Chapter 514: Godmother and the Spoiled Son

Diana was surprised by my words. For a brief moment, her steps slowed, and her eyes widened. Then I saw something else flicker across her face — a hint of sadness mixed with guilt. She quickly looked away, as if trying to hide it.

"Didn’t your mother tell you..." she said softly, her voice carrying a slight tremor, "I am your godmother... and your aunt. How could I not know about you, little brat?"

She reached up and gently shuffled my hair with her fingers, trying to lighten the mood. A smug, playful smile returned to her lips as she looked at me with teasing eyes. "Come on... call me ’Mom’ quick. Let’s see how it sounds."

I didn’t call her "Mom." Instead, I stopped walking and looked straight into her eyes, my voice quiet but serious. "Then why am I only seeing you now? If you’ve known me since I was born... if you’ve been watching over me all this time... why did you wait until today to finally appear in front of me?"

The question seemed to choke Diana. Her smug smile instantly vanished. She opened her mouth, but no words came out at first. Her fingers, which were still in my hair, froze. I could see the guilt deepening in her beautiful eyes.

"I... I’m sorry..." she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "I should’ve come sooner... but... There were reasons. Complicated reasons. Things I couldn’t explain easily. I didn’t want to bring danger into your life. I thought staying away was the best way to protect you..."

She looked down at the oversized shoes on her feet, suddenly seeming smaller and more vulnerable than ever. The confident, powerful woman I had seen in the interrogation room was gone. Right now, she was just Diana — someone carrying heavy regrets.

Seeing her feel down like this tugged at my heart. I gently took her hand again and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"It’s okay," I said softly, my voice warm and sincere. "You don’t have to explain everything right now. I’m just glad you’re here with me now... at least. Today has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. So... let’s not ruin it with sad things, alright?"

Diana lifted her gaze to meet mine. Her eyes were slightly glossy, but she nodded slowly, a small, grateful smile forming on her lips.

"Thank you..." she murmured. "You’re too kind for your own good, Dexter. Just like your mother." She paused for a moment, then added with a hint of playfulness, trying to return, "But don’t think I’ve forgotten about making you call me ’Mom.’ One day I’ll make you say it properly."

I chuckled lightly, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere. "We’ll see about that. For now, let’s just focus on dinner. I’m starving, and I bet you are too after all that running and chasing."

Diana let out a soft laugh, though it still carried a trace of sadness. She squeezed my hand back and nodded. "Alright... dinner it is. But after that, we really should head back. Your mother will start worrying if we’re out too late."

As we continued walking toward the restaurant area outside the park, the colorful lights around us felt a little dimmer.

The air between us had grown thicker with unspoken words and hidden feelings. I could feel Diana’s thumb gently brushing against the back of my hand, as if she was silently apologizing again and again.

After the emotional moment outside the park, I helped Diana choose what to eat. We settled on a cozy Italian restaurant just outside the amusement park. I ordered creamy pasta for her and a juicy steak with fries for myself.

We ate slowly, talking about small things — our favorite rides from earlier, how funny the haunted house was, and how good the ice cream tasted. Diana seemed to relax again, laughing softly whenever I teased her about the broken heel.

By the time we finished, both of us were full and content. The sky had already turned dark. I called a cab and took Diana back home.

When we entered the house, Mom (Veronica) was sitting in the living room, scrolling through her phone with a cup of tea in her hand. The moment she saw us, her eyes lit up.

Diana smiled warmly and said, "Veronica... long time no see."

Mom immediately stood up and pulled Diana into a tight hug, rocking her from side to side like old friends who had missed each other dearly. "Who changed their phone number and stopped contacting me, huh? I’ve been trying to reach you for months!"

Diana hugged her back just as tightly, laughing softly. "Do you think I don’t want to? Life gets complicated sometimes, you know that."

Suddenly, Diana’s hand moved playfully and pinched Mom’s ass with a mischievous grin. "You bitch... You didn’t even tell your son about me! I’m his godmother, for God’s sake!"

Mom gasped dramatically, then slapped Diana’s ass right back in retaliation. "Hmm... now you remember you’re his godmother? After disappearing for so many years? Bold of you to show up and complain!"

I stood there watching both of them, unable to hold back a chuckle. They were acting exactly like little girls — teasing, pinching, and bickering playfully. It was both heartwarming and hilarious to see two grown, elegant women behaving this way.

Both of them immediately turned toward me at the same time, eyes narrowing in perfect sync.

"What are you laughing at?" Mom asked, raising an eyebrow.

Diana crossed her arms and added with a scoff, "Yeah, what’s so funny, young man? Go to your room now!"

I raised both hands in surrender, still grinning. "Nothing, nothing... You two just look really cute fighting like this. It’s like watching teenagers."

Mom pointed toward the stairs dramatically. "Cute? Go upstairs before I pinch your ears too! And don’t think I didn’t notice you brought Diana home so late. We’ll talk about that tomorrow."

Diana gave me a quick wink behind Mom’s back, her expression soft and affectionate for a split second before she turned back to Mom with a dramatic sigh. "See? This is why I stayed away. Your son has become too cheeky."