Chapter 124
Aaron gazed at Zinnia, his face brimming with a gentle smile as he struggled to contain his excitement. Carefully, he placed the bag in his left hand onto the coffee table in front of Zinnia.
In the bag were the gifts Aaron bought abroad. He then pulled a card from his suit jacket and handed it to Zinnia.
He said, “Zinnia, this is our first meeting, and I don’t know what you like yet. I hope you don’t mind these little gifts. Here, take this card. My taste isn’t the best, so you can pick out something you like.”
The Lynn family felt somewhat reassured after observing Aaron’s attitude. While Yvette and Maisie truly adored Zinnia, it was the approval of Aaron, the head of the Jenkins family, that ultimately put their minds at ease.
Before Zinnia could react, Maisie had already snatched the card and stuffed it into Zinnia’s hand. She beamed and said, “Quick, take it, Zinnia! Next time we go shopping, we’ll use Dad’s card. Might as well spend his money while we can!”
Just then, the doorbell rang. Yannis went to answer it. It was Raymond who arrived.
Raymond’s clear, booming voice echoed through the living room before he even appeared.
He said, “Henry, thank you for giving us such a wonderful granddaughter. I have brought the lawyer and the statement here. Zinnia, come on! Let’s get the paperwork done. Once it’s finished, you’ll officially be part of our family!” He finished with a triumphant chuckle.
Accompanying Raymond was a lawyer who was present to notarize the statement.
Sofia gently patted Zinnia’s hand and asked, “Zinnia, would you prefer to be officially registered with the Lynn family or the Jenkins family?”
Sofia thought, ‘Now that Raymond has arrived, who has been personally invited by Yvette and Aaron, it is clear proof of how much the Jenkins care for Zinnia.’
Sofia would prefer Zinnia to be officially registered with the Lynn family, but she also understood that Zinnia wouldn’t want to put them in an awkward position. So, she decided to give Zinnia the final say.
Raymond said, “Zinnia, if you join the Jenkins family, you and I can exchange medical knowledge. You already have a Master, so I can’t be your teacher, but we share a special bond. I can’t wait to have you as my granddaughter.”
The moment Yvette and Aaron told him about Zinnia, Raymond rushed over. He was determined to welcome Zinnia into their family.
Raymond had always liked Zinnia and regretted not being able to take her as his apprentice. Now, the thought of having Zinnia as his granddaughter made him beam.
Ever since Zinnia went to live with the Lynns, every time Raymond went fishing with Henry, he had to listen to Henry brag about Zinnia. But now, the tables had turned.
Raymond said, “Henry, I really have to thank you for giving me such a wonderful granddaughter.” His joy was so overwhelming that even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes couldn’t hide his delight.
While Raymond was overjoyed, Henry couldn’t muster a smile. He thought, ‘If only Maelis hadn’t gone too far, maybe we’d still have a shot with Zinnia. Now I just have to watch Raymond get the upper hand.’
Isaac and his brothers watched with pursed lips, suppressing the urge to forcibly register Zinnia as a member of the Lynn family. They wanted her to be one of them, but they understood how hard this was for her.
Just thinking of the Shaw family gave the Lynn brothers a headache. They thought, ‘We want nothing to do with the Shaws, and Zinnia, after being harassed again and again, surely feels the same. With the Lynns‘ connection to Maelis, it is almost certain Zinnia wouldn’t choose our family.’
Though they hadn’t spent much time with Zinnia, they knew how stubborn she was. The fact that she’d rather live alone than join the Lynns said it all.
Recalling what Maelis had said in the surveillance footage, a suffocating disgust settled over the Lynn brothers. They thought, ‘Just hearing it is painful. How much worse it must have been for Zinnia to face that cruelty herself?’
Maelis’s words were utterly disappointing, even disgusting. Even now, thinking about them made the Lynn brothers feel sick. They’d never imagined Maelis could be so unreasonable to Zinnia.
The Lynn brothers thought, ‘If we were on the receiving end of such words from Maelis, even without any real connection, we’d have felt hurt and resentful too. Anyone with a bit of pride wouldn’t want to rely on their own family after that. Not to mention Zinnia. As for the Shaw brothers, they are useless. How could they just stand by and let Maelis insult Zinnia like that? We had better keep a distance from them.’
Isaac crouched down in front of Zinnia, his eyes full of guilt. He said, “Zinnia, whichever family you choose, we’re still family. I’m so sorry. I should’ve walked you home today. If I had, you wouldn’t have had to face all that nastiness alone.”
Isaac truly regretted it. He’d thought the short walk home would be safe, never imagining the Shaw family could be so shameless.
No one had expected Maelis to go that far. She’d been quiet for so long that everyone thought the situation had calmed down. But she suddenly showed up and ambushed Zinnia.
“It’s okay, Isaac,” Zinnia said, flashing a reassuring smile at Isaac. She thought, ‘I just didn’t want the Lynn family to worry about me. Yet in the end, they still got dragged into this.’
Zinnia’s heart ached more from seeing the whole Lynn family worry about her than from the cruel treatment she had endured from the Shaw family.
Not only did Isaac regret it, but Sofia and Henry were just as remorseful. They thought, ‘We should have arranged for someone to escort Zinnia. If even Isaac and Jackson could foresee how troublesome Maelis could be, how could we have missed it?’
Initially, when Sofia and Henry agreed to let Zinnia live on her own, it was precisely because they anticipated Maelis would harass her. They thought that at least this way, Maelis and the rest wouldn’t constantly bother Zinnia.
Yet they gravely underestimated how much influence Betty had over Maelis, and never imagined in their wildest imaginations that Maelis could show no warmth at all toward Zinnia.