Chapter 11

“Stay close to me, dear,” Sofia murmured, squeezing Zinnia’s hand. “No one will trouble you here. No one.”

Zinnia followed Sofia downstairs, where Henry and the others waited at the set table—none had wanted to eat without her.

“Zinnia, do you still feel unwell?” Henry asked anxiously when he spotted her. “Charlie can help if you need anything.”

“Grandpa,” Zinnia said, her voice still a little hoarse but much better than it had been that morning.

“Zinnia, sit here,” Jackson offered, standing and pulling out the chair between him and Charlie.

They were siblings, so it was obvious to Jackson that Charlie cared just as much about her.

With their parents away on vacation, the house held only the two brothers, their grandparents, and now Zinnia.

“Alright, Zinnia, sit between your cousins,” Sofia said. She’d wanted her granddaughter beside her, but Jackson had been quicker.

Zinnia didn’t mind where she sat. She settled calmly between the two brothers, her usual cool expression softening slightly as she glanced at Henry and Sofia.

“Zinnia, I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat, so I had the chef prepare some light dishes for you.” Jackson kept his voice soft, watching her reaction.

“Once you’re feeling better, I’ll take you out for a proper meal. Just tell me what you’re craving, and the chef can make it for you,” he continued.

Zinnia had only just joined the Shaw family, and Jackson still had no idea what her favorite foods were.

He’d even asked Maelis earlier while Zinnia was asleep, but she didn’t know either. It seemed no one in the Shaw family had a clue about Zinnia’s preferences.

Since she wasn’t feeling well, the chef had kept the dishes simple and easy on the stomach. Everything was nutritious, if a little bland.

“Thanks,” Zinnia murmured.

Truthfully, it didn’t matter much to her what she ate. Nothing would ever compare to her master’s cooking. Right now, she was just eating to keep her strength up.

Jackson sighed as he noticed Zinnia keeping her distance, but he quickly accepted it.

‘This is our first real meeting—she barely knows us,’ he thought. ‘After everything the Shaw family put her through, no wonder she’s not ready to trust.’

“Hey, Zinnia, shrimp’s good for you. Have some more,” Charlie said, noticing her gaze on the shrimp. He wiped his hands on a napkin before peeling one and dropping it onto her plate. “There you go.”

Zinnia glanced at the shrimp, then followed the fork back to Charlie. He was smiling at her gently, his eyes warm and encouraging. She just lowered her gaze without a word.

“Zinnia, you need to eat,” Sofia urged, serving her another portion. “You’re not well, and we want you to get better soon.”

“Thanks, Grandma,” Zinnia murmured, her voice barely audible.

“Sweetheart, you’ve been through so much lately,” Sofia said softly. “Your mother can be careless sometimes, but don’t you worry. I’m here for you.

“Just make yourself at home with us. Take all the time you need.”

Her chest tightened as she watched her granddaughter sitting so still and polite. ‘Zinnia is such a good girl—how could the Shaw family have failed to see that?’ she thought.

“Grandma, I’m not going back,” Zinnia said quietly, meeting Sofia’s eyes before glancing at Jackson nearby. “I only came to check on you because Jackson said you weren’t feeling well. I’ll leave soon.”

“That’s right, Zinnia. I haven’t been feeling well lately. My whole body aches—must be my age catching up with me.” Sofia’s voice wavered dramatically. “Who knows how many more chances I’ll have to see you? Won’t you stay and keep me company?”

The second Zinnia mentioned leaving, Sofia sprang into action. She clutched her chest with a groan, secretly pinching Henry’s arm for good measure.

Henry, married to her for decades, didn’t miss a beat. He dug his fingers into his thigh until his eyes watered, then turned to Zinnia with a pitiful look. “Your grandma’s right, dear. We’re not getting any younger, and our time with you is… limited.

“One day, I might just drop dead,” Henry said, his voice trembling. “Have a heart, Zinnia. Stay with us a while longer.”

Zinnia watched their performance in silence. Her sharp eyes gave away that she wasn’t fooled.

She’d trained under her master in medicine—she wasn’t an expert yet, but she knew a fake illness when she saw one. There was no way she was buying this act.

Zinnia turned and fixed Jackson with an icy glare. ‘Liar. Grandma is obviously fine,’ she thought.

Jackson squirmed under her stare, an odd twinge of guilt hitting him. Then it struck him—Sofia pulled this trick all the time with him and Charlie, and they always fell for it. He figured Zinnia wouldn’t see through it.

What Jackson didn’t know was that Zinnia had already seen right through him—she knew enough about medicine to spot his lie instantly. By the time he realized his mistake, he’d already earned himself weeks of Zinnia’s icy treatment.

“Stay with us awhile, won’t you, Zinnia?” Sofia coaxed, eyes twinkling.

Zinnia wasn’t even grown. The thought of her leaving set the Lynns all on edge.

“Your grandma’s right. Just stay with us, okay?” Henry added gently. “It gets too quiet around here with just the two of us.”

“They’ll be keeping you company,” Zinnia said, nodding toward the brothers.

“Oh, Zinnia, don’t even get me started on those two,” Sofia huffed, shaking her head. “One’s always buried in his company, while the other’s holed up in that research lab.

“They are always away—disappearing for weeks on end. Sometimes, your grandpa and I wonder if we even have grandsons anymore,” she added, rolling her eyes for emphasis.

The Lynn family had never been large. Sofia and Henry had just two children. Their son gave them three grandsons—Jackson, Charlie, and Isaac—who brought some life to the family.

But things changed as their grandsons grew up. Jackson had taken over the family business the moment he was old enough, while his parents retired to travel the world.

Charlie, after graduating, split his time between a research institute and a hospital, barely sparing a day to visit.

And Isaac was the unpredictable one. This summer, he could be scaling a mountain, trekking through a desert, or throwing himself out of a plane.

Most of the time, he was completely unreachable—except for the occasional grainy video update to prove he hadn’t been eaten by a bear. His antics kept the entire family in a constant state of low-grade panic. Once Sofia started on her grandsons, there was no stopping her. Zinnia simply listened, silent, as Sofia’s complaints rolled on and on.