Chapter 260: Chapter 260: It’s Hopeless

After spending enough time together—long enough that their connection deepened far beyond words—Mika and Cecilia eventually parted ways.

Cecilia walked out of the hospital room with her coat slightly disheveled, a light flush lingering on her cheeks and a newfound glow that seemed to radiate from within her.

When she rejoined her colleagues, their reactions were immediate.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" One of the nurses asked, narrowing her eyes. "You look...different."

"Yeah." Another chimed in with a teasing grin. "You suddenly look more mature. Like you aged a few years...in a good way."

Cecilia’s glasses turned foggy.

"N-Nothing happened! It’s not like that at all!" She stammered, waving her hands frantically.

But her colleagues weren’t convinced. They traded knowing looks and mischievous smiles, whispering among themselves.

"Sure, sure. Nothing happened." one said with a laugh. "You’re literally glowing, Cecilia. You can’t fake that."

Their teasing only made her flustered, and she quickly excused herself, retreating deeper into the corridor to cool off.

Meanwhile, Mika had other things on his mind.

He wandered through the hospital halls, his expression serious as he wasn’t thinking about Cecilia anymore—he was thinking about Fauna.

Specifically, about her reaction.

Technically, Fauna’s reaction earlier hadn’t been wrong.

If Yelena had walked in on such a moment, she too would’ve been annoyed for a second, maybe embarrassed, then probably sighed and told them to carry on.

That was just her way.

But Fauna was different.

She had always seen Mika as a child—someone precious, innocent, someone she needed to protect.

So, logically, he’d expected her to have an over-the-top reaction. A meltdown, maybe even scolding him for acting so "grown-up."

Instead, she’d handled it far too calmly.

After the initial surprise, she just...accepted it. Almost too easily.

And that was what bothered him.

He needed to know what was going through her mind.

After asking a few doctors along the way, Mika finally made his way down to the hospital’s ground floor.

And there, much to his astonishment he found her.

Fauna was sitting right at one of the reception desks.

With a big, cheerful smile on her face.

At first glance, one might think she was just chatting with patients—but no. She was working. Like a receptionist.

Her golden hair was neatly tied back, her lab coat replaced with a casual cardigan that looked far too domestic for her station.

The actual receptionists beside her looked terrified. They were working with laser-sharp focus, trying not to breathe too loudly, afraid one wrong move would get them fired.

But Fauna looked perfectly content.

When she spotted Mika approaching, her entire face brightened with a radiant smile.

"Oh, Mika! You’re finally back!" She said cheerfully, as though nothing unusual had happened earlier.

Mika groaned under his breath.

"Fauna." He said slowly. "What exactly are you doing down here? Your office is on the twelfth floor."

"Don’t tell me that being the chairman of an entire hospital franchise isn’t giving you enough pay and you had to become a receptionist for the day to make minimum wage?"

"Oh, you silly goose! It’s not that at all! Fauna giggled, waving a hand dismissively before looking at the nervous receptionist next to her and saying, "I was just walking by earlier and saw how the receptionists talk to the patients, helping them find their way, offering a kind smile—it looked so fun!"

"So you decided to sit down and...join them?" Mika asked flatly.

"Exactly!" She nodded with enthusiasm. "I thought I’d try it out too. I wanted to see what it feels like to help people directly from here! But..." Her face suddenly fell, and she pouted adorably. "No one’s coming to me."

"...What?"

She gestured dramatically toward the desks around her.

"Look! Everyone else’s lines are full! The patients are talking to the other receptionists—but no one comes to me! It’s so unfair!"

Mika sighed, already feeling the headache building.

"That’s because they’re intimidated by you, Fauna."

"Intimidated? By me?" She repeated in disbelief, placing a hand on her chest, before saying in a indignant manner. "That can’t be true! Everyone always says I’m adorable and fluffy!"

"They call you adorable?"

"Yes!" She said with a straight face. "They always say I’m so approachable and cute! Even though I don’t like being called that, mind you. I’m a proper grown woman, not a child!"

"But if they think I’m so approachable, why is no one coming to me?"

"Because, Fauna..." He gave her a small, exasperated smile. "...you’ve gone too far in the opposite direction. You’re not just ’adorable’ anymore. You’re ethereal."

"You radiate so much purity and warmth that people think they’ll get burned if they get too close."

"Burned?" Her mouth fell open in offense. "Mika, stop exaggerating! I’m not a bonfire!"

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"You might as well be. To them, you look like a saint—too kind, too divine, too perfect. No one wants to be the sinner who dares to approach the saint."

Fauna blinked, then laughed, clapping her hands together. "Oh, stop! You’re making it sound ridiculous!" She giggled. "I’m just sitting here, that’s all!"

"Yeah, and meanwhile the staff beside you are sitting straighter than rulers and sweating bullets."

Mika muttered, watching the poor receptionists trying not to look in their direction, before realizing that he was getting sidetracked.

He had come here with a purpose—to ask Fauna what she had thought when she walked into that room earlier. Yet somehow, with her cheerful energy, he had ended up talking about reception desks and intimidation instead.

He took a quiet breath and searched for a natural way to steer the conversation back to the main point.

But how was he supposed to bring something like that up?

’Hey, remember when you saw me cover your disciple’s face in my seed?’

No, that sounded awful.

But before he could decide, Fauna suddenly called out.

"Oh, Mika—about what happened in that room earlier..."

His head snapped up, caught off guard by now she herself was bringing the topic up.

But nonetheless, finally, he thought. She was going to address it.

He braced himself for the scolding—the disappointed tone, the lecture about how he shouldn’t do such grown up things.

But that wasn’t what came next.

Fauna leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice so only he could hear and said,

"Don’t worry about it, Mika. Your secrets safe with me. I won’t tell anyone���especially Anya."

"Wait...what?"

He blinked, while Fauna continued, completely calm.

"Anya would go absolutely crazy if I mentioned anything about this and poor Cecilia’s life would be over before she even had time to explain, so let’s just keep this between us, alright?"

Mika stared at her, completely speechless.

That was it? No anger, no reprimand? Just...casual reassurance?

"That’s all?" He asked finally, his voice full of disbelief. "That’s all you have to say? You’re not mad at me? You’re not going to tell me I did something wrong or something I shouldn’t do? Or at least be shocked that I was—well—that we were—?"

Fauna tilted her head thoughtfully, then nodded once.

"Well, technically, yes, I did see something I wasn’t supposed to." She said with a teasing lilt. "And technically, it was in a hospital, which is...not exactly ideal."

"Exactly!" Mika interjected, feeling vindicated.

"But...you’re at that age, Mika." She held up a finger. "And Cecilia has been rather pent-up lately, so honestly, it’s not that surprising."

"At that age? Pent up?...What do you mean by that, Fauna?" He asked, his tone suspicious.

"Oh, come on, Mika." She said with a grin. "Even if I didn’t sit you down and explain the birds and the beasts in detail, you know what I’m talking about."

She spoke like a doctor giving a health lecture.

"You’re a grown man now. You have your own desires. It’s normal. Perfectly normal. And as someone with a very...let’s say, strong personality and body, it’s only natural you’d have some...encounters."

"Encounters?! That’s how you’re putting it?"

"Of course. It’s nothing unusual." Fauna just nodded casually, as if she were talking about the weather. "You’re healthy, alive, and emotional—that’s part of growing up. Frankly, I’m more surprised about Cecilia."

"Cecilia?" Mika echoed.

"Yes." Fauna said, crossing her arms. "She’s always been so composed and distant with men. I’ve asked her before if she had any men in her life, and she always said no."

"But I’ve noticed the stress building in her for months. The way she bottled everything up, it wasn’t healthy. So if today helped her...release some of that tension..."

"Fauna..." Mika interrupted in disbelief. "You’re not seriously—"

"I’m relieved, actually." Fauna said with a smile. "I was worried about her. Her work is intense, and it was starting to eat her up. But after what I saw, well, I can tell she’s feeling better. That glow on her face was proof enough!"

Mika just stared at her, dumbfounded.

"You’re looking at this...way too practically."

"I am a doctor." Fauna shrugged which made him groan and bury his face in his hands.

"But how can you just accept it like that? Don’t you...don’t you still see me as—" He stopped, lifting his head. "Don’t you treat me like your baby boy? Your precious little kid who can’t do anything wrong?"

"So how are you not even a little shocked that I did what I did?!"

"I was surprised!" She admitted, raising her hands defensively. "When I walked in, I was embarrassed and flustered...who wouldn’t be?"

"But then I remembered that you’re an adult now. A full-grown man with your own choices and emotions. It’s strange to think you’ve grown up so fast when you were once so tiny and mischievous, but..." She smiled gently. "That’s life. And I’m proud of you for growing up."

"That’s not what I meant..." He whimpered softly.

"Then what did you mean?" Fauna looked at him, amused.

He hesitated, then sighed, before saying,

"I mean...what about you? You say I’m an adult but doesn’t it bother you when I...I touch you the way I do? Like, if you still considered me as a kid that wouldn’t be considered inappropriate, I guess."

"But right now you’re admitting that I’m an adult, so don’t you think it’s contradictory to what you’re saying and it’s a little bit strange how intimate we are as a mother and son?"

For a moment, Fauna’s expression softened, and then, she giggled and said, "Oh, Mika. Of course not."

He frowned, confused. "Why not?"

"Because no matter how old you get." She said fondly. "You’ll always be my baby boy. That’s never going to change."

He blinked, his heart sinking.

"To others..." Fauna continued gently. "You might be a brilliant young man, who’s a full adult...But to me? You’re still that sweet little boy who used to tug at my sleeve and ask me to teach him how to use the microscope."

"You’re my precious Mika. And nothing you do will ever change that."

Hearing this, Mika stared at her, completely defeated. She was smiling at him—warm, gentle, pure affection in her eyes and he realized there was nothing he could do.

In her eyes, he’d never be anything but her child.

Not a man.

Not a partner.

Just her little Mika.

He sighed softly, wanting to laugh, half wanting to cry as even after deep-fucking a women right in front of her he still saw her as always.

It was hopeless.

Absolutely hopeless.