Dear Immortal Tyrant

The next morning, Lina realized she should've heeded Milo's advice. Standing at the front entrance of the Second Mansion, Lina was beginning to regret everything—especially because her mother had shoved her into this god-awful black dress that was only an inch away from a public-indecency exposure arrest.

"I look like I'm going to be thrown in jail the second I bend over," Lina snapped at her younger brother who was holding back laughter at how short her clothes were.

"Pft!" Milo snickered at her deep scowl and agitated gaze.

"But I'd rather be sentenced to life in prison for murdering my younger brother!" Lina hissed at him, grabbing him by the collar, causing him to howl in laughter.

"I tried warning you!" Milo only chuckled louder when she let out a huff and crossed her arms. "I recommend you to not do that, unless you want to flash everyone and their mother."

Lina immediately dropped her arms, realizing the dress was also low-cut. It wasn't that she didn't like the dress, but it was too short for her comfortability. She groaned and eyed his suit jacket.

"Give me your clothes," Lina demanded, just as she saw a white car rolling up the pavement leading to them. She didn't have time to go back into her room and change—not that her mother would let her.

This morning, Lina found herself yanked and tugged into perfection. She had literally woken up to be attacked by maids who prepped her make-up, did her hair, graced her in jewelry, and shoved her into this uncomfortable dress. She had tried to change, but found her closets were locked.

"Ew no, I don't want my clothes to smell like you—"

"Yeah well you're born after me so you have no choice but to listen to me," Lina shot back, yanking the blazer off of him.

"A-ah, hey!" Milo shouted, pulling his clothes back, before crying about her inhuman strength. "What the hell, why are you so damn strong!"

Lina was practically ripping the blazer off of her brother. She rolled her eyes at how dramatic he was being.

"The audacity for you to be younger than me but way taller," Lina growled. Finally, she was able to pry the blazer off of him, just as the doors opened and silence hit the air.

Lina realized her blind date had seen the entire thing. And he was staring at them like they had escaped a mental asylum. But she was too shameless to care. Lina awkwardly slipped her brother's blazer on. This was the only time she'd ever be grateful for his height. His jacket hit a few inches below her bottom, which made her look a bit more modest.

"H-hello," Lina greeted.

"Good morning…" Everett trailed off, glancing from Lina to her brother.

"This is my brother, Milo," Lina forced out, nudging at her brother to not be rude and greet Everett.

"It's a pleasure. My name is Everett Leclare." Everett struck his hand out for a formal handshake.

Milo narrowed his eyes onto Everett, sizing the man up and down. Damn it. This Everett was built like a mountain! Everett was at least two inches taller than Milo.

Even so, Milo let out a small scoff and rolled his eyes, behaving like a brat.

"Right," Milo finally said, ignoring Everett's hand. He turned to his sister and shot her a warning stare. "This is my favorite jacket. You better not ruin it or you owe me a new one!"

Everett's smile tightened, but he dropped his hand.

"Oh please, you act like our family can't buy another one for you," Lina scoffed, trying to ease the tension. She wondered why Milo didn't like Everett.

Milo was generally as happy-go-lucky as a golden retriever. Yet, he finally bared his teeth towards Everett.

Lina didn't understand, but supposed it was just her younger brother being overprotective.

"This way, Miss Yang," Everett gently said to take her attention away from her rude younger brother. He didn't need to prove himself when his name was a flex.

"Right…" Lina trailed off, reluctantly following him to his white car. She felt an intense stare at her back and knew it was Milo scowling towards Everett.

Once Lina came home, she decided to ask Milo why he disliked Everett so quickly. But without another word and glance, Lina got into the passenger seat. Immediately, the scent of his car washed over her, making her pause in appreciation.

"The smell of lilies," Lina murmured.

"I heard it was your favorite," Everett said, flashing her a quick smile as he started the car.

"From who?" Lina asked.

"Over the grapevine [1]," Everett teased.

Lina blinked. So, her mother. She expected as much. Not saying anything else, she glanced out the window, already understanding who set her up for another blind date. She began to realize the conversation Milo mentioned yesterday was probably between Everett's mother and hers, or Everett and her mother.

Lina hoped the conversation wasn't between Everett and her mother. That way, at least, she wouldn't blame him as much, which led to a ruined date, and she needed to spend a few hours with this guy.

"What do you think about a loveless marriage?" Lina asked him, as she began to predict where they were going, based on the road they were driving on.

"Almost every marriage between a rich daughter and a wealthy son happens without love," Everett slowly said, testing the water for her reaction. "It's expected."

"And you're fine with that?"

"I hope we can be amicable, at the least," Everett patiently told her.

Everett didn't expect love right from the beginning. His parents didn't get married for love, they married for convenience. And the same could be said for Lina's parents.

"But there will always be love in a marriage," Everett said. "Just not the kind you read in books."

"What do you mean?" Lina asked, ignoring the fact that she had politely told him she never wanted to see him again. Maybe she should've been more direct. That way, he wouldn't have sent her a package this morning and there wouldn't have been a tense breakfast.

"Well, my father loved not having his parents on his back to get married, and my mother loved the boost in reputation from marriage. They both loved something, just not each other," Everett said.

"Isn't that enough?" he added on, glancing in her direction before looking back towards the road, where he drove them into the private entrance of the most famous museum in the entire city of Ritan.

Everett got out of the car, opened the door for her, and watched as she elegantly exited. So, she did have this beautiful side to her. He smiled to himself and stepped back.

Lina looked at their surroundings, her stomach tightening. They were at the museum that held the most history about Ritan. Fucking hell.

"It's not enough," Lina finally told him.

Everett was confused. Did she mean this date location wasn't enough for her?

Lina sighed and touched her neck. "I am a hopeless romantic. If I fall in love, I want to fall so hard, it leaves the biggest impact on my heart, whether good or bad. To me, that is love."

The valet quickly drove their car away, making Lina realize Everett must've planned the whole thing for her. It wasn't that she didn't like it, but it was how inconvenient it'd be for other people who probably had plans to visit this museum too. She was certain he was the kind of man to close off an entire section.

"Then, let's hope you fall for me, hard enough to leave the biggest dent in your chest," Everett told her.

Everett was quite a lady's man and he knew this line would've made her swoon. But it only made Lina's scowl deepen, her brogs tugging together.

"Or you can just shoot me through the chest and leave behind the same hole," Lina mumbled, causing Everett to laugh.

Most women would have complimented him for his smooth lines, but she didn't give him that satisfaction. She had chopped up his words and thrown it right back at him.

"I'm beginning to like you a lot, lot more, Miss Yang. Perhaps, the love in our marriage won't be of convenience," Everett told her.

"Disgusting," a man said from behind them.

Both of them spun around. Everett stiffened. Lina stared.

Somehow, out of pure magic or coincidence, Kaden was present at their blind date. Again.