Chapter 31: I Know Everything About Him

Mika blinked in stunned silence, his heart still pounding as he instinctively ran his hands over his chest and stomach. He patted his sides, his back, even his neck, checking every spot he thought a blade might’ve pierced.

Nothing.

There were no stab wounds. No sharp pain. No knife sticking out of his body and in response he let out a shaky breath, and he finally exhaled the tension coiled in his chest.

"...Ah." He murmured under his breath, closing his eyes for a brief second. Relief flooded through him like a tide.

He had been so sure, absolutely convinced, that Yelena was going to stab him with that knife of hers.

Not because it would do anything to him, of course. Her blade could barely scratch him, and he knew that well enough.

But as penance, for all the times he ignored her calls and messages, for how he kept his distance from them on purpose, he thought for certain this was the moment she’d finally decide to punish him.

But instead...Mika opened his eyes.

Charlotte was floating midair, dangling helplessly as the knife gripped the collar of her uniform like a hanger hook, holding her aloft above him.

And Yelena...

Yelena wasn’t even looking at him.

Her piercing emerald gaze was fixed solely on her own daughter, her expression cool and sharp as though Charlotte were the one who had committed a grave crime.

It was shocking, no, not for Mika.

He knew Yelena. He knew how much she doted on him, how fiercely she loved him like her own son.

But for anyone else?

Anyone else watching this scene would’ve found it absurd. Unnatural even. What kind of mother supported another boy over her own daughter?

Charlotte herself especially seemed outraged.

"Mama!" She cried out indignantly, her legs kicking slightly in the air as she floated helplessly. Her cheeks puffed up as she pouted, her tone playful but underlined with frustration. "Why are you pulling me up like this? Why am I the one hanging here like a criminal?!"

Her eyes darted between Mika and Yelena.

"Shouldn’t you be glaring at him right now?! Isn’t it normal for a mother to go after the boy in this situation?!" Her voice cracked slightly with childish protest. "Why are you siding with him instead of your own daughter? Did you get your role reversed or something?!"

Yelena took a slow step forward, her delicate fingers lowering slightly as she released a controlled exhale.

A faint smile tugged at her lips, not warm, but sharp. The kind of smile one wore when staring down a cheeky little troublemaker caught red-handed.

"Oh, my sweet girl." She murmured, her voice velvety soft yet laced with frost.

She took another step forward, her emerald eyes glinting dangerously as she pointed one slender finger at Mika.

"You’re absolutely right about one thing." She said. "If any other boy were in Mika’s position..."

Her tone dipped lower, carrying an unmistakable weight.

"I would’ve skewered him with so many swords he’d look like a porcupine...And even if we were in a hospital, no amount of doctors could save him."

Her words sent a visible shiver down Mika’s spine. He could almost see himself being impaled over and over again like a grotesque pincushion, swords sprouting out of every inch of his body.

But then...Yelena smirked.

"But Mika isn’t just any boy."

Her voice softened slightly as she turned her gaze toward him, her expression shifting to something warmer, though her eyes still sparkled with unyielding certainty.

"I know him by heart. I’ve raised him my whole life. I know there is no way he would ever willingly let you get on top of him like that."

Her sharp finger redirected to Charlotte, who was still dangling indignantly.

"No, my little fox. If anyone was the predator here, it was you. It’s painfully obvious you’re the one who pounced on him."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, her voice dropping lower as her tone turned faintly scolding.

"Especially with the way you were looking at him just now...your eyes full of lust, like you were ready to devour my poor Mika."

Charlotte flailed slightly in midair, her cheeks flushed with both embarrassment and irritation.

"Mamaaa! That’s not fair!" She cried out, her voice high-pitched and childish despite her mature figure and provocative clothing.

Her pout deepened as she wriggled against the knife’s grip on her uniform.

"It’s still so weird for you to support him over your own daughter! Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?!" Her eyes flashed with playful defiance as she crossed her arms despite dangling helplessly. "What if Mika did initiate all this? What if he’s just pretending to be innocent right now?!"

For a moment, Yelena didn’t even blink. Then she let out a soft scoff, her smile growing sharper as she stepped closer.

"Oh, my poor little fox. Do you really think I don’t know Mika of people?"

Her voice dripped with quiet confidence as she spoke, her tone so calm it made Charlotte’s squirming look all the more childish.

"I mean, not only do I know what Mika likes. I know what he doesn’t like."

"I know his favorite foods down to the exact spice level he prefers, the texture he hates in vegetables, and the way he takes his tea, one sugar, no milk, stirred exactly three times."

"I know his least favorite weather, the heavy, sticky heat that makes him irritable and restless and the way he always leaves the window cracked open, even in winter, because he likes the sound of the wind at night."

"I know his exact morning routine, down to the minute: how he runs his hand through his hair twice before brushing his teeth, the way he drinks half a glass of water before his first bite of breakfast, and the soft hum he makes when he’s in a good mood."

"I even know the sound of his breathing when he’s pretending to be asleep, slower, just a little too even, as if he’s trying to fool me...And he can’t."

She listed them off one by one, her voice steady, her words weaving around the room like an invisible net.

"And above all..." Yelena’s expression softened slightly, her eyes glowing with fierce maternal pride. "...I trust him. I believe in Mika, more than I believe in you, my cheeky little fox."

Charlotte’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide in disbelief. Even Mika was stunned, his eyes blinking rapidly as he processed her words as he himself didn’t realise half the things that she had said.

And while they both were in a daze, Yelena took another slow step forward, her finger pointing directly at Charlotte now.

"But just as I know Mika wouldn’t approach you in such a way, he’s been pushing you away his whole life, and I’ve seen it countless times, I also know you, my little fox."

"...I know just how much you love Mika, how utterly crazy you are over him."

Her voice turned almost tender as she continued, though her piercing gaze never softened.

"So, it’s only natural, of course that you’re the one at fault here...Do I really need to say anything else?"

The faintest smile curved her lips, a knowing, detective-like grin that seemed to pierce through every lie and truth in the room.

Charlotte’s cheeks burned crimson as she wobbled in the air, her pout deepening.

"Mamaaa! You’re being mean! You’re treating me like a criminal!" She whined, her voice cracking slightly as her legs kicked in protest.

And Mika...Mika could only sit frozen on the hospital bed, unsure if he should feel relieved, horrified, or strangely touched by the depth of Yelena’s unwavering trust and knowledge she had over him

He was also praying in his heart that just like how she seemed to know everything about him, she didn’t know about his ’night-time internet’ preferences as that would make it quite obvious about his interest in older women...