Chapter 118

The security guard couldn’t help but smirk when he heard Zinnia speaking in that dead serious tone. The three Shaw brothers frowned as they heard Zinnia’s words.

Maelis tore free from Yosef’s grip and charged at Zinnia in a rage. The humiliations she’d suffered recently nearly matched all she’d endured in decades. She thought, ‘Zinnia is nothing but a curse!’

She snapped, “Zinnia! After everything the Shaw family has given you, how dare you act this way?”

Maelis was halfway through her charge at Zinnia when Howard yanked her back. The security guards formed an impenetrable wall around Zinnia, making it impossible to even touch her. With those towering men blocking the way, all anyone could do was catch fleeting glimpses of her through the narrow gaps between them.

Rubbing his temples, Howard said, “Zinnia, Mom hasn’t been resting well lately. Don’t take her harsh words to heart.” He truly didn’t know what to do with Maelis.

“Let’s tally up exactly how much I’ve cost your family. I’ll repay every cent,” Zinnia said, her voice calm as still water.

Maelis said, “Repay? Do you even have the money? You grew up in some backwater town, raised in a dirt-poor family. How much could you possibly have?” She looked at Zinnia with undisguised disdain and mockery.

Yosef felt something inside him snap as he heard Maelis’s mad words. He thought, ‘That’s it. We’re done with Zinnia for good.’

Timothy shouted, “Mom, what are you saying?” He was also taken aback by Maelis’s words.

“Mom, you’re not yourself right now. Let’s get in the car first,” Howard said, not daring to meet Zinnia’s gaze. His heart pounded with panic. He thought, ‘I can’t let Mom stay here any longer. She’s not herself today, saying things like this.’

“Just tell me how much I’ve spent in the two months since returning to the Shaw family. Whether I can afford it or not is none of your concern,” Zinnia said, her gaze mocking as she looked at Maelis and the others.

“300 thousand dollars! Do you even have that?” Maelis snapped, furious as she wrenched her hand free from Howard. In all her decades of life, no one had ever dared defy her like this.

Maelis shot a glare at the three Shaw brothers and said, “And you three, just keep your mouths shut! Isn’t she so capable? Didn’t she say she wants to cut all ties with us?

“Fine, let’s settle every single score with her, one by one. She needs to understand that without the Shaw family, she’s nothing.”

Caught between Zinnia and Maelis, the three Shaw brothers were utterly torn, their minds reeling with frustration. They began to think that perhaps coming to see Zinnia today had been a grave mistake from the start.

Zinnia shot Maelis a look of disbelief. She said, “300 thousand dollars? Do I look like a fool to you?”

Maelis spat out, her gaze brimming with unconcealed loathing as she glared at Zinnia. She said, “You’ve been eating our food, using our things, living at the expense of the Shaw family.

“And that’s not even counting your clothes, jewelry, and other luxuries. Consider yourself lucky. If you can’t pay up, just say so outright.”

Zinnia replied, “First, when it comes to meals, I only ate bread. I never touched your fancy greens, never liked them, and never tried them. For two months, that’s at most 3,000.

“Second, for your toiletries and utilities, even if you add those in, it’s no more than 3,000.

“Third, the servant’s quarters you provided for me, I checked, rent for no more than 2,000 a month, so 4,000 for two months. Fourth, I never wore your clothes or used any of your skincare products.

“Fifth, I didn’t wear a single piece of your jewelry. Feel free to check if you don’t believe me. Altogether, that’s no more than 10,000. If you’re so desperate for money that you want to rob me, I don’t mind calling the police.”

Maelis felt blood rush to her head, her face flushing crimson with rage.

“Account number,” Zinnia said, her expression completely unfazed.

Maelis rummaged through her purse, pulled out a card, and threw it at Zinnia. She snapped, “What about your school tuition? We paid 160 thousand a semester. We covered your entire senior year.”

Zinnia didn’t say a word. She glanced down at the bank card on the ground but didn’t pick it up. She pulled out her phone, scanned it from a distance, and with a single tap, transferred 330 thousand.

Seeing that Zinnia had managed to get that much money, Maelis said, “If you have what it takes, then don’t take a cent from Sofia?”

Her eyes burned with jealousy as she noticed the place Zinnia was staying in, a place she had never had the privilege of living in. The thought that Kema was enjoying it filled her with rage.

She added, “The apartment you’re living in was arranged by Jackson. I dare you to sever all connections with the Lynn family!”

Zinnia replied, “The money is mine, nothing to do with the Lynn family. If you don’t believe me, feel free to check. As for the house, I’ll move out later. Just tell me the rent, and I’ll pay Jackson.”

“The rent here is at least 160 thousand a month,” Maelis spat. She glared at Zinnia’s serene mask, desperate to see a crack in her composure.

She thought, ‘Why am I the only one suffering? How could the real culprit stand there so unbothered, so unshaken?

‘She was born to be my curse. That ungrateful wretch has turned my whole life upside down. So why does she get to live in peace while I’m left to suffer?

Seeing this, the three Shaw brothers closed their eyes in resignation. After Maelis’s outburst, they knew there was no longer any hope of reconciliation: Their family and Zinnia could never be on good terms again.

They were at a complete loss about what to do, torn between Maelis, the mother who raised them, and Zinnia, the sister who had long since grown distant from them.

Zinnia nodded. She transferred 160 thousand to Jackson’s account and then held up her phone for Maelis to see. She asked, “Is it okay?”

Maelis was stunned into silence. Then a bitter realization struck her. She said, “You’re my daughter! I carried you for ten long months, ten months of agony. Do you think you can just walk away? You will never truly be free from this family.”

“Mom, how much further are you going to take this?” Yosef suddenly roared.

Zinnia just stayed calm and replied, “You carried me for ten months, but the child you gave birth to was strangled at birth. Technically speaking, Mrs. Shaw, your family killed me the moment I entered this world. I owe your family nothing.”

The Shaw family froze at her words.

Maelis’s pupils shrank sharply, a wave of unspeakable pain surging through her. She asked, “What do you mean, ‘strangled at birth?’”

Zinnia said coldly, “I was switched with Betty at birth. The person who swapped me strangled me unconscious and dumped me in a dumpster. My Master brought me back to life. I don’t owe your Shaw family a single thing.”

Having already laid everything out, Zinnia didn’t mind spelling things out a bit more. She thought, ‘Just to make sure they don’t keep thinking I owe them and use it as an excuse to harass me repeatedly.’

Zinnia continued, “Given your family’s resources, investigating the events from seventeen years ago shouldn’t be difficult. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and investigate it.

“Now that we’ve settled my debts to the Shaw family, it’s time to settle the score between me and your family.”