The sound of continuous clapping lingered in my ears, echoing through the void. What had once been nothing but endless white space had become a realm filled with rhythmic applause and the sharp click of heels on the floor. It was clear a woman was approaching, but who could it be? Was it Daphne, who was known for her shocking appearances, or—
A loud, familiar laugh echoed around me, sending a jolt of anxiety through my chest. A wave of panic washed over me, my heart racing as I questioned if I was ready to confront her—or if I should just turn and flee. Memories of her immense power surfaced, and I slapped my forehead, laughing nervously, my mind racing. The strange urge to pee surged, but I forced myself to stand tall, sweat trickling down my face.
As I looked up, I saw a wide grin spreading across Natalie's face, and the urge intensified. *I will pee on my pants,* I thought, but I held my smirk, determined not to look defeated. Deep down, I knew I was finished—there was no way I could fight my own mother. Yet, even as fear twisted in my stomach, I forced the smirk to stay, a last shred of pride holding me up.
Shockingly, she made no reaction to my bravado, simply gazing at me with fascination, as though reading every thought crossing my mind. The silence between us grew heavy until she finally broke it with her clapping once more.
"You've really improved since I last saw you. This world is changing you, isn't it? I guess I made the right choice. Just look at how you flared up at Dominic; the Lucian I knew would never have done that."
My heart sank at her words, a pang of regret twisting inside me. How could my own mother say such a thing? Gathering all my strength, I finally asked, "Dominic mentioned there's something no one is telling me. Could I bother you to share what it is?"
Natalie erupted into laughter. "Why are you speaking so politely to me? I thought you wanted revenge for yourself, Maryanne, and your dad or something like that."
My surprise by her knowledge of my plans made me realize that this woman was always watching me and my every move, once again she made me shiver but I controlled myself and remained composed before quickly replying her
"No, don't get me wrong, I still do. But I know an enemy when I see one, and right now, you aren't one." I smirked, adding, "Besides, you're my only chance of leaving this place. After seeing Dad's strength earlier, I realized he's more than capable of protecting himself and Maryanne from you, at the very least."
I finished with an arrogant smirk, expecting some fierce response. But instead, she laughed again—only this time, it wasn't a mocking one nor a sinister grin. It was a warm, familiar laugh, the one she used for my dad's terrible jokes when I was younger or the one she used when I did something dumb. And in that moment, it hit me like a tidal wave: *This woman is really my mother.*
As though she knew what crossed my mind at that time, her laugh slowly turned into a smile until it was no longer on her face. It disappeared as though it was never there and that also snapped me out of my thoughts and reminded me that this woman could either be my best ally and companion or the reason for my predetermined downfall. As usual her next move was as though she once again read my mind because my thoughts were interrupted by her cough, bringing me back to reality.
"What do you want from me and why did you suddenly appear in front of me?"
I, who was still feeling confused, decided to just ask her without a second thought and I did so without making a blink nor a drop of sweat falling from my face.
The woman then grins and coldly says to me,
"It seems you've got mood swings just a while ago you were so polite but now you have a stern look on your face."
I then replied to her with a grin identical to hers as I said,
"Guess I got that from you, we're both unpredictable aren't we?"
The completely tense atmosphere of the silent white void was completely destroyed by a laugh incredibly loud and once again it was coming from Natalie and she tries to talk while laughing but fails.
"You…you….Hahahaahaha."
After regaining some of her previous composure, she then says to me,
"You really made my day, I guess you really are my son. Anyways I actually came here with a purpose so I'm going to do what I came here for."
With a flick of the woman's finger, my whole body along with my movements came to a pause.
As she stepped closer, a tiny, fleeting sadness flickered in her eyes—a softness that vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving only the cold intensity of her gaze.
An icy numbness crept through my veins, paralyzing every fiber of my being like I had been dropped into the depths of a winter lake. I could feel my pulse slowing, my thoughts struggling to break free, locked within the chill that Natalie's touch had left behind.
"What did you do?!" I asked, feeling afraid and confused.
Natalie ignored my shouts and protests and came closer to me before asking,
"Is it time for me to get rid of you?" She says as she swirls her fingers
The sound of my hysterical laughs obviously caught her off guard because she no longer made any movements and kept quiet.
"I know you can't do anything to me and you know that too," I say in an overconfident and arrogant tone.
Natalie remained paused and looks at me with a strange look in her eyes as though she was keeping something from me and really wanted to bring it out. But that look vanished in a flash and she approached me with steady steps before finally flicking her finger on my forehead and everything became blurry as my vision became hazy. I was falling unconscious for the hundredth time, and I was already sick of it and thought to myself, *Here we go again,* before collapsing on the ground. The last thing I hear before passing out is Natalie's voice saying,
"You would find out the truth sooner or later but whether I would be the one to tell you or not doesn't matter," and my eyes finally shuttered close.
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*End of chapter*