Chapter 31: The Birthday Surprise

Tiffany's POV The next morning, I woke before dawn. Summer was still asleep, her arm thrown over her face as if she was trying to block out the entire world. I tied my hair back in a loose knot and quietly went downstairs. The kitchen smelled like cinnamon and warm apples. Mama Rose was already there, moving between the ovens and the counter with the same practiced ease she had every morning. When she saw me, she smiled. “Happy birthday, Tiffy,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron. A fresh apple pie sat on the counter, still warm from the oven, with a single candle waiting in the center. My chest tightened. “Mama Rose, you didn’t have to…” “Yes, I did.” She waved me over with a smile. “Come on. We do this every year, don’t we? Warm apple pie and a candle. Just like always.” I walked over to the counter, and Mama Rose lit the candle for me. The small flame flickered between us as she stepped back and looked at me with a soft smile. “Make a wish,” she said. I closed my eye

Chapter 32: The Worst Excuse for a Date

Tiffany's POV Scars broke the silence first. His hand dropped completely from my side as he shifted his attention to Lucas. “Tyler,” Scars said, his voice smooth and perfectly polite. “Long time no see. I hope you have been doing better. You took quite a hit the last time we saw each other.” He was talking about the gunshot wound. Lucas did not miss a beat. He stepped off the curb and walked toward us, slipping into his role as Tyler Harper so naturally that anyone watching would have believed it. He forced a casual smile, but his jaw was tight, and there was a coldness in his eyes that only I could recognize. “I am doing much better,” Lucas said as he stopped a few feet away. “Thanks for asking. It is good to see you again.” Scars gave him an easy smile. “Likewise.” Lucas glanced at me, then at the dark metal pendant resting against my chest before looking back at Scars. “I see you just got back from a date with my sister.” Scars gave a slow nod, a faint smile touching his m

Chapter 33: The Things We Don't Say

Tiffany's POV I was still smiling when I walked into the kitchen at six in the morning, and I might have gotten away with it if Mrs. Bennett hadn’t looked up from her clipboard and frowned at me. “Something funny, Sofia?” “No, Mrs. Bennett.” I pressed my lips together, but the corners of my mouth refused to cooperate. “I just slept well.” “Then you are the only person in this house who did.” She slid a silver tray across the marble counter. “Madam has been awake since four. Espresso, no sugar, a little cream, and the temperature must be exact. Do not spill it this time.” “I won’t.” [She’s in a good mood. In this house, that’s either a very good sign or a very bad one.] I took the tray to the espresso machine and prepared Jacquelline’s coffee, adding a little cream before setting the cup on the silver tray. As I headed upstairs, the house was already coming back to life. The staff had returned overnight, and the lower floors echoed with the clatter of dishes and the steady shuff

Chapter 34: The Girl in the Photograph

Tiffany's POV Mrs. Bennett had given me one free hour before dinner preparations began. She called it a courtesy. I called it my only chance to figure out how to survive the evening without blowing my cover. I climbed to the third floor with my pulse already racing, keeping my head down as I passed the empty hallway. Two guards stood near the staircase at the far end, looking bored enough to count the minutes until their shift ended. Once I reached my room, I locked the door and closed my eyes, listening for any thoughts that might reach me through the walls. [Four more hours of standing here. My feet are killing me.] [Is it too early to ask Bennett for a break?] Their thoughts came through faintly, muffled by the distance. Nothing else reached me, and that was exactly what worried me about this floor. The wall beside my bed connected directly to Jacquelline's private wing, which meant I could have someone standing on the other side without ever knowing. I couldn't afford to let

Chapter 35: The Secrets We Share

Tiffany’s POV I read the writing along the bottom of the photograph again, hoping the words might somehow change if I stared at them long enough, but they remained the same, along with the sinking feeling in my chest. I had to think like a detective, not like a girl who had just found her own face in a stranger's dressing room. Facts first, feelings later. Xavia One had gone missing twenty-one years ago, when she was four years old. I had turned twenty-five yesterday, which meant I would have been four when she disappeared. The numbers matched, and I had checked them three times just to make sure I was not jumping to conclusions. And we shared the same birthday. I had thought it was a coincidence, but now, with that photograph in my hands, I was no longer so sure. My mind drifted back to the day of the recruitment, when Mrs. Bennett had sent all the blondes to be interviewed by Jacquelline herself while the other candidates were assigned to the senior staff. I had thought it was

Todos los capítulos de Mindreader: Capítulo 31 - Capítulo 35

Chapter 31: The Birthday Surprise

Chapter 32: The Worst Excuse for a Date

Chapter 33: The Things We Don't Say

Chapter 34: The Girl in the Photograph

Chapter 35: The Secrets We Share