Chapter 155
“And then?” Ethan asked cagerly.
Brian said, “Twenty years ago, the Moore family moved abroad. Three years later, their house was bombed in a terrorist attack, and three family members died in the fire.”
The others didn’t know much about the Moore family, but Brian, who worked in the intelligence department, knew more. Hearing this, everyone sighed deeply, feeling sad for the story.
“Why did the Moore family move abroad anyway?” Maisie wondered aloud. “If they’d stayed here, none of this would have happened.”
“No one really knows why the Moore family moved abroad,” Brian said. “But rumor has it Mrs. Moore had health problems, so they went overseas to get better treatment.”
“Who would’ve thought that once they moved out, they’d never get the chance to come back,” Ethan said.
“But isn’t Richard a good doctor?” Maisie asked, “So why would they need to move abroad?
“Are you saying even the head of the Moore family couldn’t cure it?”
Zinnia said, “Even Richard can’t cure every illness.”
“How old was Nathan when the tragedy happened?” Zinnia asked, looking straight at Brian.
Brian said, “The Moore family moved abroad twenty years ago. Nathan was just seven back then. Three years later, when the tragedy hit, he was only
ten.”
“Ten,” Zinnia whispered. Seventeen years had passed. If he were alive, he’d be twenty–seven, just like her master’s age.
Zinnia wondered, ‘Master, are you from the Moore family? If you are, how did you survive against all odds seventeen years ago?‘ Once she thought this, she just couldn’t shake it. There were too many coincidences.
After a long day of classes, it was Maisie’s turn to give Zinnia a ride home. Yannis wasn’t at home. Zinnia looked around the living room. Her stomach growled. ‘I want snacks, not the vegetarian dinner tonight,’ she thought.
Zinnia put her backpack in her room and went into the living room, only to see her snacks were almost gone. A few packs of cookies and some chocolate were left.
The cookies and chocolate didn’t have any bad additives, so Yannis hadn’t taken them away. With no other choice, Zinnia angrily grabbed a pack of cookies and took a big bite. ‘I shouldn’t have moved here,’ she thought sadly.
Zinnia sat on the sofa, nibbling on a cookie when her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She leaned over and picked it up. It was a message from an
unknown number.
[Miss M, Mr. M has prepared the medicine for us. He said that the medicine is with you. When would be a good time for us to pick it up?]
Zinnia thought, ‘Those were the titles Master and I agreed to use in public. I never really understood what they meant before. Now I do, Master, what exactly is your connection to the Moore family?‘,
Three Moores had died in that fire. Just the thought made her feel a sharp, tight pain in her chest. She’d rather her master was only a distant relative of the Moores, rather than being the person she was guessing.
‘If that’s true, Master has had such a hard life,‘ she thought, a bitter feeling growing in her throat. She popped a piece of candy into her mouth, hoping the sweetness would calm her upset feelings.
Holding back her thoughts, Zinnia arranged to meet them over the weekend. ‘I have exams these two days, so I can’t give it to them until then,‘ she thought.
1/3
Chapter 155
After all those days waiting, they finally contacted her about the medicine.
Zinnia thought, ‘Master was the one who contacted them. I’ve always trusted Master. He would never hurt me. Besides, if they could find Master, the must be special.‘
The other side agreed to the time quickly.
Just as Zinnia put down her phone, the front door opened. Yannis came in carrying two shopping bags. She saw him but stayed still, not helping.
Yannis had taken all her snacks, and Zinnia felt a little upset. Maybe because she had grown closer to him, she was acting a bit spoiled.
“Zinnia, did you eat the soup I made for you?” Yannis asked. He didn’t expect Zinnia to help anyway.
He could tell she was still upset. Her pouty little face showed it. She hardly looked at him, just hugged her stuffed toy and absentmindedly tugged its ear, refusing to look at him.
After changing his shoes, Yannis stepped inside. That morning before work, he set a timer for the soup. Knowing exactly when Zinnia would finish school, he sent her a text right after classes ended.
“No,” Zinnia muttered, not even looking toward the kitchen. She saw Yannis’s message but ignored it on purpose. She just wasn’t in the mood for soup. Still, the faint smell of broth stayed in the air.
“Still upset, Zinnia? I could feel your grumpy mood the moment I came in,” Yannis teased, with a playful smile.
Carrying the bags, he went toward her. Her shoulders slumped sadly, her face partly hidden in her white hoodie’s collar. Her bright eyes looked down and seemed tired.
Zinnia looked just like a kitten who lost its favorite treat–lazy and sad in her bed, not wanting to look at her owner.
“You stole my snack!” Zinnia snapped when she heard him laugh, giving him an angry glare. “You even locked the snack cabinet. Now I can’t even have a pack.”
Since Zinnia moved in, knowing how much she loved snacks, Yannis had made a special snack cabinet just for her, filled with all kinds of treats, Zinnia could only look longingly at it. She wasn’t allowed to eat any.
“Don’t blame me, Zinnia. I did leave you some snacks,” Yannis said, pointing to the few treats on the table.
“I want chips and gummies,” Zinnia said.
Yannis said, “If I give you some treats, will you forgive me, Zinnia?”
Her complaint sounded sad. Her little pout was really cute.
“You won’t give me any,” Zinnia huffed.
‘I don’t even know why I’m acting so bratty. This isn’t even my place, and I’ve only known Yannis a little while,‘ she thought.
Yannis chuckled softly as he set down the bags. “Looks like I really let you down. I wonder if these will make it up to you.”
Yannis liked seeing Zinnia’s little sulks. She was getting more relaxed around him, her shy side melting away.
“What?” Zinnia asked, pretending she didn’t care, as her eyes looked at him.
