Bennett chuckled after Ariana's comment but didn't say anything.

"My little boy is just five," Ariana said, her voice catching. "He's never been apart from me this long. I know he's probably missing me right now."

It was evident from Ariana's expression that being apart from her son Melon was weighing heavily on her.

This was the longest she had ever been without him, and she felt every minute of it.

Bennett's expression changed as he asked with a hint of sarcasm, “Are you missing your kid or your man?"

Ariana shot him a look, clearly irked.

Of course, she missed them both. What kind of question was that?

But she let it slide, remaining silent.

The quiet stretched out for a bit before Bennett smiled again, not at all fazed, and addressed her earlier question.

"Look, I can't relate to a kid missing their mother," he said, shrugging. "I don't miss my mom. Actually, I think I hate her more than I ever missed her."

“What? You hate her?" Ariana was thrown off by his words.

She had been hoping to find some common ground with Bennett, but he was not following the script.

"Yes, I hate her," Bennett replied, his eyes turning icy. "My mom saw me as nothing but a stepping stone. If you're talking about love, there wasn't much of it between her and me. It was more like a mutual loathing."

“Mutual loathing? How can a mother hate her own kid?" Ariana was confused.

Bennett scoffed, "Just because you don't hate your kid doesn't mean others can't. I've told you my mother was pretty, right? She was also super young when she had me. So a pretty girl who had a baby before she was ready-how much love do you think she had to give me?"

Ariana was at a loss for words. She couldn't relate to this.

Bennett continued, "My mom was all about her looks, but after I was born, her body changed. She got stretch marks, lost her figure, and, with it, my dad's attention. She used to tell me I ruined her dreams of living in style. She turned to booze and would hit me when she was drunk. When she was sober, she would just rant about how I ruined her life. Things changed when I was five. I solved a major issue for my dad. He suddenly valued me, and my mom saw it as a chance to gain power. She harmed my dad's other women and their kids. When she died, I didn't feel sad. That was when I knew I had to fight or I'd never find peace."

Ariana felt complicated after hearing Bennett's words.

She didn't know whether she should comfort him or not.

In fact, she didn't want to comfort him. But considering that her life was in his hands right now, she said, “Well, that's all in the past, right? You've got a booming business, and no one can mess with you now."