Chapter 132

Zinnia pulled out her phone and tapped the first contact in WhatsApp–Yannis, of course. Since they’d just messaged a short while ago, his name was right at the top.

Zinnia hesitated as she tapped out a message to Yannis. She said: [Yannis, when are you coming home? There are two elderly gentlemen at the house right now.]

Zinnia had no idea when Yannis would be back. Their last message exchange was half an hour ago, and she still hadn’t gotten a reply. With the fruit washed and ready, she carried the bowl out to the living room.

As Zinnia emerged, James beckoned to her. He said, “Come here, sweetie, stop fussing around and sit with us. Let’s have a chat.”

Zinnia wasn’t really in the mood for small talk with them. Social situations like this always made her anxious; she’d never been good at dealing with elders.

Zinnia settled onto the small sofa beside them. Setting her phone aside, she completely missed the screen lighting up with a notification.

James looked at Zinnia and tried to soften his tone as he asked, “Sweetie, what’s your relationship with that brat?”

Zinnia wondered to herself, ‘That brat? Is he talking about Yannis?’

“That’s Yannis,” James said, waving his hand with obvious disdain.

Zinnia explained, “Yannis is a friend of my brother, Jackson. I’m just crashing at his place for now because of some family issues.”

At the mention of Jackson, James immediately realized. He said, “Jackson? Sweetie, you must be the granddaughter Henry always talks about, right? What was your name again?”

James and Henry fought side by side back in the day. James had heard months ago that Henry’s family had found their long-lost granddaughter, but he’d never met Zinnia until now. He didn’t expect their first meeting to happen like this.

Victor chimed in helpfully, “Zinnia.”

“Zinnia, what a lovely name,” James complimented.

Zinnia gave a shy, polite smile at the compliment.

James looked at Zinnia with a warm smile and asked gently, “Sweetie, how old are you?”

“Seventeen,” Zinnia answered sweetly, now quite accustomed to the odd look on James’s face.

“Seventeen years old?” James muttered in disbelief. As the realization dawned on him, his brows shot up in surprise.

Zinnia wondered, ‘What’s he so surprised about?’

James had suspected Zinnia might be underage, but hearing it confirmed still hit him like a punch to the gut. His eyes widened as he exchanged a meaningful glance with Victor.

James shot Victor a glance, meaning: “She’s so young! That rascal is getting more shameless by the day.”

Victor replied silently: “I did tell you it might just be a misunderstanding.”

James thought to himself, ‘It’s over. There goes my future daughter-in-law. I believed someone had finally come to rein in that rascal, but I was wrong. Who knows how long that brat will keep running wild?’

Learning Zinnia was only seventeen, no matter how thick-skinned James was, he couldn’t possibly think of her as his future daughter-in-law. He believed Yannis wouldn’t cross that line.

Chapter 132

Meanwhile, Yannis grew increasingly restless as Zinnia’s reply never came. Glancing at the mountain of documents cluttering his desk, he sighed and began gathering them.

Just then, Toby knocked on the door and entered with an armful of documents. He said, “Mr. Perkins, the R&D department will be ready for the meeting in ten minutes.”

Yannis said, “Cancel the meeting. We’ll do it tomorrow. Just pack up the documents; I’ll review them at home.” Seeing that there was still no reply from Zinnia, he was worried.

Car keys in hand, Yannis strode out of the office, calling building security on his way.

James chuckled and said to Zinnia, “Zinnia, the snacks you kids have nowadays are delicious! I have lived so many years and never tasted anything this good. Right, Victor?”

Victor replied, “Absolutely! Who knew we’d been missing out on so many culinary delights all these years? Take these Cheetos. They’re wonderfully crispy and spicy, with just a hint of sweetness. Mr. Perkins, you must try this!"

James said, “Let me try!”

Zinnia said warmly, “Here, Mr. Perkins, Victor, try these. These are tomato-flavored chips. They’re really tasty.”

When Yannis pushed the door open, James was telling Zinnia about Yannis’s childhood.

James chuckled and said, “Zinnia, you have no idea how much everyone adored that rascal when he was a kid.

“That rascal was such a pretty kid back then. His mom once dressed him up in an adorable princess dress and took him for a stroll around the residential complex. The neighbors mistook him for our daughter.

“I still have his photos at my place. Looking at those pictures, you couldn’t even tell if he was a boy or a girl. He was that adorable. Next time you come to my place, I’ll show them to you.”

“Sure! Sounds great!” Zinnia replied cheerfully.

Seeing James spill more and more of his embarrassing stories, Yannis’s face grew darker and darker. With a nonchalant tone, he asked, “Did I come back at a bad time?”

The laughter in the living room died instantly. James, who had been all smiles just a moment ago, suddenly froze, his smile stiffening mid-laugh.

“Yannis, you’re back!” Zinnia called out, turning toward Yannis as soon as she heard his voice.

Yannis leaned casually against the wall, one hand in his pocket. His impeccably tailored black suit had the top button undone, and his tie was carelessly askew at his neck. He shot them a lazy, half-lidded glance, exuding languid indifference.

Seeing Zinnia safe and sound, Yannis let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief. He thought, ‘Thank goodness she’s alright.’

James visibly composed himself, his demeanor instantly turning formal.

But no matter how Zinnia looked at it, James seemed oddly restrained around Yannis, as if there was some awkward tension between them.

James snorted, “Look who finally decided to come home. Leaving Zinnia here all alone, what if someone had just snatched her away?”

“Well, that’s what I have you here for, to keep an eye on things,” Yannis said as he changed into his slippers. He unbuttoned his suit jacket with one hand, slung it over his arm, and shuffled lazily inside.

James said, “You’re so unreliable, never take anything seriously.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly exasperated. He felt just looking at Yannis was an eyesore.

Chapter 132

As Yannis stepped into the living room, he swept his gaze over the scene. The snack bags on the table were all open, with two bags of chips sitting right in front of James and Victor.

Looking closer, he spotted chip crumbs on Victor’s uniform and at the corner of James’s mouth.

Yannis shot them a lazy glance before strolling over. He bent down to tidy the table and said, “Wipe those chip crumbs off your mouth. If you’re craving snacks, I’ll have someone send you a whole stash next time. Stop hogging the kid’s treats.”

Once he finished tidying up, Yannis tore off a napkin and handed it to James.