This Is No Longer A Game! [Bonus chapter]

Villain Ch 36. This Is No Longer A Game!

Zoe's heart was pounding in her chest, a mixture of excitement and apprehension. She had always known that her mother was a free spirit, and that she didn't conform to society's norms. But this was different. This was something that she had never seen before.

"What do you mean by half-kidding?" Zoe asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Shea's eyes flickered with amusement. "Hm… Nothing~" she said with a shrug, as she turned to walk away.

But Zoe was not going to let her mother off the hook so easily. She chased after her, her heart racing with anticipation. When she finally caught up to her, she blocked her path, forcing her to stop.

"Tell me, Mom… are you really interested in him?" she asked, her voice serious and unflinching. This was the first time her mother had shown any interest in a man much younger than her, and Zoe knew that her mother's half-kidding meant she was serious.

Shea looked at her daughter, her eyes glistening with a mixture of amusement and affection. "If I said yes, would you oppose me?" she replied casually as if the idea of her daughter disapproving of her love life was amusing.

Zoe frowned in confusion, her brows knitting together as she tried to make sense of her mother's sudden interest. "Why? You just met him once. I don't understand," she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

"No reason," Shea said casually, as if she were discussing the weather. "He simply caught my eyes. As for the rest, it depends on his personality. Like you said, we've only met him once so we don't know anything about him. But based on data from Kafra, we already know that he comes from the middle class and doesn't have any criminal record. We don't know anything about him other than that," Shea added, her voice measured and calm.

That made Zoe's eyes widen in shock. She couldn't believe that her mother had checked this man's bio.

"You even checked his bio?" she asked in shock, her voice almost like a shout.

Shea casually folded her arms across her chest and smirked, a glint in her eyes that Zoe knew all too well. "Not only him, but I have also checked all of our team's data and asked Brad to conduct further investigations," she explained nonchalantly.

Zoe's frown deepened, her confusion growing more palpable by the second. "What? Why?" she asked, her voice tinged with frustration. "It's just a game," she reminded her mother, hoping to make her see the absurdity of her actions.

"It was," Shea replied casually, her voice measured and calm. "But since I've invested there, this is no longer a game for me. Besides, I need a guarantee that we are dealing with normal people, not psychos or even half-hearted people who like to leave their duties and jobs in the middle," she explained, her voice taking on a slightly harder edge. Shea hated nothing more than people who were only passionate at the beginning of their work, but then disappeared over time, leaving their job without saying anything.

Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration that was building inside her. She knew that her mother was passionate about her work and that she took everything seriously. But sometimes, she took things too far.

"True," she admitted, her voice resigned. "But do you really think that this is necessary?" she asked.

"Yes." A smile appeared on Shea's lips, the kind of smile that spoke of mischief and determination. "And you know me," she said, turning to look at Zoe with a glint in her eye. "Whenever I'm attracted to someone, I'm going to find out all about him," she reminded her daughter, her voice low and conspiratorial.

Zoe rolled her eyes, knowing full well that her mother wasn't joking. Shea was an investor, and with her wealth, she could buy or do anything she wanted. Many people approached her, hoping to get a piece of her wealth. Gold diggers, Shea called them. And she didn't like them one bit. That was why she had tested Allen when they were in the Cyber Building, hinting that she was interested in making him her virtual sugar boy. But it seemed that Allen didn't like the idea, and Shea could say that he had passed her test.

"Right…" Zoe said with a huff.

But Shea didn't seem to hear her daughter's annoyance. "Cut the chit-chat," she said, already walking away. "I need to shower and put on my 12-step night skincare after this," she added, as if that was the most important thing in the world.

Zoe followed alongside her mother, listening to her talk about her skincare routine. Shea was a firm believer in the power of beauty products, and she made sure to use only the best. Zoe couldn't help but be a little shocked that her mother still did her 12-step skincare routine every night while she found it troublesome.

"You're still doing that?" Zoe asked in disbelief.

"Yes, darling. That's what keeps me look beautiful," Shea replied, glancing at her daughter with a smirk. "I'm over 30 now, you know. It's important to take care of yourself."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "I think I'll stick to my favorite night cream," she said with a cringe.

Shea shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said before disappearing into her room.

Zoe walked to her room in silence, her thoughts consumed by what her mother had just said. She couldn't believe that Shea had already looked into Allen's background, just based on one encounter. It seemed that Shea was always one step ahead of everyone else, always looking for an edge in whatever she did.

But Zoe's thoughts soon turned to Allen himself. She couldn't deny that there was something about him that had caught her mother's eye. He was charming and handsome, with a hint of mystery that only added to his allure.

And Zoe had to admit that she was curious about him too…