Chapter 104

“Howard, the best way you can make it up to me is by leaving me alone,” Zinnia said with firm sincerity.

Howard swayed slightly. Her meaning was crystal clear. She had no intention of forgiving him.

Regret surged through him, a painful numbness gripping his chest.

“Zinnia, please give me a chance. It was all my fault before. I treated you horribly,” Howard said remorsefully. “We had no idea Betty was scheming against you. We wronged you so much!”

Howard couldn’t help but step forward, gingerly taking her hand as he gazed at her, his eyes slightly reddened. They never imagined Betty could be that kind of person; could they fathom her motives. Yet in their confusion, they forgot to give Zinnia the benefit to the doubt.

After learning what Betty had done and that she had been taken to the police station, the family plunged into chaos. Maelis fainted from shock, so Timothy took her to the hospital. Yosef and Daniel went to the Carson family to apologize and smooth things over. Of them all, only Howard came looking for Zinnia.

Zinnia was the one who suffered the most in all this. Whenever Betty felt even the slightest grievance, she’d come running to them in tears. But after enduring so much injustice, Zinnia was even more utterly heartbroken.

“Don’t come looking for me again,” Zinnia said firmly.

Zinnia hated being touched so casually, especially by the Shaws. She wrenched her wrist free from his grasp, irritation rising within her.

‘Why does the Shaw family keep bothering me?’ Zinnia thought irritably.

“Zinnia,” a magnetic, languid voice called out from behind them.

The way Yannis said was exceptionally sweet, like honey seeping through clouds of cotton candy, carrying indescribable tenderness.

Zinnia looked up–there was Yannis ahead. A wave of relief washed over her. She darted past Howard and ran toward him, calling out, “Yannis!”

Howard let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh, his hand falling limply to his side as he watched her scamper away. Turning, he spotted Yannis standing not far off, and his brows furrowed in displeasure.

Howard couldn’t believe it. He thought, ‘How come Zinnia is with Yannis?’

“Yannis,” Howard called out with a frown.

Yannis replied indifferently, and his smile turned cold. An awkward silence fell between the three of them.

Howard watched as Zinnia stood beside Yannis with obvious reliance. Though there were merely a few steps between them, the difference in intimacy was glaringly apparent.

Howard had grudgingly accepted the Lynn brothers’ closeness to Zinnia, but now even Yannis had surpassed them in her affections. A surge of resentment rose in his chest. It felt like everyone was trying to win Zinnia over. Dealing with Jackson and the others was bad enough, but Yannis was making Howard feel threatened.

He knew that Zinnia no longer trusted them. Still, Howard couldn’t bear the thought of some outsider winning more of her affection than her own family.

Howard’s tone sharpened as he stressed, “You know my sister, Yannis?” Then, forcing a smile, he turned to Zinnia. “Zinnia, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“Yeah, we know each other. Jackson actually entrusted Zinnia to my care,” Yannis said.

Facing his hostility, Yannis lazily curved his lips in a mocking smile. “Why didn’t she tell you? Well, obviously because your family didn't give a damn whether she lived or died. Is that so hard to get?”

As he spoke, Yannis’ eyes widened with undisguised contempt, a mocking glint flickering within.

“Jackson would rather entrust Zinnia to me than to you. Just goes to show how utterly disappointing and unreliable your family is.

“She’s been out of your house for ages, and only now do you bother to show up? For all we knew, you might as well have dropped dead.

“Oh wait, you’re not dead. You guys are really off the mark, totally blinded by that fake heiress,” Yannis said.

Yannis shot Howard a lazy, mocking glance.

This was the first time Howard experienced Yannis’s sharp tongue, and he was a bit taken aback.

Yannis’s words struck a nerve, leaving him utterly speechless. Every single word was painfully true.

Zinnia stood beside Yannis, her eyes widening in astonishment as just a few of his sharp words left Howard completely speechless.

‘Why are his words so effective while mine just fell flat?’ Zinnia wondered.

Zinnia kept sneaking glances at Yannis, trying to figure out his secret.

Yannis teased, “See something interesting?”

After saying a few words, Yannis noticed Zinnia staring up at him with wide, curious eyes. Amused, he reached out and playfully ruffled the stray lock of hair on her head.

‘Hopeless little thing, can’t even escape when being bullied,’ Yannis thought with exasperated fondness as he returned, only to find her already cornered by the Shaw family.

“What’s your mouth made of?” Zinnia asked in all seriousness. “How come you can shut people up with just a few words, but I never can?”

Her gaze lingered on his naturally rosy lips, delicate and beautifully shaped. As they moved, every word he spoke was pure music to her ears.

‘His voice sounded wonderful yesterday, and just as lovely today. I really do love listening to him talk,’ Zinnia thought to herself.

Yannis couldn’t help but laugh at her earnest question.

Never in his life had anyone asked him that. If it had been anyone else, he might’ve taken it as a downright insult.

The chemistry between them was so natural that no one else could break in. Watching them, Howard pursed his lips and asked, “Zinnia, do you mind if I come over to your place for a bit?”

Howard couldn’t help but cut in, a surge of discomfort and jealousy rising within him.

“Wanna know why they listen to me?” Yannis asked. “Just be honest about what you truly think, and have the courage to say no to what you dislike.”

Yannis turned to her, his gaze gentle and encouraging.

Zinnia looked up at him and thought, ‘His eyes are so beautiful–like gemstones. They shine with a hidden fire.

‘I really want to touch them,’ Zinnia thought.

Hearing his words, Howard thought bitterly to himself, ‘I’m her real brother, standing right here. How shameless of Yannis teaching Zinnia how to act right in front of me!’

Howard had always heard that Yannis was infamous for his sharp tongue. No wonder Yosef never even wanted to mention his name, Just a few words from Yannis, and one would feel like being roasted alive.

“Zinnia, you-” Howard began, but was abruptly cut off.

“No,” Zinnia said coldly to Howard, her expression unyielding.

‘When someone as gorgeous as Yannis speaks, you just go along with it. There’s no way that could be wrong.

‘It’s so much better than all my soft, rambling excuses,’ Zinnia thought.

Zinnia was soft-hearted by nature. She always worried her words might hurt others, so she carefully chose the gentlest possible terms when speaking to them. But she never once considered her own feelings.

Howard hadn’t expected Zinnia to reject him so bluntly. Disappointment clouded his eyes. “Yannis,” he called out sharply, his voice edged with anger.

Howard shot Yannis an annoyed look. Zinnia had never been this blunt with him before.

Yannis sneered, “What’s this? Now you’re going to lecture me like Mrs. Shaw? Your family never taught her to stand up for herself, just to put up with everything in silence. And now you dare blame me for showing her a different way?

“Is the Shaw family really going to make her endure every grievance alone and bear the full brunt of all your anger?

“Then when you don’t need her, you toss her aside like trash. But the moment you want her back, you demand instant obedience, forcing your so-called kindness down her throat.

“Howard, not every blessing in this world is destined for your family. Heaven gave you a chance, but you Shaws threw it away yourselves. You lost her, all because you never cherished her,” Yannis said.

Yannis’s gaze darkened, a thin veil of anger clouding his eyes. Without a word, he gently covered Zinnia’s ears with his hands, shielding her from hurtful words.

‘Zinnia may seem resilient, but even she can’t help feeling hurt by some words,’ Yannis thought.