MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 683: Heartbreak

At another side of the grand building, Vega and her mother could be seen sitting together in serene companionship. They had both departed from the upper dining floor shortly after Anthony and Klaus excused themselves. As Anthony and Klaus left to enjoy their own moment of bonding, Amara and her daughter, Vega, likewise rose from their seats and quietly made their way out, deciding to share a moment of intimacy between mother and daughter.

Now, at this particular moment, the two women found themselves seated on the topmost floor balcony. The balcony stretched wide, with an airy openness that allowed the refreshing breeze of the evening to brush against their faces.

The stillness of the night air was broken only by the occasional whistle of wind, and the atmosphere carried with it a quiet elegance.

When Anthony had earlier teased that anyone could have mistaken Amara for Vega’s twin sister rather than her mother, he had not merely been flattering her or attempting to butter her up. He had meant every word of it with sincerity. The resemblance between mother and daughter was astonishing to the point of disbelief.

The only noticeable differences lay in their height and the subtle shade of their eyes. Beyond that, they could have been mirror images of each other, youthful beauty reflected across generations.

As Vega and Amara sat in tranquil silence, Jenna stepped gracefully onto the balcony. She moved with practiced elegance, offering a gentle bow before placing a crystal plate of mana-infused fruits on the small carved table situated between mother and daughter.

The fruits glowed faintly with a mystical sheen, their essence enriched with energy to restore vitality. Jenna bowed once more before retreating silently, leaving them to their private conversation.

”You don’t think Dad is going to kill him, right?” Vega asked suddenly, her voice breaking the silence as she reached out to pick a fruit from the plate. She moved with a casual motion, though the slight crease in her brows betrayed her inner concern.

Vega knew her father far too well, the type of man he was, the principles he lived by, and his disdain for anything insincere. That was precisely why she had warned Anthony not to waste his efforts trying to please Klaus. Her father detested sycophancy; he hated those who bent over backward to win favor.

”Don’t worry, he won’t,” Amara replied with a soft, knowing smile. Her voice carried a soothing assurance as though she were entirely certain. ”He wouldn’t dare kill my daughter’s first boyfriend.”

”Why do you always call him ’First Boyfriend,’ as though I’m going to break up with him and then get another boyfriend tomorrow?” Vega asked with mild frustration, her mother’s choice of words clearly getting under her skin.

Throughout their meal earlier, Amara had repeatedly referred to Anthony with that title, ’first boyfriend.’ Vega had chosen not to confront her about it in front of Anthony, but now that they were alone, she could no longer ignore the nagging thought.

”It’s simply rare to find true love on your very first try, especially when the affection flows equally from both sides,” Amara explained with calm clarity, her tone carrying the weight of experience. ”I’m not suggesting that I wish for my daughter’s heart to be broken in her first relationship. No mother would ever desire that. But reality is often far less forgiving than the idealized image of romance. It is... the way the universe tends to be.”

”Why don’t you just use your abilities to find out? You always use them to spy on me anyway,” Vega spoke as she leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest in slight childlike defiance.

Amara chuckled softly, shaking her head. ”I won’t. Spying on you and spying on your relationship are two very different matters. I wish to see you experience love with my own eyes, to witness it unfolding in the moment, not through glimpses or foresight, but through reality itself.”

Vega remained quiet for a moment before exhaling a sigh, her expression softening. ”It seems you had your fair share of men before you met Dad,” she murmured, her tone carrying the faint edge of curiosity.

”Indeed, I wouldn’t deny it,” Amara answered honestly, not even attempting to mask the truth. Her voice carried a subtle weight, tinged with the echoes of memory. ”Heartbreak does not discriminate, my dear. It does not care about your mana rank or your lifespan. No matter how long you live, you remain human at the core, bound by emotions and feelings. They are inescapable.”

”That is why I will be here for you at every step of your journey,” Amara continued, her tone motherly yet composed. ”Of course, I will not be the one holding your hand in the relationship, that is yours to manage. But I will always be here, to offer motherly advice, to steady you when you stumble, and to remind you that even heartbreak cannot define who you are.”

Amara’s mind drifted briefly to her past. Klaus had not been her first love. Long before him, she had given her heart to another. They had dated for a time, shared dreams and laughter, but eventually, his affection for her waned. His heart had wandered, finding solace in someone else.

She had not raged, nor had she sought vengeance. She had not drawn her blade to cut him down or burn bridges with hatred. No, she had simply walked away, her eyes filled with tears, her nights haunted by restless silence. There were nights she would sit staring blankly into the sky, questions swirling endlessly in her mind: What went wrong? Could I have done more? Was I not enough?

Though the pain was not physical, it had been sharper than any blade, heavier than any wound of the flesh. That was the cruelty of heartbreak, an agony that lingered long after the wound was inflicted.

It was precisely because of that experience that Amara had left her personal retreat the very moment she learned her daughter was bringing her boyfriend home. She wished to see him with her own eyes, to judge him not as a stranger but as a man who sought to stand beside her daughter.

Even if she had found Anthony unworthy, she would not have interfered openly. She would have remained on the sidelines, vigilant like a mother hen, ready to shield her daughter should the need arise. But Anthony had earned her approval, for now. That did not mean Amara had resigned herself to the idea of a fairy-tale ending where Vega and Anthony lived happily ever after.

Life was not so simple, and fate rarely so kind.

”What about Father? What about his fair share of women?” Vega asked suddenly. It was not the type of question she usually asked her parents. Matters of their past relationships had never concerned her before, nor had they ever been a topic at home. But given that the discussion had veered into the subject of romance, curiosity had crept in.

”Well...” Amara’s smile turned gentle, almost mischievous. ”I am your father’s first love. He never truly allowed himself to fall for anyone else. He may have sought physical companionship here and there, entangling himself with women, but those were fleeting encounters. He never formed any meaningful, long-term bond with them. To this day, he has never tasted heartbreak.”

Vega chuckled softly at her mother’s words, shaking her head as though to dismiss a wayward thought. ”I guess Dad lucked out, then,” she replied with a wry smile.

”We both did,” Amara corrected gently, her posture calm, her smile serene.

Vega only nodded in response. Her gaze drifted upward, drawn to the vast sky above. The stars shimmered faintly in the distance, their quiet glow reflecting the unspoken thoughts running through her mind. The night was silent, but within her heart, a thousand possibilities stirred.