Chapter 120

“Zinnia, don’t listen to Maelis and the others. That’s my house. It has nothing to do with them. Just wait for me, okay? I’ll be back really soon, I promise.”

“I’ve already called Yannis, and I’ll be home in no time,” Jackson said, his heart pounding with panic as he listened to Zinnia.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Jackson,” Zinnia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Zinnia, don’t you want me as your brother anymore?” Jackson blurted out, his voice trembling with panic. His heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

He had worked so hard to break down the walls between him and Zinnia. He never wanted her to be this distant from him again.

After a brief pause, Zinnia replied, “Jackson, I’m just moving out. I’m not abandoning you.” Jackson had always been so good to her that she couldn’t bring herself to say anything hurtful.

“So, Zinnia, will you wait for me to come back? I’ll be home soon,” Jackson said in a gentle voice, his panic eased a little by her words.

Zinnia pressed her lips together, her gaze lingering on the neatly packed luggage. Without another word, she ended the call. Dragging her suitcase behind her, she took nothing but what she’d originally brought with her. With quiet determination, she headed for the door.

She transferred the money she got back from the Shaw family to a spare card and left it in the entryway for Jackson to see when he got home. It was meant to cover her living expenses during her stay with the Lynn family.

Yannis called her, but Zinnia didn’t answer. As she reached the exit of the residential complex and tried to scan her face to leave, she was stopped by security.

The security guard said, “Mr. Lynn and Mr. Perkins have instructed that you can’t leave for now. Mr. Perkins asked you to wait for him, he’ll be back shortly.”

After failing to reach Zinnia despite multiple attempts, Yannis had no choice but to call the building security instead.

Zinnia frowned. She didn’t want to see Yannis. She knew he was just following Jackson’s orders to keep her from leaving. But she understood that if the guards didn’t let her out, there was no way she could get past them.

She thought, ‘No point making things hard for people just doing their jobs. Forget it, I can leave after I’ve explained things to them.’

Zinnia’s mind was a complete mess. She truly had no idea how to handle her relationship with Jackson. With a sigh, she sat down on the edge of the flowerbed, feeling lost.

Seeing that Zinnia wasn’t putting up a fight to leave, the security guard relaxed.

Zinnia had barely sat down when she received a call from Sofia and Henry, who told her they were already on their way.

Over the phone, Zinnia could hear them hurrying out, and in the background, Sofia’s furious shouts directed at Maelis and the three Shaw brothers.

Just then, a voice called, “Zinnia!”

Zinnia looked up to see Yannis striding toward her.

Seeing that Zinnia hadn’t left and seemed unharmed, Yannis finally let out a relieved breath.

Seeing the anger on Yannis’s face, Zinnia hesitated for a moment. She stood up and murmured, “Yannis.”

Yannis glanced at the suitcase beside her and asked, “You have severed ties with the Shaw family, and now you’re leaving me behind, too?”

Zinnia couldn’t bring herself to meet Yannis’s eyes. Those gentle, smiling eyes she was so used to now looked anything but warm. She said, “We were never really that close to begin with.”

Yannis gritted his teeth, so frustrated he could spit blood at her response. He said, “Zinnia, after all I’ve done for you, this is how ungrateful you are? Come on, we’re going back.”

Yannis thought with frustration, ‘We’ve known each other for so long, and I’ve cooked for her every single day, always trying to make her happy, but when something happens, she doesn’t even think about calling me.’

‘She just tried to leave without a word. She answered Jackson’s call, but not mine.’

He reached out and took Zinnia’s hand, trying to lead her back, but she stood rooted to the spot.

Seeing Zinnia standing there, head bowed, her petite and fragile frame all alone, he felt his anger inexplicably soften. He suppressed his frustration and spoke as gently as he could.

He said, “Zinnia, do you know how worried Jackson is about you? The moment he found out the Shaws were bullying you, he called me in a panic, begging me to stop you. He’s rushing back to see you and have a good talk.”

Yannis was just getting ready to leave the office when Jackson called. Toby had asked why he had been heading out so early lately, and he’d replied, “Got a kid waiting at home, gotta make dinner.”

But right after he said that, Jackson’s call came in. The moment Yannis found out what had happened, he fumed. He thought, ‘The Shaw family is absolutely beyond shameless. I’ve lived for over twenty years and never seen a family so brazen!’

Yannis snatched his car keys and practically floored it back to the scene, pushing right against the speed limit. He was worried sick that something might happen to Zinnia. Neither Yannis nor Jackson had expected the Shaws to stoop so low.

“If I go back, the Shaws will just keep harassing Jackson,” Zinnia murmured, her voice tinged with helplessness.

Zinnia had no idea how to deal with Jackson. She thought, ‘He always treats me so well, but that is only because I used to be his cousin.

‘Now that I have cut ties with the Shaw family, how am I supposed to interact with Jackson now?’

Zinnia was never good at handling relationships. The Shaws were the only exception. From the very moment the Shaw family hurt her, Zinnia resolved never to forgive them.

She had long been planning how to cut ties with them, which was why she could strike back so decisively today.

But when it came to Jackson and others from the Lynn family, Zinnia didn’t know what to do about them. They had always been so kind to her.

She was grateful for their kindness, but she just didn’t know how to handle any of it. She felt so confused.

She thought, ‘Maybe leaving is the best option. If I left, the Shaws wouldn’t go and make trouble for the Lynns anymore.’

Yannis said, “Do you think Jackson fears the Shaws making trouble for him? Zinnia, Jackson only cares about you, not the Shaws.

“If he can’t manage his relationship with the Shaws, he doesn’t deserve to be your brother. What truly terrifies him is the thought of you leaving.”

Yannis let out a helpless sigh and thought, ‘Zinnia always puts everyone else first and never thinks about herself. No wonder Jackson worries about her. The Shaw family is nothing, yet she still lets them get to her.

‘She should be enjoying her youth, not dealing with a whole family of troublemakers.’

Zinnia was silent for a moment as she tried to process Yannis’s words. Her mind was in turmoil, like a jumbled mess.

Yannis gently took her hand and led her to his apartment. As soon as they walked in, Yannis poured a glass of milk for Zinnia. “Here, have some milk,” he said softly.

Zinnia looked up at Yannis. She shared the thoughts she had sorted out along the way. She said, “But I’m no longer part of the Shaw family. Technically, that means I shouldn’t have any ties to the Lynns either.

“And since you’re Jackson’s friend, shouldn’t we have nothing to do with each other now?”

She’d only gotten involved with the Lynns because of the Shaws, and only with Yannis because of Jackson.

Now that she had nothing to do with the Shaws, technically, she figured she wouldn’t have anything to do with Yannis and Jackson anymore either. That was just how Zinnia saw it.