Chapter 53
Derek's
I kept my eyes locked on my mother's face after I mentioned the Virex. I was searching for any sign of fear or a crack in her perfect, cold mask. I wanted to see her flinch. I wanted to see her realize that I had a weapon she couldn't easily defeat. For a long moment, she just stared back at me with those unblinking eyes. The room was so quiet that I could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Then, she started to laugh. It began as a soft, quiet sound in her throat, but it quickly grew louder. It was a cold, mocking laugh that made my skin crawl. She didn't look like a woman who was threatened. She looked like she was watching a child tell a silly joke. She calmly turned away from me and walked back to the couch. She sat down, crossed her legs, and folded her hands in her lap. She looked like she was attending a polite tea party instead of standing in the middle of a war zone.
