Chapter 532: Stirring The Pot

Mika knew he had given Nadia an opportunity to breathe, a lifeline to clutch so she wouldn’t implode completely over her shameful actions.

That was why he had spun that convenient narrative about her "playing along."

It was enough to keep her from staying tense and terrified all the time.

But he couldn’t leave it at that.

If he did, Nadia would convince herself that she was the only one who had any feelings toward him, while he had done everything purely out of filial duty.

She would lock away her desires, suppress them behind that familiar mask, and convince herself that the status quo was acceptable.

That wouldn’t do.

He needed to throw out bait—something that would stir her emotions and hint at the possibility of a relationship.

Basically, instead of letting the pool stay still, he had to keep stirring it. Keep pushing the situation toward the more taboo state he needed.

So while hugging her, he suddenly let out a deep, exhausted sigh and slumped against her.

Nadia was surprised.

"You know, Nadia." He said, his voice muffled against her chest. "This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life."

He was lying on top of her breasts, his face resting right over her cleavage, breathing in the scent of her milky skin.

Nadia didn’t push him away. Instead, she looked down at him curiously.

"Really, Mika?" She stroked his hair gently. "In the past, I remember you helping create a power plant that gave off no exhaust at all."

"The scientists over were having mental breakdowns over how complex the process was. They literally begged me on their knees to find out who created the entire plant."

She smiled at the memory before going on to say,

"Judging by their reactions, what you did back then was quite difficult—basically a miracle. And it’s not just that. There are so many moments where I think you’re doing the impossible over and over again."

She continued caressing his head, her fingers threading through his damp hair.

"Were those not really that difficult at all compared to what you did today?"

Mika glanced up at her while still resting on her breasts. He scoffed lightly.

"Of course those were difficult too. I really had to wrack my brain to figure out all those problems."

He paused, his expression softening.

"But this...this is completely different."

He shifted slightly, nuzzling into her softness.

"You see, the plan itself was simple. I didn’t have to do any tedious calculations or invent any new technologies. The task itself was straightforward."

He looked up at her, and there was something vulnerable in his eyes.

"But it was impossible for someone like me to do. Because at the end of the day...I’m your son."

Nadia’s heart clenched.

"There might be no blood between us." He continued. "But I still see you as my beloved mother."

A warm, affectionate look appeared in Nadia’s eyes. She pulled him even closer into her breasts, cradling him like she used to when he was small.

Mika’s voice grew softer. "And because of that, doing all those things I had to do to you...it was just impossible in my mind."

He pulled back slightly, just enough to look at her face.

"After all, which son in the world can just go over and easily kiss their mother? Touch her body all over?"

Nadia’s cheeks flushed.

"And I didn’t just stop at touching." His voice dropped. "I did all sorts of things to her. I even stuck my hand inside..."

He suddenly stopped himself, his own face reddening.

"Well...never mind. You know what I’m talking about."

Nadia nodded, her face burning. She most definitely knew. She had thoroughly experienced his hands—outside her body and inside as well.

Mika rested his head back into her breasts.

"Anyway...doing all those sorts of things was crazy in my mind before this. I honestly thought about giving up from the very beginning. Just the thought of doing it made my head spin all over the place."

He looked up at her with a shy gaze, like a child confessing a terrible secret and added,

"I was also scared, Nadia. Scared that you would hate me for what I did." His voice dropped. "Scared that you might even be disgusted by my actions."

Nadia’s arms tightened around him immediately.

"No, Mika!" Her voice was urgent, almost fierce. "I will never, ever hate you.That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said in your entire life!"

She spoke in a slightly affectionate yet strict manner, as if scolding him for even having such thoughts.

Then her expression softened into a tender gaze.

"No matter what you do to me, no matter how you treat me, even if you push me completely aside...I will always love you."

She gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"And that will never change. No matter what."

It was a solemn promise, carved into her heart.

Even if the whole world turned against her, even if Mika himself turned against her right now, Nadia would not care. She would still stand by his side.

That was how much she loved him.

Mika felt his own heart race.

For a moment, just a moment he felt like an innocent boy being seduced by a beautiful woman.

Nadia was looking at him with such a lovely face, such pure adoration, that his body heated up in response.

He quickly shook those thoughts away and looked back at her with a resigned expression.

"But that’s easy for you to say, Nadia. You’re not the one who did all of this."

He rolled his eyes and pointed at himself.

"From my perspective, I basically did the most taboo thing in the entire world. And because of that..."

He swallowed.

"I was scared of so many things. I...I really thought about just throwing all those plans in the trash."

"Then why didn’t you do it, Mika?" Nadia tilted her head. "Why didn’t you just abandon it all? There was no need for you to go through with it."

He chuckled softly.

"Of course I couldn’t do it. After all..."

His hands slid up to carres her cheek.

"When my mother is struggling so much, did you really think I was going to give up over some fear and abandon the whole plan?"

Nadia gasped softly, while Mika shook his head and went on to explain saying,

"When I thought about the future—about how you might hate me—it did scare me, yes. But when I thought about how in the future, you could smile, cry, and laugh without any worry at all..."

His eyes grew bright.

"It made me even more excited. More pumped up to go through with the plan. So that’s why I decided not to stop. To go through with it no matter what."

He let out a massive sigh of relief and pushed his face right into her breasts, using them for comfort like a child seeking solace.

"And I’m so glad everything went perfectly. You completely understood my agenda and went along with it. I didn’t have to explain too much or lead to an awkward situation."

He looked up at Nadia with a bright, relieved smile.

"And I’m so glad it was actually you, Nadia." He chuckled. "I can only imagine how chaotic the situation would be if it was Yelena on the other hand."

He said it in a light, joking manner. But the moment the words left his mouth, Nadia’s expression shifted.

"No, Mika, no. You can never do such things to Yelena!"

She leaned in closer until her eyes were looking straight into his.

"You can only do such things to me. Anyone else is not allowed."

The moment she thought of Mika doing these things with any of her other sisters, she felt a sharp pang of jealousy.

She didn’t want to give him to anyone else. She wanted this moment all to herself.

Even though she was terribly ashamed right now, it was also one of the greatest moments of her entire life—and she didn’t want to share it with anyone.

But despite saying such words, Mika himself was thinking that it was actually the opposite when it came Yelena.

After all, whenever he and Yelena were together, she would grab his hand and push it down underneath her underwear, begging him to do what he did best.

The thought made him chuckle. But he kept that to himself.

Instead, he looked up at Nadia and saw that she had a much more satisfied, relieved look on her face.

She had become calmer than before after hearing his words. He pressed his face right into her breasts—not just to enjoy their softness, but also to hear her heartbeat. It was much steadier now.

She was in a comfortable place.

’Time to stir the pot again.’

He pulled back slightly, then looked away with a shy expression that was almost adorable in Nadia’s eyes.

His cheeks colored. His gaze flickered toward her, then away.

"Actually, Nadia...the truth is..."

He hesitated, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape.

"There’s actually another thing I haven’t told you. Something that was honestly the hardest part of doing all of this."

He looked at her with a deeply embarrassed expression.

"I never knew something like that would happen. It came out of nowhere. But I had no way to stop those emotions that were stirring inside me."

He swallowed.

"It was probably the weirdest thing I had to go through. Even right now, it makes me feel so awkward. I..I just want to jump into bed and hide my face so the world can’t see!"

His cheeks flushed a deep red.

Seeing this reaction, something that rarely came from Mika—Nadia immediately grew curious. She leaned in closer, her face nearly touching his.

"What is it, Mika? What exactly was so embarrassing?"

She pressed her face right against his, clearly fascinated by why her son was suddenly so flustered.

"Tell me. Tell me, please!"

Seeing Nadia’s intense reaction only made Mika more embarrassed. He pulled away, forcing a nervous smile.

"Actually—no. Never mind, Nadia. It’s really nothing at all." He waved a dismissive hand. "I shouldn’t be talking about such things to you. I-It’s honestly really embarrassing."

He looked at her with a guilty gaze and added,

"It’s...something a son should never admit to his own mother. So let’s just forget about it!"

He tried to turn away. But Nadia grabbed his face and pulled it back toward her.

"Please, just tell me whatever it is." Her voice was earnest. "Not only do I want to help you out, but after seeing you show such adorable reactions, I really have to know!"

She tugged lightly on his cheeks, then grew slightly embarrassed herself, looking down timidly as she said,

"We also...ahem, you know...did so many things that a mother and son shouldn’t do. S-So it’s really no big deal to say whatever you want."

She looked back up at him, love shining in her eyes.

"So, go ahead, Mika. Tell me whatever you want. I’m your mother—I will love you no matter what. No matter what you say, I promise I’ll accept it."

The moment Mika heard this, he cheered inside. Giddiness bubbled up in his chest. The trap he had laid had worked out perfectly.

But on the outside, he hesitated, looking truly embarrassed, as if he didn’t know what to say.

This went on for several long moments—Mika looking away, Nadia watching him with pleading eyes—until finally, with a deep sigh, he gave in.

"Fine, fine...You win, Nadia."

He murmured, a helpless chuckle escaping him as he looked up into her face.

"Normally, I can easily resist whatever anyone demands of me. I’m not someone who can be swayed or manipulated by words. But..."

He reached up, his fingers gently tracing the edge of her eyelids, marveling at the life dancing within them.

"...when someone who used to be so frozen and emotionless looks at me with a pleading gaze...there’s simply no way I can hold back.’

So, if you really want to know the absolute truth, I’ll tell you."

Nadia got excited.

But before she could say anything, his expression darkened slightly, his eyes narrowing as he dropped his voice to a low, heavy register.

"But I’m warning you, Nadia. This is going to be incredibly awkward and deeply embarrassing."

"You can’t blame me if things become a little bit weird between us after this."

Nadia didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second, fiercely shaking her head.

"Nothing like that could ever happen, Mika. You’ve already revealed secrets to me today that normally would have shattered my sanity, yet I am still sitting right here with you."

She shifted her weight, leaning into his frame as she settled into a more comfortable, permanent position directly on his lap.

"So you don’t need to harbor a single worry. Your mother is right here, and I’ll accept all of you."

Mika smiled, touched by how supportive she was.

Then his face grew embarrassed again—shy, almost boyish. He looked up at her with that same vulnerable gaze.

"The truth is..." He hesitated, swallowing hard. "While I was doing all those dirty things to you..."

He glanced around the room, as if checking for eavesdroppers, as if he didn’t want to admit it aloud.

Finally, he met her eyes.

"...I actually got excited while I was doing that."