Chapter 6 - Midnight Encounter

Fangs pierce through his skin.

A pungent-sweet taste instantly fills my mouth!

He winces in pain, finally releasing his grip on me, stepping back a few paces.

I immediately get to my feet, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth with force. 

"You demon! Where's Chris? You'd better return him to me right away!"

But he flatly denies, "Not possible."

I know he will answer like that.

I raise my phone, the call has already connected. "This is the L District Police Station's number. Would you dare to repeat what you just said?"

The policeman who had once suspected my association with a certain important figure had been bothering me.

It is fortunate I can use him to my advantage!

Before coming here, I have secretly dialed that policeman's number, keeping the call active throughout!

"Officer Smith? Are you still there?"

I press the speakerphone button firmly, and the officer on the other end speaks with stern words, "Yes, I'm with you, Miss Lily." he continues, "This is detective Smith! Your location has been traced, and you'd better..."

But he merely raises an eyebrow and even takes the initiative to greet the officer, "Hello, Smith. This is Antoninus Helvius Caesar speaking."

The result? Silence on the other end of the line.

I look at my phone with puzzlement.

After a long while, the officer on the other end finally seems to recover from his stupor.

"I apologize, Mr. President. I didn't know it was you. I... I'm truly sorry."

The officer hangs up the phone hastily.

I stare at my phone in shock.

He just called him... THE PRESIDENT?

Damn! I thought this man only resembled the President.

Never did I expect him to be the actual President.

And we meet in such a manner!

I look at him in astonishment.

The President, just like when I first entered his office, turns his head to look outside the window, completely ignoring my presence.

I could only cautiously inquire, "Are you truly the President?"

"If I say I am, can you have a friendly conversation with me now?"

His condescending tone deeply infuriates me.

So yes, he's the president of the nation. But that doesn't give him the right to disregard my wishes and turn my life upside down. Does he think he can just throw his money and power my way and expect me to be grateful and accept everything with a smile?

I never regret giving birth to Chris, but I'm not some puppet that he can control with his strings of influence.

The helplessness during pregnancy, my father's rage, my stepmother's mockery – all of it had made me contemplate suicide several times at night. But he would never understand all that. Then, he stands there with an air of superiority, only wanting to achieve his desired outcomes.

But I won't succumb to that! I only want to take Chris and leave!

"I refuse! There's nothing to discuss between us. I just want to see my son, Chris!" I firmly look at him. "Return Chris to me immediately!"

"Chris is in class. You'll see him after school," Antoninus says calmly, his face devoid of any expression, as if my submission is just a matter of time.

"Before that, you can present your conditions."

"What do you mean? You want to take Chris from me?" Fear grips my heart, knowing that I have no advantage based on social status or financial conditions.

"You can live here as Chris's mother, or you can choose to leave. I will provide you with a sum of money sufficient to last you a lifetime."

His tone is calm, as if discussing business, and I feel insignificant, like dust on the ground. No! I won't let Chris live with such a cold-blooded person.

I raise my head, anger flashing in my eyes. "I won't accept any of your conditions. I will take Chris back to my apartment and live together with him. Don't underestimate a mother's courage to protect her child!"

My determination catches him off guard, and after a long while, his gaze finally softens, and he sighs. "Miss Lily, I hope you understand that your resistance is meaningless to me. The only reason I'm talking to you now is because you have been with Chris for five years, and he has deep feelings for you. If I force you to leave, he will reject me. But it doesn't mean I can tolerate your offenses forever."

"Understand? Chris is my son, and I believe he can face all of this with strength. Of course, I hope you can make the right decision!"

As I consider how to refute him, he glances at his wristwatch, raising an eyebrow. "If there are no further questions, you can leave. Chris is already at the door, and you can go see him. I hope you will change your mind."

Thinking of Chris, I immediately rush out. I don't have the mood to think about anything else now; I just want to confirm Chris's safety.

Chris is indeed outside the door.

The elderly man, Lawrence, the butler, is kindly helping him out of the car.

I hurry over, "Chris!"

"Mom!"

I hold him tightly, tears of excitement streaming down my face.

Chris raises his little hand to wipe my tears.

However, when I dry my tears and carefully look at him, I notice that he has lost a lot of weight. "Chris, tell Mommy, have they been bullying you?" I glance at Lawrence with suspicion.

Lawrence spreads his hands and takes off his hat again, "I'm sorry, Miss Lily. We haven't taken good care of him. Before the President promised to bring you here, Master Chris refused to eat anything."

I tenderly caress Chris's cheek, "Why didn't you eat, sweetheart?"

Chris smiles and replies, "I'm not hungry, Mommy."

"My poor little darling..." Chris's words fill my heart with sorrow.

Although he is clever, he's just a child.

He knows he couldn't resist, so he resorts to harming himself with hunger to achieve his goals.

I hold him tightly, kissing his cheek again, "You must never resort to hurting yourself to solve problems, do you understand?"

Chris looks puzzled, tilting his head, "But, Mommy, I don't have a better way."

I ponder for a moment and teach him, "That's alright. If we don't have a better way, we'll endure it for now. When the right opportunity arises, we'll find a way and attack the enemy's 'weakness' fiercely!"

Chris nods thoughtfully.

I have originally planned to leave with Chris as soon as I saw him. The forest road we take to get here is long, but fortunately, there are no intersections, so even if I carry Chris, we could surely walk back!

However, Chris disagrees with my plan. When he sees me looking around for an escape route, he quietly leans close to my ear and tells me that escape is utterly impossible! This place is the President's residence! Not only are there guards patrolling 24/7, but dozens of fierce dogs like Dobermans and Rottweilers are hidden in the holly trees that serve as the walls.

Well.

If resistance is futile, then we must endure for now!

I pick up Chris and, under Lawrence's guidance, we head to our temporary accommodation, an incredibly luxurious royal bedroom.

In the center is a large princess bed with a mattress even higher than Chris...

A velvet canopy drape from the bed frame, and the heavy fabric hang low like four milky waterfalls cascading from a cliff.

The room's decor has a very antique style, with all the furniture made of solid wood, yet the lighting is not dim.

The massive floor-to-ceiling windows allow the sunlight to flood in, while the sheer curtains soften its entry, making it gentle like water.

After closing the door, I discreetly take down the paintings hanging on the walls, inspecting them closely.

Chris looks at me puzzled, "What are you doing, Mommy?"

"Security check!"

Dealing with such an unreasonable demon, one must always remain vigilant! Who knows if he might have hidden cameras behind the paintings! But it seems I worried unnecessarily.

I don't find any surveillance equipment, and he himself has not appeared again.

Chris is picked up by Lawrence every morning for school, while I wander aimlessly around the castle, feeling bored.

Perhaps. I'm too bored that I even anticipate a chance encounter with the mysterious President, Antoninus...

Yet, he never shows up.

It's like he evaporates from here.

Antoninus's disappearance leaves me feeling uneasy.

I have this constant feeling that he's planning something to take my son away.

The moonlight of the full moon pours into the room, radiantly enchanting. I toss and turn restlessly in bed, unable to sleep. Eventually, I decide to get some fresh air and leap out of bed.

I walk around, stopping and starting, not knowing which corridor I've entered.

The paintings hanging on the walls are no longer magnificent murals but portraits of past presidents.

I stop in front of his massive portrait.

Bathed in moonlight, I can see his well-groomed black short hair, obsidian-like dark eyes, square and resolute face, resembling a Roman from ancient paintings.

Perhaps he truly is a descendant of some Roman noble...

At the very least, his conduct is completely that of an ancient being who has lived for thousands of years – savage, domineering, without a trace of civilization, absolutely none!

Any modern person with a hint of enlightenment would know not to imprison someone arbitrarily!

I curse him in my heart and then lightly slap his portrait.

"Perhaps you should hit it harder," someone says.

"I'm not a fool." I retort without thinking, "I'm not gonna wreck it and pay for it later," But then I suddenly turn my head.

And there he is, Antoninus, standing behind me, for who knows how long.