Chapter 213: There’s No Way She’ll Far For You!
"Well..." Charlotte said, letting out a sigh as though she were explaining something painfully obvious. "I mean, if anyone else were in your place, I’d be panicking right now. Shaking, even."
"Because if Mika sets his sights on someone—that’s it, it’s over for them. It’s like being chased by a tiger when you’re a deer with broken legs. The moment he decides he wants you, it’s a done deal."
Her tone carried a dark little smirk, a knowing amusement that made Yelena’s head jerk up, startled.
"Wait..." Yelena blurted. "...he can’t be that good, can he?"
Charlotte’s lips curved, almost proudly.
"He most definitely is, Mama." She said with a quiet certainty that sent a ripple through the room. "I’ve seen him for years. You have as well. He looks so calm, so neat, so quiet, keeps to himself, never pushes...But when he decides he wants something, or someone, he becomes a different person."
"He becomes aggressive. Focused. He’ll strip you down layer by layer without you even realizing it, until there’s nowhere left to hide. He doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. Especially women."
Her voice dipped low there, not boastful but weighted with reluctant admiration.
"And as much as I hate admitting it...he’s terrifyingly good at it. If he wants you—he will get you."
Yelena exhaled shakily, a nervous laugh tumbling out despite herself.
"T-That makes sense, I guess." She murmured. "To be able to win even one of you and your sisters hearts is already a miracle. You five are basically the most sought-after women in the world...And yet he, he stole all of you?"
Her eyes widened, disbelief shading into fear.
"That’s frightening to think about. And if he comes after me now..." She trailed off, her fingers clenching in her lap. "It really does scare me."
But hearing this, once again, Charlotte’s laughter came sudden and light, brushing away the weight in the air. She reached out, patting her mother’s back with easy confidence.
"You don’t have to worry about that, Mama!" She said warmly, as though reassuring a child afraid of the dark. "You’re different. Totally different. No matter what he does, you’ll still look at him the same way. There’s just no way that could ever change."
"You two are family, after all, a mother and son. Your bond isn’t something that can twist overnight just because of a spell. You’ll handle it fine."
Her voice softened into teasing.
"And honestly, it’s going to be funny more than anything. Mika will say all sorts of crazy things to you, chase you around like a lovesick fool, and you’ll just have to keep kicking him away like usual. Treat it like a comedy, Mama, like some silly little game. He pursues, you push him off."
"Like seriously, the ugly stuff’s already behind us. Now it’s just a messy, awkward phase before things go back to normal."
She chuckled again, completely unaware of the dread that tightened in Yelena’s chest with every word.
"Just have a little fun with it, alright? Laugh at him a bit...You’ll see, it won’t be a big deal at all."
Mika couldn’t help but grin at Charlotte’s confident declaration.
"Well, you heard her, Yelena. A couple of days of me making a fool of myself, and you just kick me away every time."
"And Charlotte says it’s the new house entertainment...But honestly, I don’t know who’s going to be more embarrassed, me for chasing you around, or you for putting up with it."
Yelena, however, was still reeling inside.
On the outside, she managed a weak laugh, trying to seem in on the joke, but inside her mind was spinning. She glanced sidelong at Mika, his relaxed posture and that little mischievous smirk, and then at Charlotte, who seemed positively delighted by the idea of a Mika-pursues-mama sitcom.
"Entertainment, huh? Just...don’t blame me when when I actually do fall for him." She muttered, crossing her arms, though her cheeks betrayed a faint, nervous blush.
Meanwhile Mika, seeing how things were progressing, was quietly delighted.
This was perfect. Charlotte herself had basically handed him the freedom to do whatever he wanted. And Yelena, caught off guard, had no one to run to.
Now it was just a matter of playing things right.
But a part of him still felt a sting at Charlotte’s bold claim. So he bit his lip and piped up.
"But Charlotte, I do agree with you, Yelena is special. I trust her to look at me the same, no matter how much of an idiot I make of myself. But...can you really be so sure?"
"...What if, by some wild twist of fate, she does start to see me differently?"
He shot Yelena a sly glance, and she instinctively looked away, cheeks coloring with guilt.
But hearing this, Charlotte burst out laughing, loud and incredulous.
"Oh my god, Mika, please! That’s a good joke, really. My own mother falling for you? That’s like...like a pig flying, or snow in the middle of summer. I mean, she’s your mother as well! If anything ever did happen, the family would just explode. And I’d feel sorry for my own sanity. But there’s literally zero chance—so keep dreaming."
Mika grinned and played right along, holding up a finger.
"Well, nothing’s ever completely impossible. There’s always a tiny, tiny chance, right? I mean, it could happen. The world’s a weird place."
Yelena’s stomach twisted, if only Charlotte knew the truth, that she’d already fallen, and fallen hard.
Mika pressed on, his voice teasing as he decided to use this opportunity to his advantage.
"And I’ll tell you what, Charlotte. I know it’s a stupid bet, but just for fun...Let’s make it interesting."
"If, by some cosmic fluke, I actually manage to make Yelena look at me as something more, not as her son, but as a man...then you’ll have to do anything I say. Anything. No exceptions."
Charlotte’s eyes lit up, immediately hooked by the challenge before she smirked and asked, "Oh? And if you lose, which you will, because Mama’s heart is made of stone and there’s no way she’ll ever look at you like that, what do I get?"
Mika didn’t miss a beat.
"If you win? I’ll take you on a romantic date. A real one. I’ll plan everything, treat you like a princess, the whole deal. You can brag to all your sisters about it, too."
Charlotte’s excitement was almost palpable, but she tried to play it cool, narrowing her eyes.
"Hmm...That’s a pretty lopsided bet, Mika. If you win, you can make me do anything—but if I win, I only get a date? Shouldn’t the rewards be more equal?"
"But the odds are hugely in your favor. So naturally, if by some miracle I win, I should get a bigger prize...It’s only fair." He shrugged, spreading his hands, before narrowing his gaze and adding, "But of course, if you’re scared that your mother will actually fall for me, then you don’t have to take the bet."
Yelena, listening to this exchange, shook her head frantically.
"Charlotte, don’t! Don’t let him taunt you! Don’t take this bet. There’s no need. It’s not worth it, really!"
She was almost pleading, her heart pounding at the idea of being completely at Mika’s mercy.
But Charlotte waved her off with a smirk.
"No, Mama. I love this. This is the best bet ever. Besides, Mika’s being dumb today, he’s betting on something that will never, ever happen. It’s basically free for me."
Mika just chuckled.
"Maybe I am being dumb. But it’s better than sitting around feeling awkward. At least we’ll have something to laugh about in the future, right?"
"And just to be clear, during this time, you can’t interfere, Charlotte. No sabotaging, no playing matchmaker in reverse, nothing. You just watch and enjoy the show...Deal?"
Charlotte grinned and clasped his hand tightly.
"Deal! I’ll be on the sidelines, collecting my prize at the end. And when I do, I’m sending all the pictures of our date to my sisters. Let’s see who explodes from jealousy first!"
They shook on it, sealing the bargain.
Mika’s smile was sly, knowing he’d just locked in exactly the scenario he wanted. Charlotte, blissfully unaware, thought she’d just secured herself the best deal of her life.
And poor Yelena, watching the two of them, felt her stomach twist in anticipation and dread. Her only hope, that maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to use her duaghter as a shield to resist was gone.
But Mika could see it all: Charlotte would stay out of the way, Yelena would be left to him, and for more then a week, he’d have every chance to win her over without interference. It was perfect.
He smiled to himself, satisfied, as the game began.
But as Mika shifted to adjust himself on the bed, he couldn’t help noticing the undeniable tent in his pants.
The room was still thick with all the affection and adrenaline, and he needed to do something about it,, before he lost control of the situation. So, he cleared his throat and glanced pointedly at Yelena.
"Alright, Yelena, since everything’s settled and we’re all feeling so much better, would you mind stepping out for a bit?" He said, trying to keep his tone light, even as his gaze flicked not-so-subtly downward.
Yelena blinked, the words catching her off guard.
"Wait, what? You’re kicking me out?" She sat up straighter, frowning as her eyes darted between him and Charlotte. "Why do I have to leave? I thought we were all on the same side now. If there’s something you want to say to Charlotte, you can say it in front of me."
Mika raised a brow, chuckled dryly. "There’s no secret, Yelena." He said, voice low as he adjusted his pants, not subtly. "But I need Charlotte to help me...take care of something."
It didn’t register at first. Yelena furrowed her brow in confusion, eyes narrowing as she tried to follow his meaning.
"Take care of, what do you mea—oh!"
Her voice faltered, face flushing as her gaze involuntarily dropped, right where he knew it would. Her lips parted in stunned silence, caught between scandal and disbelief.
His cock was clearly outlined against the fabric, unmistakably hard, twitching beneath his zipper as if it had a mind of its own.
Mika gave a satisfied grunt of amusement.
"Exactly..." He said with a grin. "But since you’re so eager to stay...I mean, I don’t mind if you want to join in. If you’re that curious, I can show you what your daughter’s about to do for me."
Yelena froze. Her whole posture went rigid, her mouth opening in protest that wouldn’t come.
Meanwhile, Charlotte scoffed beside her.
"Mika!" She snapped, eyes flashing as she sat up, appalled but also, somehow, not moving away. "You can’t just say that to Mama! Look at her, she’s turning red like a tomato! Just how shameless can you be?!"
Mika just laughed, unrepentant.
"You keep calling it shameless, but who knows? Maybe this is just the start of the spell’s effects. Maybe I’m only going to get worse from here."
He glanced at Charlotte, his gaze narrowing playfully.
"And speaking of—remember the bet, you promised not to interfere and this basically counts as interference...I better not see any of this in the future since you know I take bets and promises seriously."
Charlotte’s face twisted into a scowl as she realized what he was doing, before warning her mother saying,
"Mama, Mika’s only going to get more and more shameless! You better run before he does something crazy, while I take care of him!" She half-joked, but there was a real warning there.
Yelena looked between the two of them, flustered.
"Wait, what do you mean, ’take care of him’? Charlotte, what are you going to do?"
Charlotte rolled her eyes, then shot her mother a look of exasperated disbelief.
"Mama, do you really want to know the details of how I’m supposed to pleasure Mika?" She asked, her voice half-mocking, half-despairing. "Is that something you actually want to hear?"
Yelena instantly panicked, waving her hands in the air.
"No! No, no, no, I don’t need to know! Forget I asked!" She scrambled off the bed so quickly she nearly tripped over her own feet. "I’ll just...I’ll just go to my room, then."
She tried to keep her dignity as she walked to the door, refusing to look back at Mika.
But when she finally glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widened.
Mika was already at the edge of the bed, unbuckling his belt and lowering his zipper—while Charlotte knelt before him with a hungry look on her face like she was about to ravage a delicious meal.
Flustered beyond words, Yelena quickly turned away and closed the door behind her, leaving them to their own devices.
She hurried down the hallway, her mind a tangled storm of jealousy, embarrassment, and worry—wondering what on earth she had gotten herself into, and whether she’d survive the next period of time of Mika’s love or if she would succumb to his charm...
...not even realising that Mika wasn’t going to wait a week or take his time, and was about to go all out the very next morning.