Sleepwalker
Stretching as she yawned, Mia grinned sheepishly, slowly opening her eyes to greet the new day. Her night had been so splendid that she even dreamt of sharing a bed with the demi-god. How absurd of her. She knew very well that such a fantasy would remain just that, for centuries to come.
Pushing her daydreams aside, she gazed up at the ceiling for a moment, then all of a sudden, her eyes widened in sheer horror.
Where was she? How had her white ceiling transformed into grey? Moreover, her room had a faux plaster ceiling, not marble!
Swiftly, she sprang up and sat upright, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings as she threw the duvet away. This wasn’t her room!
Her thoughts raced back to the previous day.
She had been devastated as she watched Shawn, impeccably dressed, leave the mansion for Grandpa Mandez’s birthday banquet.
He had been gone for several hours, and all she could do was pass the time by checking the clock repeatedly and occasionally venturing downstairs to see if he had returned.
By the end of the day, she had chosen to stay in the lounge area instead of tormenting herself by climbing up and down the stairs.
“Madam, it’s late. You should head upstairs…” Madam Susan had approached her at one point and suggested.
The last thing Mia remembered was telling Madam Susan not to worry about her and to retire for the night. So, how had she ended up in this exotic yet unfamiliar room?
Whose room was this? It would be preferable if it belonged to anyone else, anyone except… Mia’s eyes widened as she glanced around once more. The room appeared to be his! It was unmistakably his room. The unwelcoming black and grey colors… She was in deep trouble!
Throughout her eighteen years of life, Mia had developed many habits, but the worst of them all was sleepwalking.
When she was younger and still lived in the Thompson family residence, every morning, Madam Grace would check on Mia in her room.
If Madam Grace couldn’t find her there, she knew Mia had likely sleepwalked during the night. Madam Grace would immediately start searching for her. Sometimes, she’d find Mia in the guest room or under the staircase, but the kitchen was her favorite spot. Most often, Mia was discovered there, and Madam Grace would gently guide her back to her room.
It was fortunate Mia had never sleepwalked out of the Thompson family residence; otherwise, she might have gone missing long ago.
Even at the school dormitory, Mia would occasionally sleepwalk over to Martha’s bed and they’d end up sharing a bed. Martha made it a habit to double-check that their door was locked and remove the keys each night before going to bed, just so her best friend wouldn’t sleepwalk out of their room.
But ever since she started living in Shawn Mandez’s mansion, Mia noticed that her sleepwalking had ceased. For this, she felt immensely grateful to whatever powers had kept her secret hidden. Little did she know that today, it would be exposed.
Right now, all Mia wished for was for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.This material belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
Biting her lip, she looked down at herself and realized she was fully clothed. Her eyes darted around the room; the man was nowhere in sight. Perhaps he hadn’t returned last night. A pang of disappointment washed over her. But was that not a great thing?! She had to leave immediately before he returned and found her in HIS bedroom.
Mia hastily struggled to get out of bed and rushed to the door. Just as she reached for the doorknob, it swung open. The man she was most desperately trying to avoid right now stood behind the door. She was completely caught now! She was doomed!
Her eyes widened in sheer horror, and she took a sharp breath. Her heart raced, thumping loudly against her chest. She stumbled backward, reaching out her hand, silently pleading for him to catch her. But Shawn simply stood still, watching as her body collided with the cold, hard floor.
Pain coursed through Mia’s body, and a tear escaped her eye.
“And where are you going?” Shawn’s deep, hoarse voice echoed in her ears, signaling that she was in trouble.
Her suffering was far from over, and she cried inwardly. She wished she had hit her head and passed out when she fell. If that had happened, she wouldn’t have to engage in the heated conversation that awaited her.
“Eh-erm… I…” Her voice trailed off as she began to stutter.
Clicking his tongue impatiently, Shawn entered the room, passing by her. ‘Always clumsy.’
“Your things have been moved here,” he paused, “this is where you’ll sleep from now on.”
He turned to gauge her reaction and, as expected, Mia’s jaw dropped in disbelief. She pushed herself up from the floor and stared at Shawn as if he were a two-headed cow.
“The bathroom is over there, and here’s your vanity.” Shawn gestured to various areas as he spoke.
Then, he walked to the far side of the room. “This is the walk-in closet.”
‘Huh?’ Mia blinked. ‘But I don’t see any…’ Her thoughts trailed off as Shawn clicked a tiny button on the wall, and the area began to move, revealing a spacious walk-in closet.
Her mouth hung open, and her jaw nearly touched the floor. It was incredibly luxurious. From where she stood, she could see her reflection in the enormous wall mirror inside the closet.
‘Is that really a closet? It looks more like a secret shopping mall.’ Mia swallowed hard.
But then…
Shawn clicked the button again, and the wall returned to its original position, concealing the walk-in closet.
“Any problem?” He inquired, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“Y-Yes, sir.”
Shawn frowned at the formality, but his expression quickly turned impassive. He gave her a look that said, ‘go on.’
Mia cleared her throat uneasily and carefully chose her words. “Um, our previous arrangement… it’s changed? Why?”
“That’s a rhetorical question, isn’t it?”
Mia swallowed her nerves.
“At least now you won’t have to sneak into my room anymore,” he added swiftly, “under the pretense of sleepwalking.”
Mia was rendered speechless upon hearing those words. Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, she spun on her heels and dashed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Shawn blinked blankly. He had been teasing her, hadn’t he? Had he gone too far? Nevertheless, he hadn’t lied about it.
Ever since Mia had started living in the mansion, she had a habit of sleepwalking into Shawn Mandez’s room. It happened without fail, every single day.
The first time it occurred, on her very first night there, Shawn was seated on the couch near his window, in his room, contemplating his decision to make her his wife. Suddenly, he heard his door creak open in the dead of night, followed by the soft click of it closing.
His attention immediately snapped to the doorway, and what he saw left him nearly horrified. In the dim room, a figure stood near the door, appearing ghostly in the darkness. It felt like he had an unwelcome spirit in his midst, and he watched in silence as it slowly made its way to his bed and sprawled across it.
Shawn was taken aback. His brows furrowed as he wondered when his house had become haunted. Moreover, why did the supposed ghost choose his room, his bed, of all places?
He rose from the chair and walked purposefully towards the bed. As he drew nearer, the figure became clearer, and he realized it wasn’t a ghost at all. It was a girl. The girl.
His was even more speechless upon seeing her. Of course, the CEO initially thought the girl was pulling a stunt on him, trying to sneak into his bed. Nonetheless, instead of throwing her out, an inexplicable force compelled him to sit at the edge of the bed and watch her.
She appeared so lonely and vulnerable in her sleep. After a while, he attempted to reach out and wake her, but his hand hesitated and withdrew. He continued to observe her for some time before carefully lifting her into his arms and returning her to her room.
From that night onward, Shawn made it a routine to carry Mia back to her room every night. He grew so accustomed to it that he would wait on the couch, expecting her.
And like clockwork, at midnight, she would enter his room, mumble incoherent words, and then collapse onto his bed.
However, a couple of weeks ago, he made a change to this nightly ritual. Instead of immediately taking her back to her room when she sleepwalked in, he would watch her for a while, get into bed, and cover them both with his duvet. He would then fall asleep too, beside her. As dawn approached, he would awaken quietly and, without disturbing her, carry her back to her room.
Little One was quite the sleepyhead. Shawn couldn’t help but smile smugly as he recalled these moments.
A couple of seconds later, he alao left his bedroom-their matrimonial bedroom.