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Chapter 263 - Blood And Bullets

Not many in the world wanted to go against the rich and powerful. For well-connected people, it was as foolish as cutting the rope being held onto for survival. Yet, for the most luxurious hospital in all of Ritan\'s director, the man didn\'t hesitate to babble his mouth. He had heard of a man who was willing to pay a good amount of money for any updates on Lina Yang, that the media had not yet uncovered. So, the director opened his mouth and blabbed like no tomorrow.

Atlantis Medeor went from the bottom of the fish food chain to being one of the biggest fish that people would love to gut and hang. He skyrocketed to wealth overnight, but his close friends knew it was from years of hardwork. Years of abuse at the hands of his father, but years of resilience all for one woman.

When the said-woman was taken right from under his nose, Atlantis felt like the world had betrayed him. What did he work this hard for, if he could not have her? Why did he train his body, if he could not protect her? All he wanted was her. All he needed was her.

Some would say that Lina Yang was just another beautiful heiress. But not many knew of the lives she indirectly saved, of the hearts she cured, and how much her concern for people touched them.

"Atlantis!" Lina gasped, attempting to climb out of bed, but was restricted.

Atlantis was engaged in an important client meeting with one of his largest suppliers when he caught wind of the news from the hospital director. He rushed the discussion, concluded it mid-meeting, and abandoned everything to see her.

But entering the hospital room was no easy feat. Guns were drawn, twice the men that Kaden set here were called for, and it was a bloody fight in the hallway. He was glad her room was soundproof and lacked windows on the door. She would\'ve been met with a whirlwind of blood and bullets.

"That sadistic bastard," Atlantis snarled under his breath.

Atlantis instantly approached her, grabbing her hand to examine her for any injuries. What surprised him the most was that she allowed him to do so. He discovered the handcuffs were specially made, with cushioning on the inside to prevent cuts on her wrists.

"I\'ve been kidnapped, Lanlan, by this crazy man named Kaden. Help me get in contact with my grandfather, I know he can do something about it! I don\'t want to burden you with this ransom—"

"Lanlan?" Atlantis repeated, the nickname foreign to his own ears.? She had banished him from using their nicknames so hearing it was a surprise.

How long had it been since he had heard such an endearment from her? How long had it been since she viewed him with warmth and her voice gentle as fluttering petals?

Atlantis shifted his gaze across her face. She appeared confused.

"Why are you in a suit, Lanlan? This isn\'t our school uniform… Isn\'t it Monday?" Lina mumbled, tugging at his black suit, her thumb brushing upon the material. "Did your father put you up to this?"

Before Atlantis could even help it, Lina quickly pushed up his sleeves. She flipped his wrist around and looked for any visible bruises. Her brows strung together in worry. She pulled him closer.

"Did you meet him today?" Lina sighed. "I told you to try to limit contact as much as possible, Lanlan. Please tell me you didn\'t spar with him as well. If so, help me out of these cuffs, and I\'ll help you with the ointments. We should schedule an appointment with a doctor as well and—"

"Linlin," Atlantis gently coaxed. "I am alright. My father is no longer here to torment me."

Atlantis had heard she was suddenly diagnosed with amnesia. He thought Kaden must have hit her so hard, her brain was jumbled. But he witnessed no bruises, cuts, or anything of that matter. Instead, he was met with her glowing skin, normal self, and soft heart. He couldn\'t imagine what happened, but he blamed it on Kaden\'s immortality.

Atlantis didn\'t want to take a low jab at Kaden. But in the spur of the moment, he was furious. He wanted to be the one embracing Lina. He wanted to be the one there for her. He needed to be. All that he\'d worked for was for her.

"Still, we should schedule an appointment with my private doctor. The last time you met him, there was internal bleeding, and I really don\'t want that to happen again, Lanlan," Lina mumbled, her grip tightening on his hand.

Atlantis\' heart burned for her. He couldn\'t find it in himself to tell her that her private doctor passed away when she was seventeen. But seeing as she didn\'t know that, he assumed she was living in old memories prior to when she was seventeen. Which meant… she must\'ve thought she was sixteen.

It would explain why Lina seemed so frightened and concerned for him—more than usual. When Atlantis was sixteen, his father suddenly showed interest in him, but with the worst tough love possible. He was forced to attend business meetings, made to join his father on many events, and had his energy drained from morning to midnight. On days that Atlantis made a mistake, his father would invite him to a martial arts match, where Atlantis was brutally beaten to the ground multiple times.

"Lanlan?" Lina pressed, her eyes growing wide with anxiety.

Atlantis had never wanted to possess her more than in this exact moment. Her voice was so loving, her lips so inviting, and her touch too intoxicating. She was too innocent for her own good, believing in the best of people when she really shouldn\'t. Fortunately for her, he wasn\'t the type of man to take advantage of her kindness.

Atlantis knelt to the ground, until she was the one peering up at him. His secretary quickly came forward with a metal cutter to get rid of her handcuffs.

"I am alright, Linlin, you shouldn\'t worry. I\'ve inherited my father\'s business," Atlantis gently said to her, cupping her face.

The secretary froze. His head snapped up in disbelief, his eyes growing wider than the moon. In the entire two years that he\'d served this man, he had never heard such warmth in Atlantis\' voice. The secretary had to do a double glance to make sure this was even his Boss!

"You what?" Lina asked.

"You must\'ve had a terrible fall, Linlin," Atlantis murmured. "We\'re no longer sixteen."

"W-what?" Lina gasped out. "But my birthday was just a few days ago…"

"You must\'ve hit your head on something, Linlin. Your twenty-second birthday is coming up in just a few weeks," Atlantis whispered, brushing his thumb tenderly on her skin. He\'d always wanted to do this. Never in a billion years did he think she\'d allow him to do so. He had always yearned to caress her smooth skin and feel the warmth of it.

"B-but… I-I don\'t remember anything from my sixteenth birthday until now," Lina whispered. Her eyes began to shake with the realization. She pulled away from Atlantis, her breathing suddenly growing shallow.

"I-I don\'t understand how this could be. I remember waking up in a stranger\'s bed and then—"

"Shhh, it\'s alright. Everything is going to be completely alright, Linlin," Atlantis murmured. Right on time, her handcuffs fell onto the mattress. He quickly gripped her hands and helped her out of the bed.

"I\'ll take care of you now, Linlin. No harm will ever come your way. You don\'t need to have memories. We can make new ones," Atlantis reassured her.

Lina gripped his suit helplessly. Her eyes watered and her lips trembled. She held back the tears, but he could see her inner struggle.

Atlantis liked this side of Lina the most. She was as docile as she was when she was a young girl. He loved the adult side of Lina too, for she had grown into the most beautiful woman on the inside and out, but he missed the youth they had spent together. Back then, Lina was a lost teen, eager for love. At that time, she had been spoiled and loved, before her Second Uncle\'s harsh meddling. For example, dumping her in the slums in nothing but a skimpy dress and a sign over her body stating "I\'ve just turned eighteen! Help me transition from girl to woman ;)"

Before Atlantis could even react to the news, he was sent on the earliest plane to a foreign country, where his own passport was burned right before his eyes. He couldn\'t take revenge on her uncle and his relationship with Lina grew strained. She was never the same since that incident. The rudest awakening possible was slapped across her face.

"Lanlan?" Lina asked in a fearful tone.

"I\'m here for you, Linlin. Come, let\'s get you out of here." Atlantis took her hand and began to escort her outside. Suddenly, he halted. Turning to her, he offered a slow smile.

"I\'m going to carry you out of here, Linlin. You must close your eyes and put your hands over your ears. The sight is not a pretty one," Atlantis stated.

Atlantis hoped she\'d let him carry her. He remembered how close they were when she was sixteen. He remembered how much trust she had in him. He was hopeful she was as naive as she was back then. When she was just a teen, she rarely said no to people. But she was also a crybaby back then, sobbing to no one, but him.

"Oh… alright."

Atlantis didn\'t need to be told twice. He bent and carried her like a child, causing her to freeze in surprise. She straddled his waist, her legs swinging on either side of his arms. He slid a hand over her upperback and one underneath her butt to carry her easily. She was small in his arms, or maybe he was simply too tall.

"You\'re still as small as a newborn animal," Atlantis mused.

Lina\'s lips twitched in amusement.

"Now, do as I\'ve instructed," Atlantis reminded her.

Atlantis didn\'t know if he should be alarmed that she weighed the same or she had even lost weight. He couldn\'t recall the last time he carried her like this.

There was a haggard look in her eyes, as if Lina had experienced something heartbreaking before she arrived at the hospital. Despite her deserted eyes, she didn\'t even seem to realize it.

"I trust you, Lanlan," Lina whispered.

Lina did as she was told. She buried her face into his shoulder and covered her ears. Amid darkness and silence, she felt his lips on her head, but said nothing of it.

"Your Prince Charming has come to whisk you away," Atlantis mused, but he doubted she heard it.. Without another word, he instantly carried her out of her room, stepping past the fallen bodies, and ignoring the permeating smell of blood and gunpowder.