"You enjoy this mission, don't you, Aster?" Leo taunted.
With narrowed eyes, he stared at Aster, somehow feeling like he had fallen into a trap set by the old woman.
Aster, of course, remained unshaken by the intimidating gaze of the young man who always gave her trouble. To her, this much younger man was like her own child, heavily dependent on her.
We all know the strength of a mother in finding lost items, right? Well, that's how Aster's strength was fully utilised for Leo. It was a constant use of power, sometimes to the point where Aster felt drained and energised simultaneously.
Working with Leo was one of her efforts to combat senility because her brain was forced to work continuously. The memory cells in her brain didn't have time to deteriorate because they were never left unused. Instead, they were forced to expand to accommodate new information on Leo's behalf.
Now, the young man suspected that she enjoyed this mission. Of course, she did, but she wouldn't show it openly. Otherwise, the young man would lose interest in continuing the mission.
Aster knew very well that Leo was the type of man who preferred to work independently and didn't like being steered.
Aster shifted her attention to Mark. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Mark had finished drinking his milk and eating his biscuits. The boy then descended and brought his used utensils to the kitchen sink. He looked around, puzzled, then smiled upon seeing a stool.
The boy pulled the stool closer to the sink, climbed on it, and washed his dishes. Aster smiled affectionately. Leo had chosen a child with a nature opposite to his spoiled self.
Aster suspected that their roles might be reversed in the future.
'I guess who will take care of whom,' she thought.
"You're smiling? You can smile?" Leo exclaimed, surprised to see Aster's lip widen. His gaze followed where Aster's eyes had been, and he finally witnessed the same scene.
Afterwards, he felt proud of himself for choosing the right child.
'My judgment is never wrong,' he thought, smiling proudly.
Mark approached Aster with slow steps. "Gammy, thank you for the treats. I hope God gives you health and a long life until I grow up to repay your kindness!" Mark prayed for her.
The boy's hands scratched the edge of Aster's table unknowingly, seeming shy and nervous, but he was accustomed to being polite.
Aster was touched by the boy's kindness, accepting Mark's prayer. Her eyes teared up, and she extended her arms, asking to be hugged by the boy. Mark welcomed it with equal enthusiasm.
'Tsk, what's going on here? Why can this kid melt Aster's heart in less than a day? Hmm... His tactics are not bad; I should copy his talent,' Leo thought as he observed Mark's behaviour.
"You'll never succeed," Aster commented with a stiff expression. Leo caught observing Mark, snorted. Aster always doubted him.
Unconsciously, he always wanted to conquer a mission to prove Aster's opinion was wrong.
"Hey, kid," Leo greeted, seeking Mark's attention.
"Yes, Dad," Mark replied, turning to face him.
Leo furrowed his brow upon hearing that unfamiliar term for him, clearly seeing a smirk forming at the corner of Aster's lips. He was confident that the old woman was enjoying the entire ordeal.
"Just call me Leo," Leo insisted, waving his hand towards Mark as if dismissing the previous address.
"Oh, okay, Leo," Mark obediently responded.
"Now, that sounds better. Do you remember the detective game I asked you about earlier?" Leo asked, and Mark nodded repeatedly.
"Well, I'm going to give you a task for that..." Leo began explaining what Mark had to do, all while Aster pretended to be busy typing but listened attentively to Leo's instructions for the boy.
***
At Zake Addam's luxurious mansion, in a large room adorned with world-class furniture, a married couple engaged in passionate activities as they opened their eyes. The man was intimately involved with his wife, who moaned loudly with explicit words that reminded him of adult film stars.
However, he suddenly found himself unable to continue and stopped midway. His member shrank involuntarily, and he couldn't prevent it.
'No! No! No!' he exclaimed in frustration as his weapon failed to stand erect when memories of Serena flashed in his mind, comparing her to the woman now staring at him scornfully.
Zake sat on the edge of the bed, gritting his teeth, bewildered by his thoughts. Didn't he already have what he was searching for? A complete family, healthy offspring, a stay-at-home wife who was always at home to welcome him after work... But why hadn't he felt happy yet?
"Not again! Why? Don't you like it when I'm noisy?" the woman asked forcefully. She observed Zake Addam, who sat with his back to her, immersed in his thoughts.
Rita knew precisely who was on her husband's mind, intensifying her feelings of desolation. Unable to fulfil her biological desires and still heartbroken over Serena, the disabled woman.
"Argh!" she finally screamed to get his attention. This action was a mistake, as Zake turned around and slapped Rita's cheek so hard.
"What do you want!" Zake snapped, glaring at her. Rita winced in bed, holding her now warm cheek.
Everything she did seemed to be wrong. After successfully winning Zake and acquiring his wife's status, she thought she would be happy.
But even after the whole world and his wealth were offered her, she felt something was amiss. Zake only saw her as Adrian's mother, not his wife. She always lost the competition to the disabled woman.
She also wanted Zake to pour his love on her, just as he had once done to Serena. During their infidelity, they used to have passionate and wild intimacy, especially when Zake was still married to her. Everything became bland after Zake divorced, and he became a temperamental and cold person towards her.
'Am I wrong for needing money and also good sex?' Rita thought.
"I want you to stop thinking about that disabled woman!" Rita finally replied to Zake's question.
The man became furious upon hearing Rita's derogatory term for Serena.
"What did you say?! Disabled woman?! How can a whore like you have the right to judge others?" Zake's retort was sharp as he grabbed Rita's long hair, making her lift her head.
"Pff!" Zake spat directly on Rita's face.
She closed her eyes and cried at the humiliation, and Zake shoved her face roughly into the pillow.
He stood up, still naked with his now shrivelled member, and headed toward the bathroom.
He slammed the bathroom door forcefully, causing all the items attached to the wall to vibrate. Rita flinched in her lying position, feeling utterly helpless.
She detested the woman she thought was pretentious in her kindness and beauty. Rita was sure that, at this moment, that woman was enjoying her influence over Zake.
"At least you could reduce your alimony to her! It's too much! She doesn't need it; Adrian deserves more money than the other sick kids in that ward! She's playing you!" Rita protested with a shout.
"SHUT YOUR FITLHY MOUTH!" Zake retorted, pounding the bathroom door until it shook.
Rita flinched again, her hatred for Serena deeply embedded.
'Just wait and see, I'll get that money one way or another,' Rita thought.
She reached for the nightstand, picked up her phone, and dialled her mother-in-law's contact.