When Zinnia woke up the next morning, she stared at the unfamiliar room and was at a loss for a moment. She thought, “Oh, right. I’ve moved again.”
In just three months since arriving in Jinston, Zinnia had already moved four times. She lowered her lashes with a quiet sigh. She thought, “Will I have to move again?”
Zinnia got up and tidied herself. She changed into a pink dress and tied her hair into a low ponytail. Carrying her backpack, she opened the door, only to freeze at the sight of Jackson’s tall, elegant figure standing in the living room.
“Zinnia,” Jackson called out softly as he took two quick steps toward her.
“Jackson,” Zinnia murmured in surprise, never expecting to see him the moment she woke up.
Though it had been just over a week since they last met, Jackson already looked noticeably haggard. His handsome features were shadowed with exhaustion from his rushed journey, even sporting stubble on his chin.
Zinnia had never seen Jackson in such an unkempt state before.
Jackson felt his heart finally settle when he saw Zinnia. He pulled her into his arms, his hand gently stroking the back of her head as if to calm them both.
His deep voice was thick with guilt and relief as he said, “Sorry, Zinnia. It’s my fault. I didn’t protect you.”
The previous day, when Jackson received the news that Zinnia had been bullied by the Shaw family, his heart clenched with regret. Guilt gnawed at him, spreading through his heart like an inescapable shadow.
He thought, “I am the one who brought Zinnia home, yet I failed to protect her. I should’ve been there. I left her alone to face all that malice.”
Zinnia rested her head against his chest, listening to his rapid, anxious heartbeat. Tilting her face up, she studied him.
She noticed the dark shadows under his eyes, a clear sign that he hadn’t rested properly in a long while. She asked, “Jackson, when did you get back?”
“I got back this morning,” Jackson said softly.
Jackson had flown back overnight. Before that, he had spent a whole day in meetings. With no time to rest, he rushed here right after getting off the plane.
When he arrived, Zinnia was sleeping. Jackson didn’t disturb her. He just sat in the living room, hoping to be the first person she saw when she woke up the next day.
Yannis retrieved the breakfast delivery from the door and turned around. Seeing Zinnia and Jackson locked in an embrace, he yawned lazily and teased, “Alright, you two, wrap it up, breakfast is ready.”
Yannis suffered the most when Jackson came back in the dead of night. He’d just managed to fall asleep, only to be woken up and bombarded with questions. Jackson kept asking him about Zinnia’s situation.
Neither Jackson nor Yannis got another wink of sleep. They lay awake until dawn, and Yannis could do nothing but tackle company matters during those sleepless hours.
Waiting until it was nearly time for Zinnia to leave for school, Yannis called his assistant to have breakfast delivered. Since Zinnia was staying with him, he didn’t rush off to the office early like he usually did.
Jackson released Zinnia from his embrace. He said, “Let’s eat, Zinnia. I’ll drive you to school later.” He took her backpack and led her toward the dining table.
“Zinnia, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just had someone bring over a bit of everything. If there’s something you prefer, let me know, and I’ll get it for you next time,” Yannis said as he took the food out one by one.
Then Yannis went to the kitchen to pour some milk for Zinnia and brewed coffee for himself and Jackson.
Zinnia took her seat, with Jackson settling beside her while Yannis sat across from them.
Seeing Jackson and Yannis drinking coffee first thing in the morning, Zinnia frowned. She said, “Both of you already have insomnia, and now you’re drinking coffee this early? You need to cut back. Too much caffeine disrupts your body’s natural rhythm. If this keeps up, your insomnia will only get worse.”
Yannis and Jackson had just reached for their coffee when Zinnia’s words stopped them in their tracks. Without protest, they withdrew their hands.
Yannis stood up and said, “Alright, no coffee then. I’ll go pour some milk for us.” With that, he headed straight into the kitchen.
Jackson was taken aback to see Yannis obey so meekly. After all these years of knowing him, Jackson knew that while Yannis seemed approachable, few could truly reach his heart, let alone get him to listen. Even James couldn’t manage that.
Jackson looked at Zinnia, his usually cold eyes softening with warmth. He said, “Looks like you are getting along well with Yannis.”
Jackson had worried that Zinnia and Yannis wouldn’t get along, but seeing that Yannis was closer to Zinnia than he was made him feel a bit left out and jealous.
Zinnia said, “I’m treating his condition. If it weren’t for that, we probably wouldn’t have much to do with each other.”
When Jackson returned late at night, Yannis had already explained to him about Zinnia treating his illness. So Jackson wasn’t surprised now. He asked gently, “Zinnia, would you like to come live with me?”
Jackson had considered it all along. But he worried that with his demanding work schedule, which often kept him out late, he wouldn’t be able to properly care for Zinnia if she lived with him. That was why he arranged for her to stay here.
He had thought, “The place is close to Zinnia’s school, and with Yannis around, he could keep an eye on her if anything happened.” But no matter how many precautions he took, he never imagined the Shaw family would stoop so low.
After the Shaw family incident, Jackson couldn’t stand leaving Zinnia alone anymore. He wanted her to move in with him right away, regretting that he hadn’t insisted on it from the start.
Zinnia picked up a pancake and took a small bite, letting his words hang in the air for a moment before responding.
Jackson’s heart ached as he watched her reaction. He thought, “The Shaw family did hurt her after all.”
Just then, Yannis came out from the kitchen with two glasses of milk. He raised an eyebrow at Jackson and teased, “What, afraid I’ll eat Zinnia alive if she stays here with me?”
Yannis grumbled inwardly, “Seriously? He just got back, and now he wants to take Zinnia away? I spent half the night convincing her to stay, and now he’s just swooping in. Talk about not playing fair.”
Jackson replied, “No, it’s just that with your work and Zinnia’s school, I don’t want to burden you for too long. I was thinking maybe she could stay with me instead.”
Jackson pondered, “Zinnia’s in her senior year. Yannis has just come back and is already swamped with work. With one at school and the other at the office, how could he possibly have time to look after her? Besides, Yannis has never been one for unnecessary trouble. Even if Yannis is only tolerating Zinnia out of courtesy for now, if this continues problems are bound to arise.”
Yannis replied, “It’s no trouble at all. Zinnia’s so adorable. How could she ever be a burden? I’m taking advantage here, having a private doctor always around to look after me.”
Yannis glanced at Zinnia, a gentle smile curling at his lips. His voice was warm and teasing, especially when he lingered on the words “private doctor.” His tone brimmed with unmistakable tenderness.
Zinnia looked at Yannis. She bit her lips, realizing he was helping her out of a difficult situation.
Jackson was surprised by how readily Yannis accepted Zinnia. He thought, “Why does it feel like Yannis likes Zinnia even more than I expected? It doesn’t seem to be just because I asked him to, it’s for who she is.”
Yannis continued, “Come on, I may have a job too, but let’s be honest, I’m way less swamped than you are. Just let Zinnia stay with me. You go do what you need to do. Don’t worry, I’ll take great care of her.”
Yannis slid the glass of milk over to Jackson before sitting down. Yannis knew that the entire burden of the Lynn family rested on Jackson’s shoulders; Jackson wasn’t having it easy.
What the Shaw family did this time crossed Jackson’s bottom line. He might look calm and composed now, but the moment he heard what had happened to Zinnia, he rushed back in a fury. That alone showed how much he cared about her.
Yannis thought, “The more Jackson cares for Zinnia, the deeper his anger toward the Shaw family burns. There’s no way things will stay peaceful for them now. With the Shaw family to deal with, Lynn Corporation to manage, and Zinnia to look after, Jackson is running ragged. As his friend, I shall help shoulder some of the burden.”
After breakfast, Jackson and Yannis sent Zinnia to school. They waited until she had safely entered before finally leaving.
As they walked toward the car, Jackson said, “I’ll cover all of Zinnia’s expenses.”
Jackson was swamped. After dropping Zinnia off, he still had to head to the office. The way the Shaw family treated Zinnia made Jackson seethe with anger.
He thought, “They need to be taught a lesson. They ride on the Lynn family’s coattails, yet treat someone I care about like this? Didn’t they tell Zinnia not to rely on our influence? Fine, let’s see how the Shaw family fares without it. Maelis was at fault, but the Shaw brothers were even worse. Not one of them had the guts to stand up for Zinnia. They just stood by indifferently, making a few sarcastic remarks. I will make them regret what they have done to Zinnia.”
Knowing Jackson wouldn’t feel at ease unless he could do something, Yannis nodded and agreed.
Zinnia entered the classroom and immediately overheard her classmates gossiping about the Shaw family.
“Did you hear? The Shaw family’s in trouble. Their company got hacked last night. A ton of data got leaked, and their stock price went haywire,” one classmate whispered.
Another chimed in, “That’s not all. My dad said the Lynn family just pulled out of a bunch of projects with the Shaw family. Something must have gone down between the two families.”
One added, “The Shaw family is just no match for the Lynns. The moment the Lynns pulled out, the Shaws couldn’t weather the storm.”
Someone else jumped in. “And get this, the contract the Shaws signed with MZ Group just two months ago? They got a termination notice first thing this morning.