Chapter 155

“And then?” Ethan asked eagerly.

Brian replied, “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 knew little about the Moore family, but Brian, who worked in intelligence, knew more. Hearing this, everyone sighed deeply, saddened by 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 for better treatment.”

“Who would’ve thought that once they moved, they’d never return?” 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 directly at Brian.

Brian said, “The Moore family moved abroad twenty years ago. Nathan was just seven then. Three years later, when the tragedy struck, he was ten.”

“Ten,” Zinnia whispered. Seventeen years had passed. If he were alive, he’d be twenty-seven, her master’s age.

Zinnia wondered, ‘Master, are you from the Moore family? If so, how did you survive seventeen years ago?’ The coincidences were too numerous to ignore.

After a long day of classes, Maisie drove Zinnia home. Yannis wasn’t there. Zinnia surveyed the living room. Her stomach growled. ‘I want snacks, not vegetarian dinner,’ she thought.

Zinnia put her backpack in her room and went to the living room, only to find her snacks almost gone. A few packs of cookies and some chocolate remained.

The cookies and chocolate lacked any harmful additives, so Yannis hadn’t removed them. With no other option, Zinnia angrily grabbed a pack of cookies and took a large bite. ‘I shouldn’t have moved here,’ she thought sadly.

Zinnia sat on the sofa, nibbling a cookie when her phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was a message from an unknown number:

[Miss M, Mr. M has prepared the medicine for us. He said it’s with you. When can we pick it up?]

Zinnia thought, ‘Those are the titles Master and I use publicly. I never understood their meaning before. Now I do, Master, what is your connection to the Moore family?’

Three Moores had died in the fire. The thought caused a sharp pain in her chest. She hoped her master was only a distant relative, not who she suspected.

‘If that’s true, Master has had a hard life,’ she thought, a bitter feeling rising in her throat. She ate a piece of candy, hoping the sweetness would soothe her.

Holding back her thoughts, Zinnia arranged to meet them over the weekend. ‘I have exams these two days,’ she thought.

Chapter 155

After days of waiting, they finally contacted her about the medicine.

Zinnia thought, ‘Master contacted them. I trust him; he wouldn’t hurt me. Besides, if they found Master, he must be special.’

The other party readily agreed to the time.

Just as Zinnia put down her phone, the front door opened. Yannis entered, carrying two shopping bags. She watched, but didn’t offer to help.

Yannis had taken all her snacks, and Zinnia felt upset. Perhaps her closeness to him was making her spoiled.

“Zinnia, did you eat the soup I made?” Yannis asked, not expecting her help.

He saw her upset. Her pouty face betrayed her. She barely looked at him, hugging her stuffed toy and absentmindedly tugging its ear.

After changing his shoes, Yannis went inside. That morning, before work, he’d set a timer for the soup. Knowing Zinnia’s school schedule, he texted her after classes ended.

“No,” Zinnia mumbled, avoiding the kitchen. She’d seen Yannis’s message but ignored it. She wasn’t in the mood for soup, though the faint smell of broth lingered.

“Still upset, Zinnia? I sensed your grumpy mood the moment I walked in,” Yannis teased, smiling playfully.

Carrying the bags, he approached her. Her shoulders slumped, her face partly hidden in her white hoodie. Her bright eyes looked down, seeming tired.

Zinnia looked like a kitten who’d lost its favorite treat—lazy and sad, unwilling to meet her owner's gaze.

“You stole my snacks!” Zinnia snapped, glaring at him. “You even locked the snack cabinet! Now I can’t even have a pack.”

Since Zinnia moved in, Yannis had made a special snack cabinet for her, filled with treats she couldn’t eat.

“Don’t blame me, Zinnia. I left 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 endearing.

“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 short time,’ she thought.

Yannis chuckled softly as he put down the bags. “Looks like I really let you down. I wonder if these will make it up to you.”

Yannis enjoyed Zinnia’s little sulks. She was relaxing around him, her shyness fading.

“What?” Zinnia asked, pretending indifference, as her eyes met his.