Chapter 123
Yannis looked at Zinnia and said, โZinnia, none of us would feel at ease if you were on your own. Your registration family should be with either the Lynns or the Jenkinses. We just wouldnโt trust anyone else with this.โ
Yannis thought, โRegistering her with any other family wouldnโt make it any easier to protect her. After all, the Shaws are related to the Lynns by marriage, and in Jinstonโs social circles, few would dare risk the trouble the Shaws might bring. But if her registration ended up with the Lynns, Maelis would never let it go without a fight.โ
Yannis had thought about taking Zinnia in, but couldnโt come up with a proper justification.
Just as they were talking, the doorbell rang. Yannis went to open the door and found the entire Jenkins family, Aaron, Yvette, and Maisie, standing neatly in a row outside, each loaded with armfuls of gifts.
Yvette craned her neck, peering past Yannis. She exclaimed, โWhereโs my girl? Have you been taking good care of her? Zinnia, my sweetheart, I am here! Iโve come to take you home!โ
As she spoke, she shouldered Yannis aside as she made a beeline for Zinnia.
After school, Yvette and Maisie went to pick up Aaron, who had just returned from a business trip. The three of them were having dinner at a restaurant when Yannis called. Without hesitation, they dropped everything and came right over.
The armfuls of welcome gifts they carried had been hastily picked up at the mall.
โZinnia! Zinnia!โ Maisie called out cheerfully, unable to contain her excitement. She thought, โZinnia is already my friend, and now she is going to be part of my family. This is just amazing. I can hang out with her every day!โ
Yvette and Maisie shouldered Yannis aside and rushed straight to Zinnia.
โUncle Aaron, come in,โ Yannis said, nodding to Aaron.
Aaron was in his early forties. With refined, scholarly features accentuated by silver-rimmed glasses and a tailored gray suit, he still looked remarkably youthful.
He shed the sharp authority he carried in the business world and replaced it with the doting affection he reserved for Yvette and Maisie. His arms were still full of packages, including gifts specially brought from abroad for Zinnia.
Aaron said, โHow is Zinnia? I have already asked a lawyer to draft the statement, and he will arrive soon.โ
Aaron had learned from Yvette a few days earlier that she had taken on a goddaughter. Since Yvette was the one who made decisions in the family, as long as she was happy, Aaron had no objections.
Raymond was also deeply moved when he saw those gifts Zinnia prepared. He said, "Zinnia is such a sincere girl. The ingredients that she prepared are rare and precious." Even though Aaron had never met Zinnia, she had already made a place for her in the family.
Youngs looked at Aaron and said, โIโm sure youโll like Zinnia when you meet her. You wonโt regret your decision.โ
After greeting Henry and the others, Yvette hurried over to Zinnia, her face radiating maternal tenderness. She bent down, cupped Zinniaโs face in both hands, and planted two warm kisses on her cheeks.
She exclaimed, โZinnia, my precious baby girl! I missed you so terribly! Just a few days apart, and youโve grown even more beautiful!โ
The Lynns all rose to their feet involuntarily in response to Yvetteโs actions. Sofia even reached out to stop Yvette, but found herself at a loss for words.
However, seeing Yvetteโs genuine warmth toward Zinnia, the Lynns visibly relaxed. They were relieved to see Yvette genuinely adoring Zinnia.
โYvette,โ Zinnia called out helplessly as her cheeks were showered with kisses.
Yvette cupped Zinniaโs cheeks with both hands and gently corrected her, โCall me Mom from now on. Youโre my daughter now.โ
Yannis couldnโt help but wince at Yvetteโs actions. He thought to himself, โDid I do the right thing by calling Yvette over?โ
Aaron nodded in greeting to the Lynns.
โAaron, when did you get back? Come sit,โ Henry called out to Aaron.
โJust got back. I found out about picking up my new daughter at the last minute and didnโt have time to prepare anything properly. I just grabbed a few things from the mall. I hope you donโt mind,โ Aaron said with an apologetic smile as he set down his armful of gifts.
โZinnia, this is Aaron, your new father,โ Yvette said warmly.
Zinnia looked up and met Aaronโs smile.
โZinnia,โ Aaron called softly.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Aaron smiled at Zinnia, radiating warmth but with a slight awkwardness of meeting Zinnia for the first time. It was a stark contrast to how Donald had first looked at Zinnia, his brows furrowed and his eyes barely concealing his disdain.
Though Donald tried hard to conceal it, Zinnia could still sense his dislike for her. After all, his attitude toward her was nothing like the way he doted on Betty.
Although there wasnโt much evident joy on Aaronโs face, Zinnia could tell that he was trying his best to maintain a gentle demeanor, lest he intimidate her, whom he had just met.
Aaron didnโt know much about Zinnia yet, but he could already tell she was the kind of girl who easily won peopleโs hearts. Not long ago, when Marie came home, she even brought gifts from Zinnia for the whole family.
Zinnia made Moon Scar Cream for Yvette and Maisie, and it looked just like the one the Bloore family used to make.
Having heard that Aaron had been in poor health as a child, Zinnia prepared some rare ingredients for him to create a nutritious diet.
Excitement surged in Aaronโs heart, but years in the business world had trained him to keep his face carefully neutral.