She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Chapter 350: A Glimpse of Normalcy

”Where are the others?” Alex asked, almost too quickly. ”I expected Danny to be glued to this chair. And Mike and Sarah?”

Linda let out a small, knowing hum, not pushing the Victoria subject for now... though Alex knew she was mentally filing it away for later.

”They stepped out about twenty minutes ago,” Linda said, smoothing Nina’s hair. ”Mike and Danny went to get some real food, and Sarah went with them to stretch her legs. They’ve been cooped up in here all day. They should be back soon.”

”Good, They definitely need the break” Alex said, already beginning to stand up.

”Actually... I think I’ll head down and find them. I could use a coffee and a bit of a walk anyway.”

​It was a blatant pivot... a hasty exit designed to dodge the looming Victoria Blackwood interrogation... and he knew it.

​David and Linda shared a look, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corners of their mouths. They had raised him; they knew exactly what a ”Hale Escape” looked like.

***

Alex stepped out into the hospital corridor, the heavy door thudding shut behind him with a muffled finality. The moment he was alone, he let out a long, ragged exhale he hadn’t realized he was holding.

The escape had worked, but only because David and Linda had been kind enough to let him run.

”You’re a terrible liar when it comes to them, Alex,” Lilith’s voice teased, her tone flickering with amusement. ”You can stare down a High Elder of a Sacred House without blinking, but a mother’s knowing hum turns you into a stuttering teenager.”

”Shut up, Lilith,” Alex thought, though a small, private smile played on his lips. ”It worked, and I’m still their son. I’ll take the embarrassment over the alternative any day.”

​What he hadn’t expected was the chime that had echoed in his mind the moment he had stepped into that room earlier. In the heat of his nervousness, he’d pushed it to the periphery, but now, in the silence of the hallway, the golden interface flickered into his vision.

​[NEW SUBORDINATES DETECTED]

​[David Morrison: 94% Loyalty]

[Linda Morrison: 98% Loyalty]

[Nina Morrison: 95% Loyalty]

​Alex stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the floating text in disbelief. ”Wait... what is this? Lilith, they’re family. They aren’t subordinates. Get rid of this.”

​”The System is objective, Alex,” Lilith replied, her voice smooth and unapologetic. ”Anyone who holds deep-seated affection and unwavering loyalty toward the Host... and who does not fall into the Harem or Romantic Interest categories... is classified under the Subordinate Branch for resource management. The System doesn’t care about your labels; it cares about the bond.”

​Alex was speechless at the sheer rigidity of the System’s logic, but he couldn’t deny the practical benefit. If they were subordinates, he could spend resources on them and, more importantly, get the discounts.

​Suddenly, a realization hit him, and his brow furrowed as he did the math.

​”Hey,” Alex’s mental voice sharpened. ”If the System recognized them the moment I walked in, then why didn’t I get the discount? I saw the price was 2,000 CP. If the 75% subordinate discount was active, I should have only paid 500! Why did you take the full amount?”

​He waited for a technical error or a system glitch explanation. Instead, he heard a sound that was suspiciously like a digital snicker.

​”I did only take 500 CP, Alex,” Lilith replied, sounding far too entertained. ”It’s not my fault you didn’t care to look at the cost clearly. You were so busy sweating over your embarrassment that you just swiped through the confirmation without reading it.”

​Alex felt a sudden, hot flush creep up his neck, hotter than anything Linda’s teasing could have caused. He mentally scrolled back through his recent logs. There it was, in plain, golden text:

​[Item: Celestial Dew]

[Price: 2,000 CP]

[Discount Applied: 75% (Subordinate: Nina Morrison)]

[Final Deduction: 500 CP]

​”I... I was focused on the situation,” Alex muttered, his pace picking up as he hurried toward the elevators, desperately trying to hide his burning face from a passing nurse.

As the elevator doors slid shut, the silence of the small metal box allowed the cold, calculating part of Alex’s mind to take over.

By tomorrow morning, the Celestial Dew would have completed its initial cycle. Nina would be fine... finally... but that presented a new, lethal set of problems he had to neutralize immediately.

A medical miracle of this magnitude wouldn’t just stay within the hospital walls. Doctors talked. Nurses whispered. And in a world where the Sacred Houses and hidden organizations kept their ears to the ground for any sign of anomalous recovery, a dying girl suddenly regenerating failed organs was a beacon.

’The rumors,’ Alex thought, his eyes narrowing as the floor numbers ticked down. ’If news of this miracle leaks out, the focus will fall directly on Nina and the Morrisons. I can’t let that happen.’

He couldn’t have the hidden world’s vultures circling his family, poking into their lives to find the source of the cure. He had to block every potential leak before the first lab report even hit the system.

’I’ll have to lean on Victoria again,’ he realized. Only the Blackwood influence is heavy enough to squash the medical records and swear the staff to absolute secrecy. She can make the paperwork disappear as if Nina was never even sick.

But even with the records scrubbed, another realization hit him, cold and heavy.

Even if they left the hospital, going back to their old home wasn’t an option anymore. His enemies were growing in number and desperation. The Morrisons were his greatest strength, but in this world, that made them his greatest weakness. They were a target.

Anyone looking to pull Alex’s strings would see that small, unprotected house as the perfect leverage to use against him.

’I can’t let them go back there,’ Alex decided, his jaw tightening. ’It’s not safe.’

He thought of the villas he’d recently acquired... the high-security estates currently housing Viktor and the team.

’Yes. I’ll move them to one of the villas.’

It’s the only way to keep them under a proper shield. It would be a shock to them, a massive shift from their quiet life, but he would handle it. He would gradually introduce them to the reality of this secret world, peeling back the curtain one layer at a time. And once they were settled, he wouldn’t just protect them... he would provide them with the resources to cultivate, to get powerful, and to eventually stand on their own.

He wasn’t just saving Nina’s life anymore. He was building a fortress around his family.

The elevator pinged, the doors hissing open to the ground floor. Alex stepped out, his stride purposeful. He had to find Danny and the others in the cafeteria, but the plan was already set. The Morrisons were leaving the mundane world behind, whether they knew it yet or not.

The cafeteria was a sprawling, brightly lit space that smelled of burnt coffee and industrial-strength floor cleaner. He expected to find a scene of quiet exhaustion, but as he scanned the room, his eyes landed on a sight that brought a genuine, surprised smile to his face.

Near the window, bathed in the late afternoon sun, Danny and Sarah were leaning across a small circular table. They weren’t slumped in grief; they were huddled together, whispering and laughing about something, the heavy tension of the past week seemingly evaporated.

Alex didn’t say a word as he approached, simply reaching out to drop a hand on Danny’s shoulder.

Danny jumped, nearly tipping his soda, but as he looked up and saw Alex, his face split into a grin. ”Alex! Bro, finally! Where have you been hiding?”

”Busy with the ’things,’ you know how it is,” Alex said, sliding into an empty chair.

Sarah reached over, her eyes scanning him with concern. ”You look like you haven’t slept in a month, Alex. Are you even eating?”

”I’m fine, Sarah. Really,” Alex reassured her.

He looked around the table, noticing a distinct absence. ”Wait, where’s Mike? I thought he’d be right here with you two.”

Danny and Sarah shared a look, a mischievous, identical smirk spreading across both their faces. Without saying a word, Danny gestured with his thumb toward a table on the far side of the cafeteria.

Alex followed his gaze and blinked in surprise.

There was Mike, but he wasn’t alone. He was sitting across from a woman in a white lab coat... a young doctor with her hair tied back in a neat bun.

They were leaning toward each other, deep in a conversation that looked remarkably like a date. Mike, usually the stoic, immovable mountain of the group, was actually gesturing animatedly, a shy smile on his face that Alex had rarely seen.

”Is that...?” Alex started, turning back to the others.

”Dr. Aris,” Sarah whispered, her eyes dancing with amusement. ”She’s been ’checking in’ on us a lot lately. Mostly whenever Mike is around to get coffee.”

”It’s a full-on romance, man,” Danny added, chuckling quietly. ”We’ve been sitting here taking bets on when he’s actually going to ask for her number. He thinks he’s being subtle.”

Alex watched them for a moment, a rare sense of normalcy washing over him. While he was out toppling the Vanderbilts and managing Apex-level subordinates, life... real, messy, beautiful life... as still happening right here.

”He looks happy,” Alex noted quietly.

”We all are,” Danny said, his tone turning sincere as he looked at Alex. ”Especially now that you’re here. But seriously, man... we need to talk about your ’friends.’ A certain Victoria Blackwood stopped by yesterday, and I think you have some explaining to do.”