"No… I should be the one thanking you,"
She smiled and cuddled in closer, until she felt my hands resting firmly on her hips.
[DING!]
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST]
[You have fully hypnotized one target. All future commands to the target now receive a +50% success rate.]
[Reward : 3 PP ]
"You can move now?" she asked, eyes wide with surprise as she pushed herself up . Our faces were now inches apart.
I smirked, brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear.
"What can I say? Your performance was that good…"
She didn't even react to my corny joke—just broke down and wrapped her arms around me in a tight, trembling hug.
"Oh my God… I'm so happy you're okay now."
Genuine emotion poured out of her, and in that moment, I could tell, mind control or not—this was a woman who truly cared about Zane.
For a few seconds, we just stayed still. I could feel her warmth, hear her breathing, and sense all the things she weren't saying.
"Aunt Ellie," I gently tapped her shoulder. "We can celebrate later… You should get dressed first—before someone walks in on us."
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked down at our naked and intertwined bodies, and in an instant, her face flushed a deep, burning red.
"O..Okay," she mumbled, quickly wiping away her tears.
Wasting no time, she stood up and began dressing—slipping her bra back on, smoothing out her blouse, then tugging her skirt into place.
After a brief look in the mirror, she adjusted her hair and carefully applied a soft shade of lipstick from her purse.
By the time she turned back to me, the exhausted woman from moments ago had vanished.
"We should call your doctor and report this," she suggested.
"No… not yet. I need to keep this a secret."
"Why?"
I took a deep breath and used my ability, pushing the conversation in a new direction.
"Please don't lie to me. My father… he doesn't care about me, does he?"
"Yes… that's right."
The truth slipped out before she could stop it.
"Do you know the reason why?"
She didn't answer right away. Her eyes looked frightened.
"Tell me." I commanded.
"It's because you reminded him of your mother…or at least, that's what he told me. I'm not even sure if it's true, because your father… he only says things that serve his own interests."
It was the first time I heard this, and the memory I saw from Zane's father told a different story. She could not lie to me, not while she was under my mind control.
There were still pieces missing, and I intended to find them.
With my influence, she revealed everything she knew.
That's when I learned why she cared so much about me. Zane's mother had been both her teacher and a close friend.
When she got pregnant and was abandoned by her boyfriend, it was his mother who supported her. Giving her a job at the company and helping her get back on her feet.
They grew close over time, and through that connection, his father eventually met Ellie.
At first, nothing seemed out of place. But then Zane's mother started speaking of divorce, insisting again and again that her husband was part of a cult determined to release a demon god in this world.
He denied everything, of course, and brought in several professionals to try and treat her supposed mental illness. But no matter what they did, her condition only worsened.
In the end, she tried to escape, but died in an accident along the way.
Zane remembers none of it. His father made certain the truth was buried—kept from the public, and even from their own family.
"Aunt Ellie… what do you think of my father? Tell me your honest feelings."
Her expression darkened. "He is very generous. But he's also extremely controlling."
"How so ?"
Her voice lowered, almost to a whisper.
"I'm not even allowed to leave the mansion without bodyguards. And whenever I try to meet friends, especially if there's a man—he gets angry."
"One time, a college classmate just touched my shoulder during a reunion, and… he ended up getting beaten up."
"Still, there are moments when he's sweet. He apologizes, says he loves me…buy me gifts. That's why I don't really know who the real him is."
The more I listened, the more it sounded like she was describing someone with narcissistic personality disorder. Controlling, manipulative, and emotionally abusive, yet capable of being superficially charming when it suited him.
She took a deep breath, glancing at the door before continuing.
"I'm only allowed to be here alone because he knows I'm visiting you. He trusts me when it's about you…because you're bedridden."
Her statement almost made me laugh. I was finally starting to understand what was really going on.
To everyone else, it looks like he's being thoughtful, letting his second wife care for her stepson, proving he chose the right person to remarry.
It paints a perfect picture: the caring husband, the devoted stepmother, the quiet strength of a united family. But it was all for show.
Even keeping me alive in this hospital was part of that carefully crafted narrative.
And that one billion bounty for that flower ?
Just a load of crap. A flashy distraction meant to show him as a grieving, determined father.
"Aunt Ellie, promise me you won't tell anyone that I've recovered. Don't ask me why. Just trust me."
Her eyes lit up before nodding.
The reason I was postponing my comeback was because I had just received a notification from the system:
[Main Mission: Find the Truth About the Park Family]
It was triggered when Ellie spoke about the cult, so it was safe to assume there was some truth to Zane's mother's claims.
Things were getting more and more interesting, and dangerous at the same time.
It was smarter to keep playing the helpless sheep, until I'm strong enough to bare my fangs.