Rhea stood behind her mother, silently watching her with deep, enigmatic eyes.

"He is my colleague," Rhea said calmly. "He's aware of this situation as well."

"Colleague?" Maria turned to her daughter, uncertain and skeptical. Maria had lived in pain since Rhea faked her death, finding the courage to continue only after her daughter's return. Since then, she had followed Rhea's instructions unquestioningly. Her daughter's happiness was her only desire; nothing else mattered.

"Yup," Rhea nodded, looking at Mike. "This is my mom. Since you're here, you're already an accomplice. Do you think you can still remain uninvolved?"

Mike hesitated, caught between a rock and a hard place. He took a deep breath and looked at Maria. "That's right, I'm Rhea's colleague, and we're working together. You can rest assured I won't disclose anything that happens here."

Maria's worry remained. Doubtfully, she turned to her daughter. "Is it possible he's lying? Men are good at deceiving people."

Mike remained silent.

Rhea smiled. "Mom, you're overthinking. I'm not dating him, so what could he lie about? Besides, even if he wanted to, he'd have to be quite skilled." Her provocative, confident eyes implied she believed Mike was completely within her control.

Mike chuckled dryly, unsure how to respond to the pair.

Maria felt slightly reassured by her daughter's confidence, but sighed. "Speaking of which, you should be dating, getting married, having children at your age. But now…"

This immediately annoyed Rhea. "Mom!"

Maria flinched, covering her mouth. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I have no complaints as long as you're alive and well. Nothing else matters."

Rhea said nothing.

Mike finally understood. Maria's unquestioning compliance stemmed from the trauma of Rhea's faked death, and her current state seemed… unusual.

He pursed his lips. "Actually… our laboratory experiment is complete. Rhea can return to her normal life. Mrs. Moore, if you want her to—"

Rhea interrupted. "Shut up!"

"Is that true?" Maria looked at Rhea with hope.

But after Rhea's rebuke, Maria glanced at her cautiously, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. As long as my Ree is happy, that's enough. No, it doesn't matter…"

Mike raised an eyebrow, offering a knowing smile, but said nothing more.

Rhea cleared her throat. "Mom, you should leave. We're about to leave, too."