"Hahaha, I love that gaze."
Apophis let out a sultry chuckle, her voice like silk soaked in poison. Her palm drifted forward, fingers reaching for Ben's face.
But this time, Ben moved. He caught her wrist midair.
"You didn't answer my question."
Apophis's rosy lips curled into a wider smile, unbothered. If she wanted to break free, she clearly could. But she didn't.
Instead, she leaned closer, their faces now just inches apart.
"If someone kidnapped you from your home," she whispered, "tore you from everything you knew, experimented on your body, your mind… and you had the power to make them regret it, would you run back home? Or would you make damn sure they suffered first?"
Ben's eyes narrowed. He didn't know if she was lying, twisting the truth, or planting seeds of doubt. But he wanted to hear more.
"Of course I'd make them pay," he said, his tone steady. "But I heard… you killed innocents. That's not justice."
Apophis laughed again, soft and mocking.
