Stephanie sat in the living room, her expression shifting constantly. She couldn't understand why such a strange thing was happening.
She had clearly explained everything to her father—so why did it feel like he hadn't understood a single word she said? It was as if he was talking to someone else entirely.
What did "hungry or not" have to do with what she just told him?
No matter how she thought about it, none of it made sense.
Was her father playing a trick on her with that guy? But it didn't seem like that either…
While she was lost in thought, Gideon walked over carrying a freshly cooked chicken steak, smiling as he placed it in front of her. "Here you go—eat up."
He didn't seem to be joking at all. She waved her hand in front of his eyes.
"What are you doing, kid? Didn't you say you were hungry? I made this for you, and now you won't eat?" Gideon looked annoyed.
"What could be wrong with me? You're the one acting strange," he said, giving her a look like she was being difficult on purpose.
"But I'm not even hungry…"
"Then why did you ask me to make food?" he said, growing more irritated.
"I never said that! I said a superpowered guy named Raymond—" Stephanie quickly retold the entire story, including the three-day deal.
Gideon listened carefully.
When she finally finished, he smiled and said, "That's better. If you're hungry, you should eat. Skipping meals will hurt your stomach."
Stephanie was completely stunned.
She had no idea why things were turning out , or why her father seemed unable to understand anything she said.
Everything was fine—until she mentioned Raymond. That's when things went weird.
"Could this be one of his abilities too?" she thought, a chill running down her spine.
She stood up suddenly and ran to the study.
When she returned, she was holding a notebook and a fountain pen.
She quickly wrote a sentence: We're in trouble. A superpowered person is targeting me!!
Then she held the notebook up in front of Gideon.
"Here! Look!" she pointed at the line.
"You don't want chicken steak—you want Boston lobster? Where am I supposed to get Boston lobster right now? How about I take you out to eat?" Gideon said after thinking for a moment.
Stephanie shot to her feet, staring at her father in disbelief.
How could this be happening?
Why did everything go crazy the moment Raymond was mentioned?
Now, Stephanie was 100% sure—she had fallen into that guy Raymond's trap.
There was no other explanation for what was happening.
"This can't be real…" For the first time, she truly started to panic.
Ignoring her father's concern, she moved to the side and began calling every person she could think of for help.
But the result was always the same.
Everything was normal—as long as she didn't mention Raymond or say she was in trouble. The conversation would go smoothly, just like always.
But the moment she brought up Raymond or said she was in danger, the person on the other end would suddenly act strange—just like her father had earlier.
Some would ask if she was hungry. Others asked why she didn't go out to eat or if she was inviting them to dinner.
If only one or two people responded like that, she might have brushed it off. But she made more than ten calls—and every single one gave the same response!
Now she was genuinely on the edge of despair.
"No… I can't give up!"
"There has to be a way to break this. No ability can be that unstoppable!"
Stephanie started analyzing the situation in her mind. The only way to solve it was to figure out the exact nature of the problem. Randomly calling for help would only cause more confusion.
At this rate, even thirty days wouldn't be enough, let alone just three.
"Wait… what if it's some kind of hypnosis? Maybe I've been hypnotized, and now my subconscious is blocking me from talking about him? So whenever I try, I end up saying something else instead?"
That thought suddenly clicked.
If it really was hypnosis, then everything that happened at the Blue Shell restaurant would make sense too!
Seeing the gun turn into a rose? That could've just been an illusion planted by suggestion.
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. She quickly turned to her father, eyes bright with urgency. "Dad, I need to see a hypnosis expert. Do you know anyone?"
"A hypnosis expert? Actually, I think I do. Hang on, I'll find the contact for you…" Gideon stood up.
When she saw that he didn't say anything about being hungry this time, Stephanie felt hopeful again.
It had to be hypnosis. That was the only reason this bizarre situation was happening.
"You just wait," she muttered through gritted teeth.
About half an hour later, she arrived at the clinic of the hypnosis specialist her father had referred.
"Miss Stephanie, hello. How can I help you today?" the hypnotist asked politely.
"I think I've been hypnotized," Stephanie said seriously.
"Oh? Why do you think that?" the expert asked, surprised.
She then shared a modified version of her story—carefully avoiding any mention of Raymond. She'd prepared it on the way, hoping to find a workaround that could lead to a solution.
But once she finished, the expert frowned.
"Miss Stephanie, I know you're from a wealthy family, but that doesn't give you the right to joke around with me," he said.
"Joke around?" Stephanie had a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"If you're hungry, just go to a restaurant or order takeout. Why come to me? This isn't a food shop," the expert said, clearly upset.
She had lost count of how many people tonight had asked why she didn't just go eat if she was hungry.
She had thought that avoiding Raymond's name would work.
She even changed the entire story just to test if she could break the effect.
But clearly, that didn't help either.
She didn't argue. Without a word, she left the clinic and drove home.
"So soon? Still hungry?" Gideon asked, still sitting in the living room reading the paper. "Dr. David just called to ask if you've been having stomach problems…"
Dr. David—the name of the hypnotist.
Hungry your damn head!
Stephanie's face instantly turned dark as thunder.