Damn Thing

Tom tilted his head, pointing at the cave with a look of confusion. He slowly walked up to the two of them, his voice exceptionally gentle, "Go down, see what's inside..."

Trembling uncontrollably, Dennis grabbed Amy's wrist. He knew this guy was serious. If they didn't want to be poisoned to death, they had no choice but to obey. If they were careful, maybe they could get into the damned cave in one piece.

Gritting their teeth, the two walked to the edge of the cliff and carefully began to climb down. Fortunately, their physical coordination was good, otherwise, they would have been smashed to pieces. After successfully entering the dark cave, Amy couldn't take it anymore and screamed loudly, releasing her fear, "Waaah! Let us up! Riddle! Let us up!!"

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Tom suppressed the inexplicable urge that rose within him and took a deep breath. "I'm not stopping you, am I?"

He ordered the sea snake to leave, glanced at the cave, and turned to leave. If he was unlucky and lost his life here, he could only blame himself for having such improper thoughts. He was no lamb to be slaughtered!

Walking alone to a deserted corner, Tom sat on the beach and casually picked up a stone, throwing it into the distance. What was family? What were family members... The orphanage was never his home, and the woman who only appeared in his dreams, he couldn't even be sure if she was his mother.

When would he also have a family? Even if it meant living a more impoverished life than now, he would be very happy, very pleased...

No, he couldn't be pleased. Perhaps facing the vast sea magnified his sense of loneliness, and he actually forgot that people like him didn't deserve to like anything. The feeling of loss was more painful than never having had it at all.

"I don't like it, I can't like anything..."

Constantly hypnotizing himself, Tom closed his eyes and lay on the beach, biting his forearm. He would indulge himself just this once. When he returned, he would put away his weakness, rebuild his walls, and never show such vulnerability again, even if he was completely alone.

The outing continued until close to evening. Mrs. Cole angrily led the children away. Those damned brats! No matter how human they looked, they couldn't hide their beastly nature. No matter what, she would never push these annoying brats into a fiery pit!

Fortunately, that Riddle had disappeared somewhere. Damn trash. She had heard about those sordid affairs and didn't expect them to happen around her. What rotten luck!

Just as he was about to return to his room, Tom was grabbed from behind. The force on his arm was so strong it made him want to frown. "Mrs. Cole?"

"Without my command, do not appear before potential adopters! Do you understand!"

Smiling, Tom made a promise, "Don't worry, Mrs. Cole, I won't go against your wishes." Although he didn't know what had gotten into Mrs. Cole, this was a good thing for him. He had no interest in putting on a fake smile to please a stranger.

Waving him away irritably, Mrs. Cole returned to her office, poured herself a glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp. This Riddle wasn't like his mother at all. She wondered who his biological father was. To give birth to such a beautiful child, his appearance must have been outstanding.

"Tch, an idiot who only cares about looks!" Thinking of that woman with an ordinary appearance, Mrs. Cole couldn't help but roll her eyes.