"Then who am I?" Rhea asked.

"My master," Mike answered, hesitating.

Rhea narrowed her eyes. "Really? But you don't seem to follow my instructions."

Mike frowned. "You're my master, but you still need to keep your promise. The boss used to let me see my son via video calls, but now I have no news of him. You—"

"He's dead," Rhea said abruptly.

"What did you say?" Mike asked, stunned.

"I said," Rhea emphasized, "he's dead. Your son is dead."

Mike's voice quivered. "Wh-what? That's a lie! Nicky... Nicky's fine."

"I'm not lying. Fred killed your son," Rhea sighed. "I didn't tell you sooner because I feared it would devastate you. But since you insisted, you'd find out eventually. Just know I can't help you; he's gone."

Overwhelmed, Mike muttered in a daze, "No, that's impossible! Why would he kill a child? Fred could have just returned Nicky if he was no longer useful. They promised me..."

Rhea hadn't told him earlier, anticipating this reaction. Now, knowing Nicky's death was inevitable, she decided to tell him. She also wanted to punish Mike for upsetting her.

"My condolences," Rhea said wearily. "But grief is better than suspense, wouldn't you agree? Give me the phone."

As she reached for it, Mike held it tight. "You're lying!"

"I'm not," Rhea retorted. "Mike, is that any way to speak to me?"

She tested his hypnotic state. Mike stiffened and asked, "Where's my son's body?"

"Well..." Rhea hesitated. "Overseas. He was always there, wasn't he?"

Regaining his senses, he reasoned, "Then how do you know he's dead?"

"Fred told me he killed him," Rhea said. "Get over it. I know you're sad, but you can always have another child, can't you?" She dismissed his loss with a shrug. "So you've never actually seen him dead, right?" Mike pressed.