Mind Reader

When Allynna entered her house, her legs suddenly felt weak.

Upon entering the spacious, lonely house again, she felt a wave of sadness.

She misses her mother so much. Miss her warm welcome when she comes home from school. She missed her mother's cooking. She longed for her mother's grumble whenever she didn't tidy up her room or wash her utensils after eating.

She also misses her father, who often teaches her math when she is stuck doing practice questions. Every time she sees a forest, she suddenly remembers her father. She shared many memories with him; they often went hiking every weekend. She misses all of that.

Allynna fell to the floor and cried, letting out her sadness. She stopped crying when all her tears had been shed, and no more were left, and her eyes hurt.

After some time...

Allynna was finally able to stand straight. She left the dark foyer and walked into a room that was not too big but neatly arranged with proportional furniture placement where her family usually gathered.

There is a brown leather sofa set with a large TV in front of it. Near the TV is a stair leading to the second floor; there are no bedrooms on the first floor. All bedrooms are on the second floor.

On the other side is a dining table with six chairs and a modern kitchen that is not too big, where her mother always prepares food for them. On each side of the house are large glass windows with brown curtains facing directly towards the garden. The backyard garden is currently very unkempt because she doesn't have time to maintain it. The one who used to take care of the garden was her father.

With unsteady steps, she headed to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She took a deep sigh when she found out the fridge was empty. Last weekend, she didn't have time to go grocery shopping. There wasn't anything she could eat in the fridge; there were only a few bottles of drink.

She could only laugh bitterly.

She wouldn't be starving like this if only her mother were still alive.

Since her parents died, she had to learn to live independently. She was cleaning this big house alone, cooking alone, providing her daily needs alone. Everything she did herself. She has no relatives to help her.

It's not that she doesn't know how to do it. She knows it well. Her parents trained her to learn enough about cleaning the house and cooking to live independently in the future.

However, her mother forbade her to do it since she was in middle school. Her mother said she just needed to study diligently. So, even though she knew how to survive alone, she still wasn't used to it.

Sometimes, Lizzy and her family came to deliver food or to accompany her, but still, she felt lonely, especially in a situation like now. When she was hungry and tired, her mother was not there waiting for her with warm food. This feeling was almost depressing, almost unbearable.

Tonight, she chose to skip dinner again. She often avoids the kitchen because it brings her sadness. Too many beautiful memories have happened in the kitchen—memories  with her mother, who loved and pampered her too much.

Because her parents loved her so much, even to this day, Allynna still couldn't believe that she was an adopted child and not their biological one.

The love of her parents was genuinely boundless.

She once heard someone say, Giving birth doesn't make you a mother, but showing love can make you a mother!

And her mother's love for her clearly proves how true that statement was.

...

Allynna left the first floor and headed to her bedroom. She usually soaks herself in warm water if she feels sad, like now. However, for some reason, she had no desire to do it tonight. She just took a quick shower with cold water.

A few minutes later, she left the bathroom and immediately put on her nightgown.

Allynna's eyes landed on her bag, and what Uncle Arathorn gave her filled her mind. She sat at her desk and took out the brown envelope. 

She was stunned when she took out all the contents of the envelope. She saw an ID Card, and it was hers, her new ID card.

"Why do I already have this ID card?" Allynna muttered while looking at the ID card in her hand. She should only get this card when she turns seventeen, and that's only a few days later. 

"How did Uncle Arathorn get this early!?" She was puzzled. 

For now, she put aside her curiosity and checked other documents. She could see there were also house and land certificates. Several other properties belong to her parents.

Another shock hit her when she read all the papers had now changed names from her Parents' names to hers. Not only that, but all of her parents' savings have now shifted to her savings.

"Mommy, Daddy... Please come back to me. I can't accept all of this! This is yours. I won't use this money—" Allynna said between her tears. She felt terrible that she had to use the money they left behind.

Although she inherited all her parents' money, she has decided to donate half of it to the orphanage where she was adopted from. She intends to repay their kindness by helping other children who have faced similar circumstances.

...

After a day of emotional ups and downs, after many times of crying, her body feels exhausted. 

She yawned a few times when sleepiness gradually hit her.

When Allynna was about to lay down on her soft bed and close her eyes, her phone vibrated.

She froze after reading a text message from the number she didn't recognize…

[Unknown Number] Miss Allynna, this is my cell phone number. My name is Leon.

Allynna read the message many times before she saved the 'unknown number' as 'Mysterious Man.'

Her eyes were still staring at the screen of her cell phone. Her mind conflicted. Should she reply to the text or ignore it?

If she replies, she fears Sir Leon will be disturbed because it's already 10 p.m. But if she doesn't answer the text messages, Sir Leon will think that the text message he sent did not deliver.

Allynna hesitated before her cell phone vibrated again.

She quickly read the message that just came in…

[Mysterious Man] No need to reply. And you have to eat your dinner. I don't want my bride to be skinny or sick from missing dinner.

Allynna's heart almost jolted out when she read his text message.

"I, I know it. Sir Leon must be the chosen one. His innate ability must be Mind-reader because he can read my mind!" She murmurs, but in a flash, she covers her mouth tightly with her hand, afraid Sir Leon knows what she is saying.

Allynna immediately threw her cell phone to the table, turned off the room lights, and hid under her blanket.

After she was sure her whole body was under the blanket, she felt relieved. But she didn't dare to move and didn't even dare to think of anything.

...

Meanwhile, in the pitch-black living room downstairs of Allynna's house, Leon sat on the single sofa with his eyes closed. Seconds later, his lips curved into a half-smile.

He opened his eyes slowly after not hearing any sound from Allynna's room. His golden eyes shone brightly in the darkness. He stood up from his seat, and his black silk night robe, which hung down to his ankles, seemed to swing. Suddenly, he vanished from the room.