Sleep wouldn't come.
I tossed and turned in my bed, the sheets feeling like sandpaper against my skin. My mind was a racetrack, with thoughts of Anna and Tiffany chasing each other in endless, frantic laps. It was more than just the usual teenage drama, though. Ever since I'd acquired the new skills—[Incubus] and [Min]—a strange fire had been lit inside me. It was a restless, coiling heat in my gut that demanded an outlet, a purpose. It was an energy that made my skin prickle and my blood hum.
Should I go to Isabel? The thought flickered through my mind. She was always a calming presence, a safe harbor. But a quick glance at the clock told me it was well past midnight. No, she'd be asleep. It wouldn't be fair to wake her just because I couldn't settle my own chaotic thoughts.
A walk, then. Just a walk. Maybe some cool night air would help douse this internal fire.
I slipped out of my room, my footsteps silent in the dimly lit hallway of our massive home. The house was quiet, a sleeping giant. I made my way to the large balcony that overlooked the sprawling gardens, the place I often went to think.
When I slid the glass door open, the cool air hit my face, a welcome relief. But I wasn't alone.
A figure was standing by the railing, gazing out into the moonlit darkness. It was Mom.
And the sight of her stole the breath from my lungs.
She was wearing a red satin outfit. The top was a halter with a draped cowl neckline that hinted at the curves beneath, tied delicately at her back. The matching skirt was a bodycon mini, clinging to her hips, with a crisscross lace-up detail on the side that created a tantalizing cut-out. In a word, she looked… erotic. Damn erotic.
A jolt went through me, sharp and hot. The fire inside me roared to life, no longer just a restless energy but a focused, primal urge. I want to go to her. I want to wrap my arms around her from behind, pull her against me, and never let go. The thought wasn't just a fleeting impulse; it was a command, echoing in the deepest parts of my being. I had to physically clench my fists to stop myself from acting on it. I didn't know if these were my own thoughts anymore, or if my new skills were pulling the strings.
She hadn't noticed me yet. She was just standing there, lost in her own world, a portrait of lonely beauty under the pale moonlight. I took a steadying breath and walked toward her, my heart thumping a heavy rhythm against my ribs.
"What are you doing up so late, Mom?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended.
She jumped slightly, startled, and turned to face me. "Oh, Adam. You scared me." Then she gave me a small, tired smile. "Nothing, dear. Just couldn't sleep."
I moved closer, standing beside her at the railing. As I looked at her face, I saw past the beautiful woman in the stunning dress. I saw the faint lines of worry around her eyes, the slight tremor in her hand as she rested it on the cold stone. She looked scared. And in an instant, I knew why. She was thinking about what happened earlier, about the men I'd dealt with, about the violence she'd witnessed. The violence I'd committed.
Without a second thought, I turned and pulled her into my arms. She was stiff for a moment, surprised, before melting against me. I held her close, letting my warmth seep into her. "Mom, everything is fine," I murmured into her hair, which smelled faintly of jasmine. "I'm here. It's all over."
She looked up at me, her eyes glistening. "Oh, Adam," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm still so scared." She took a shaky breath. "But… you've become so trustworthy and responsible. I'm so lucky, Adam. For so many years, it felt like I was carrying everything alone. But now… seeing you take charge, being so strong… it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I don't know how to thank you."
"Mom, there's no need to thank me," I said, looking down into her beautiful, troubled face. "I'm just happy I can ease your stress. I'm grateful that your incompetent son finally…"
She cut me off, her hands coming up to cup my face. Her touch was gentle, but her gaze was intense as she stared right into my eyes. "No, baby, no. Don't you ever say that. You are so precious to me. I cherish you so much. I love you so much, darling."
Her words hit me like a physical blow. One part of my brain, the part that was still just Adam, her son, recognized it for what it was: the pure, unconditional love of a mother for her child. But another part of me, the part that was now intertwined with the power of an [Incubus], heard something else entirely. The new me , the grown Adam. A man. It analyzed her words, her touch, her teary-eyed gaze, and processed it as a confession, a proposal.
And in that fractured moment, a single, overwhelming thought solidified in my mind. I want to make her mine. I don't want to be her son anymore. I want to be the man she can lean on, the man who possesses all of her.
I was lost in this internal war when she spoke again, her voice soft and full of genuine, heartfelt emotion. "Sweetie, you know what? You're the best son I ever could have wished for."
That line, meant to be the highest of compliments, felt like a dagger in my heart. It should have made me happy, but instead, a bitter sadness washed over me. She still sees me as a child. As her son. But I wanted her. I wanted all of her.
To escape the turmoil in my head, I broke her gaze and looked up at the night sky, a vast canopy of glittering stars. She followed my lead, and for a few minutes, we stood there in comfortable silence, two lonely souls gazing at the cosmos.
Then, she spoke again, her voice filled with a quiet pride. "You know, Adam, you're my hero. When I saw you… beating them… I got a little scared, I'll admit. But after talking to you now, I know one thing for sure. Everything you did that day… you did it for me. You did it to protect your mom. I thought for a moment that I didn't know you anymore, but that was a lie. The truth is, you love me so much, and when something you cherish is in danger, you'll do anything to protect it. You are my hero."
A wave of relief washed over me. She wasn't scared of me. She understood. That was all that mattered. We fell back into silence, but this time it was different. It was charged. I could feel the energy crackling between us, or maybe it was just the fire inside me burning hotter than ever.
I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was her words, maybe it was the moonlight, or maybe it was just the culmination of every forbidden thought I'd ever had. While staring up at a distant, twinkling star, I said, "I want to tell you something."
She turned to me, her expression soft and curious. "What is it?"
I met her gaze, my heart pounding in my chest. "You are my first love, Mom."
A beautiful, tinkling laugh escaped her lips. "Oh, dear," she said, reaching up to caress my head like I was still a little boy. "That is so hilarious. I can't believe my baby boy's first love is me. Dear, you should look for a girl around your age."
Her laughter, her gentle dismissal, her treating my heartfelt confession like a childish whim—it was like a switch being flipped. The simmering fire inside me erupted into a raging inferno. Fury, hot and white, surged through me.
System, activate [Casanova]. Activate [Incubus].
In an instant, the world shifted. The air grew thick, heavy with an unseen power. I turned my body fully toward her, closing the small gap between us, and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against me. Her eyes widened in surprise, her laughter dying in her throat.
I leaned in, my face so close to hers that I could feel her warm, startled breaths on my skin. I looked straight into her eyes, letting her see the raw, unfiltered desire that was blazing there. "You are my first love," I said again, my voice low and dangerous, stripped of all boyish innocence. "Do you really think I was joking? I love you, Mom. I love you as a woman. And I want to make you mine."
Her face flushed a deep, beautiful crimson. Her brain seemed to short-circuit; her eyes were wide and unfocused, her lips parted in a silent gasp. I could feel her body trembling in my arms. Instinctively, almost as if pulled by a magnetic force, she started to lean in, her gaze dropping to my mouth.
That was all the invitation I needed.
I cupped her face with one hand and locked my lips with hers.
The world dissolved into pure sensation. Her lips were impossibly soft, yielding under mine. For a split second, she was still, frozen in shock. But then, something shifted. She didn't just fail to resist; she advanced. She pressed back against me, and then, her tongue darted out, meeting mine in a dance of shocking intimacy.
My mind went blank. Instinct took over completely. My hands, as if with a will of their own, slid down her back, over the smooth satin of her skirt, until they found what they were seeking. I grabbed her ass, squeezing the firm, round flesh. It was incredible. A delighted groan rumbled in my chest. My dick was rock hard, pressing, rubbing against her crotch through our clothes.
She wasn't resisting. Not at all.
My hands moved with a frantic energy, moving back up her body, searching for the tie of her halter top. I needed more. I needed to feel her skin.
But just as my fingers found the knot, she suddenly pushed against my chest with all her might. "No!" she gasped, breaking the kiss. "No, we can't do this. This is wrong."
She tried to scramble away, but her heel caught, and we stumbled together. We fell to the hard floor of the balcony in a tangle of limbs. I landed on top of her. In the fall, the tie on her top had come completely undone. The red satin had fallen away, exposing her breasts to the cool night air.
She was defenseless beneath me. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen from our kiss, her chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. Her perfect, pale breasts, crowned with dusky nipples, were bathed in the moonlight. She looked majestic, an alluring goddess laid bare before me.
Any semblance of control I had left shattered into a million pieces.
I lowered my head and gently, reverently, groped one of her breasts. It was as soft and full as I had imagined. A small, helpless moan escaped her lips.
"No, Adam… this is wrong," she whispered, but her words lacked conviction. There was no resistance in her body, only a trembling anticipation.
I pinched her nipple between my thumb and forefinger. A loud cry of pure ecstasy was torn from her throat, echoing in the quiet night. I was so engrossed, so lost in the moment. I caressed her, worshipped her with my hands, before lowering my mouth to her breast. I licked and suckled, and she writhed beneath me, her fingers tangling in my hair. I bit down gently on her nipple, and another loud, unrestrained moan filled the air. She was still whispering "no," but her body was screaming "yes."
Slowly, deliberately, I started to move my free hand down her body, over her flat stomach, toward the lace-up detail on her skirt, toward the heat between her legs. My fingers brushed against the soft skin of her inner thigh.
"No, Adam," she said, her voice cracking. "That's not right."
Something in her tone finally cut through the haze of my desire. I paused and looked up at her face.
Her eyes were filled with tears. Not tears of ecstasy, but tears of genuine conflict and fear. She wasn't happy. This wasn't what she wanted.
The realization hit me like a bucket of ice water. What was I doing?
I scrambled off her, moving away as if I'd been burned. She quickly pulled the satin top over her chest, stood up on shaky legs, and without a single look back, she ran. I watched her flee down the hallway, a flash of red disappearing into the shadows of the house.
I was left alone on the cold balcony floor, the silence deafening. Shame and embarrassment washed over me. What had I done? I had forced myself on her. On my own mother. She must hate me. She must be disgusted by me. The only thought in my head was that I had to find her, I had to apologize, I had to fix this.
Just as I was about to get up, a cold, emotionless voice echoed in my mind.
[Listen, Host. It is not entirely your fault. Your [Incubus] skill was provoked by your mother's passive skill, [Incidental Allure].]
The System. My frantic thoughts came to a screeching halt. Her skill?
"System," I commanded, my voice hoarse. "Use [Appraisal] on Mom."
A translucent white screen materialized before my eyes, displaying her status even though she was long gone.
[Status]
Name: Joyce Wilson
Strength: 90
Agility: 90
Endurance: 80
Mentality: 70
Intelligence: 250
Mana: 0
Potential: SSR+
Skills: [Expert in Business Administration], [Conviction Aura], [Truth Speaker's Tongue], [The Great CEO]
Skills: [Entrepreneurship], [Charismatic], [Aphrodite], [Incidental Allure]
Superpower: [None]
I stared at the screen, my mind racing. I recognized some of the business-related skills, but the passives… they were unique. "System, explain her passives," I demanded.
[Certainly. You likely understand [Entrepreneurship] and [Charismatic]. I will explain the others. [Aphrodite] grants the user the inherent allure and aura of the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. Joyce possesses a fraction of this divine charm.]
My eyes widened.
[And [Incidental Allure] is the key. It is the inherent, often subconscious, ability of an individual to provoke intense and immediate attraction and desire in others, even when they are completely unaware of their impact and without any conscious intention or interaction. Now, you understand. Her [Incidental Allure] amplified your own latent desires, and your [Incubus] skill, designed to feed on and amplify lust, made you insatiable.]
So it wasn't just me. It was a combination of our powers, a perfect storm of forbidden attraction. A small part of me felt relieved, but the guilt still gnawed at me. "I should still apologize," I thought.
[Are you a stupid, Host?] the System retorted, its tone sharp.
"What happened?" I asked, taken aback.
[If you apologize now, then everything that happened here will become useless. All you will do is make things awkward and push her away for good. You have taken the first step. You have crossed the line. She now knows your inner desires. You should not retreat. You must move forward.]
"But…" I started, unsure.
[Listen to your heart, Host. Think about how much you want her. Realize your desire, accept the forbidden feeling for what it is. And do not forget, you have the love mission.]
The System's words echoed in the silence. It was right. Apologizing now would be weak. It would invalidate the raw honesty of the moment. She knew now. There was no going back.
My mind, which had been a whirlwind of guilt and panic, slowly began to clear. My sleepiness was completely gone. I sat there on the cold floor for what felt like an hour, replaying every second of the encounter. I remembered the taste of her lips, the softness of her skin, the firm weight of her ass in my hands, the breathtaking sight of her exposed breasts under the moonlight. It was the first time I had ever seen her naked, and the image was burned into my brain. My body stirred again just thinking about it.
After a long period of deep, analytical thought, I came to a conclusion.
I will move forward.
I will advance my approach toward her. I love her. I love her so much, and I won't let social rules or my own hesitation stand in the way. I want her, and I will have her.
The decision settled in my soul, a cold, hard certainty.
To distract myself from the lingering adrenaline, I pulled up the system store, scrolling aimlessly through skills and items. But my mind was already churning, plotting. The problems were stacking up, a mountain I had to climb. How to solve Tiffany's problem? How to help Anna get her revenge? How to make Aunt Chris release her true feelings? And now, the biggest challenge of all: how to handle my mother's feelings and make her accept mine? How can I possibly tell everyone that I love all of them, that I want all of them?
It's so much. It's so tough.
I closed the system store with a sigh. Staring at the problems won't solve them. I need to work on the solutions. One by one. Starting now.