clan! Frightened of disrespecting the powerful and wealthy Executive, Chairman Medeor dashed towards the two.

  "Don't touch my hair," Lina grumbled, pulling away from him. He tightened his grip, causing her to yelp.

  "Take this candy instead!" she complained, shoving the treat into his hand. His fingers instantly clamped around the offering.

  Lina let out a small sigh of relief, taking a step back.

  "For a boy with such a pretty name, you sure are weird," Lina said to him.

  "Thank you…" he muttered, staring at the candy. He felt a sharp ache in his chest.

  "Lina," she suddenly told him.

  "Thank you, Lina."

  Lina beamed at him. "You're welcome."

  Atlantis was at a loss for words. When she smiled, she lit up the torture chamber. There was adoration in her eyes, for she must've been loved all her life. He had never seen someone so beautiful. He thought she was an angel. She must've been sent by his mother to watch over him.

  That was the last thing Atlantis thought of…… Lina must be an angel.