Seven Mothers: All Seven Of My Mothers Are Heavenly Goddesses?!

I raised an eyebrow, sensing her internal dilemma. "What?" I asked, my voice tinged with both amusement and suspicion. "You look like you're about to say something insane."

She huffed softly, as if shaking off her hesitation.

"It's just…" Her voice trailed off, and she glanced away briefly before meeting my gaze again. "You're so confident. It's almost scary how much you believe what you're saying."

"Because it's true." I said with a shrug, smiling as if that explained everything.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but her eyes betrayed her curiosity. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, clearly battling with herself over whether to ask whatever bizarre question was on her mind. Finally, she sighed and leaned forward slightly, her tone careful and deliberate as she said,

"Do you really think…you could make anyone fall for you?"

"Absolutely." I replied without missing a beat, leaning back and folding my arms. "Anyone."

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she repeated, slower this time, as if testing me. "Anyone?"

I nodded again, this time with more exaggerated confidence. "Anyone, Mom. I could charm the queen of this country if I wanted to."

She narrowed her eyes, her lips pursed, and for a moment, I thought she might drop the subject. But then, after another brief pause, she finally said, in a tone that was both cautious and oddly sincere,

"Then…Could you…Could you steal my heart as well, your own mother's?"

The question landed like a bomb, and I nearly choked on my drink. I coughed violently, slamming the glass down on the table and wiping at my mouth as my brain scrambled to process what she'd just said. "Wha—Mom?!"

She looked at me, her expression a mix of teasing and genuine curiosity, though there was the faintest trace of a blush dusting her cheeks. "I'm just saying." She added quickly, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably. "If you're so sure of yourself, if there's no one out of your reach…What about me?"

I stared at her, the corners of my mouth twitching in a mix of disbelief and exasperation. She looked at me with wide eyes and a teasing smile, but there was something in her expression—just beneath the surface—that gave me pause.

Her cheeks were dusted with the faintest hint of pink, and though her tone was playful, I could feel the weight of her question lingering in the air.

For a moment, I almost snapped back, ready to berate her for taking the joke too far. This was her usual game, teasing me relentlessly until I stumbled over my words or made a fool of myself.

But as I opened my mouth, something stopped me...My trial...My goal.

The very reason I had embarked on this insane journey to begin with. This wasn't just a joke to her—there was an opportunity here, one I couldn't afford to waste.

I took a deep breath, allowing the flicker of frustration to melt away. My expression softened into a subtle, confident smile, and I played with the cushions on the side with practiced ease. "Before I answer that..." I said smoothly, meeting her gaze."...I need to know something."

She blinked, caught off guard by my shift in tone. "What?" She asked, her voice quieter now, laced with a hint of curiosity.

"Why are you asking me that?" I tilted my head slightly, my smile growing just enough to make her squirm. "You don't seem like you're just joking. So…why, Mom?"

Her teasing smirk faltered, and she immediately averted her gaze, her hands fidgeting slightly in her lap. "I—I'm just curious, that's all." She stammered, her usual composure slipping. "You were going on and on about how no one's out of your reach, and it just…popped into my head."

"Really?" I pressed, keeping my tone light but my eyes sharp. "It just popped into your head? Nothing else?"

She bit her bottom lip, the blush on her cheeks deepening. "You're reading too much into it." She muttered, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

I chuckled softly, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees. "Maybe...Or maybe you're not telling me the whole story." I let the words hang in the air, my gaze never leaving her face.

Her lips parted as if to respond, but no words came out. For the first time, it seemed like she didn't have a quick comeback ready. Instead, she looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite place—equal parts amused, flustered, and contemplative.

I could see the wheels turning in her mind, and for a brief moment, I felt the upper hand shift in my favor. Whatever this was, whatever had sparked her question, it was something I could use. Something that might tip the scales just enough to move forward.

Finally, she let out a soft sigh, breaking the silence, and lowered her gaze, her fingers absently tracing patterns on the fabric of her sleeve. "Alright." She murmured, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "I'll admit it. I was curious."

"Curious?" I asked gently, leaning forward slightly, trying to read her expression.

She nodded, still not looking at me, her hands now twisting nervously in her lap. "You were talking about that other side of yourself—the one that can make any woman fall for you. I've known you your whole life, Luca. Every side of you...Or at least, I thought I did." She paused, letting out a shaky laugh. "But this face you're talking about...It's something I've never seen. Not even once."

She hesitated, her lips parting like she wanted to say more but wasn't sure how. Then, finally, she lifted her head, her eyes meeting mine with an openness that caught me off guard.

"And I guess that's because you don't see me that way. I mean, why would you? I'm your mother. You don't think of me as a woman. As someone who could even be a part of that world you keep so carefully hidden."

Her words were measured and deliberate, but the vulnerability in her voice was unmistakable. She took a deep breath, her gaze faltering for a moment before she pressed on. "But after hearing that woman on the phone...the way she spoke about you, Luca, it stirred something in me. She sounded so…treasured, like she'd been cared for in a way that made her feel special...And not just her. It's every girl you've ever been with, isn't it? You make them feel seen, understood, loved in a way that stays with them."

Her voice wavered, and she glanced away again, as if embarrassed by her own words. "I've been thinking about it ever since. And the truth is…I want to know what that feels like. What they feel when they're with you. That sense of being so deeply cherished that it changes you."

Her confession hung in the air between us, raw and unfiltered. Her hands had stilled in her lap, but I could see how tightly she was holding herself, as if bracing for my response.

There was a fragility in her tone that I'd never heard before, a small crack in the armour of the woman who had always seemed so invincible to me.

I didn't know what to say. The weight of her words, the vulnerability behind them—it hit me in a way I wasn't prepared for. This wasn't just idle curiosity. This was something deeper, something personal.

A part of her that she rarely let anyone see.

And for a moment, all I could do was sit there, staring at her, trying to process the enormity of what she'd just said. My mother, the woman who had raised me, who had been my constant in a world that always seemed to be shifting—she was asking to see a side of me that no one else in my family had ever seen.

Not as a parent...Not as the woman who gave me life...But as someone who wanted to understand what it meant to be in my world.

I leaned back in my seat, tapping my fingers thoughtfully on the armrest as I studied her. Her vulnerability, her curiosity—it was all laid bare, and it gave me an opening I couldn't ignore.

If she wanted to see that side of me, to understand what made those women fall for me, I could use that to my advantage.

Maybe even turn the tables a little...