Maisie beamed as Zinnia came out in her new outfit. She stepped forward and twirled Zinnia around. The more she looked, the more pleased she became. She found dressing up Zinnia such a joy.

“Same as always, charge these to my mom’s account. Send some to the Spence residence and the rest to Cloud Harbor,” Maisie told the sales associate. Then she took Zinnia by the hand and led her upstairs to their reserved restaurant.

They booked a seat at a window-side table. The night view outside was lovely, and elegant piano music drifted softly through the restaurant.

As they sat down, the waiter promptly brought the menus. Maisie urged excitedly, “Zinnia, come on, hurry up and order! Get whatever you like. We’re going all out!”

In the end, the two of them ordered chili con carne. It had been ages since they last enjoyed one, and their mouths were practically watering with anticipation.

“Maisie, I’m gonna go to the restroom,” Zinnia said, taking advantage of the wait while the dish was being served.

“Want me to come with you, Zinnia?” Maisie asked.

“No need, I’ll be right back,” Zinnia said. Then she left the restaurant and headed down the long hallway to the restroom. On her way back, she froze in her tracks when she spotted a man and woman kissing passionately in the elevator.

Zinnia recognized the man as Donald. But she couldn’t see the woman’s face.

Donald and the woman were locked in a fierce, almost violent kiss, their movements wild and desperate. Donald’s hands kept roaming relentlessly over her exposed shoulder, venturing deeper beneath her clothes.

Zinnia felt sick to her stomach at the sight. She pulled out her phone and, unable to bear looking, snapped a quick photo of the couple in the elevator.

She didn’t want to get involved in the Shaws‘ drama, but she thought that Maelis was still part of the Lynn family. So she decided to tell Jackson about this.

She thought, ‘As for what to do about it, that’s his problem now.‘ She quickly snapped some photos and hurried back into the restaurant.

Donald seemed to sense something. He suddenly broke off the kiss and turned his head, casting a wary glance outside.

The woman asked, “Donald, what’s wrong?” Her voice dripped with seduction, echoing in the quiet space. At the same time, her hand slid down Donald’s waist, venturing lower with a teasing touch.

Her flushed face pressed against his chest, sending an electric tingling through Donald. In that instant, weakness spread through his legs. Overcome with desire, his hand found her curves.

Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps as she pressed herself against Donald, her body going weak with desire. “Donald,” she moaned.

Her sultry voice sent shivers down Donald’s spine. Donald said, “Sorry, Jenny, it’s not fair to you, having to sneak around with me like this.”

Jenny said, “It’s no hardship at all, Donald. For you, and our daughter, I’d do anything willingly.” Her glistening, teary eyes brimmed with emotion, perfectly feeding Donald’s ego.

“Don’t worry, I’d never wrong you, and I’ll make sure our daughter is always protected,” Donald murmured, his hands teasingly roaming over her body.

Her body melted into Donald’s arms as she gasped for breath. She asked, “And what about that other daughter of yours?”

“Don’t you know? She’s nothing but a bastard,” Donald spat, his eyes full of contempt at the mention of Zinnia. His grip tightened involuntarily as a surge of anger welled up in his chest, casting a shadow over his usually refined and gentlemanly features.

Jenny gasped, grabbing at his wandering hand. She murmured the word “bastard” silently as her eyes gleamed with hidden thoughts.

“You sound so sweet, Jenny,” Donald murmured, silencing her scream with a kiss.

Jenny playfully pushed against Donald and cooed in a breathy, seductive whisper, “What do you want to do with her? Betty suffered so much because of her. Are you just going to let it slide?”

Donald said, “No way. Last time, I made Maelis go see that stubborn little bastard. After the scene Maelis caused, that brat will never forgive our family.

“Once the Lynns stop paying attention to that little bastard, I’ll have someone send her back where she came from. Don’t worry, Betty is the only daughter I care about in this family.”

Donald couldn’t wait any longer. As he finished speaking, he shoved Jenny against the wall and pinned her there.

Jenny wrapped her arms around Donald’s waist, letting his kisses leave trails of moisture on her skin as sharp, prickling pain spread across her chest. She asked, “And what about those sons of yours?”

Donald tightened his grip on Jenny’s waist, then leaned close. He whispered, “Those are my sons. They’re outstanding, never give me any trouble. Of course, if you could give me a son, the entire family fortune would be his. Jenny, won’t you please me properly?”

A shadow flickered through Jenny’s eyes. She slid off Donald and sank to her knees before him.

When Zinnia returned to her seat, Maisie noticed her expression and asked, “Zinnia, what’s wrong? You look pale.”

“It’s nothing, Maisie,” Zinnia replied absent-mindedly, her thoughts still on the photo in her phone.

Maisie didn’t think too much. She picked up some beef and put it into Zinnia’s plate. She said, “Zinnia, let’s dig in! Yannis told me you can’t have garlic, so I made sure not to add any in the dish.”

Maisie was still a bit surprised by the message she’d received from Yannis just a few minutes ago. She hadn’t expected him to care about where they were or what they were eating. He even sent over a whole list of things Zinnia couldn’t eat.

On a day like this, Maisie hadn’t expected Yannis to even spare the time to check his phone.

Zinnia said, “Thanks, Maisie. Did Yannis text you?”

Maisie replied, “Yeah, he just texted me. When he found out we were having dinner, he sent me a whole list of your dietary restrictions. Zinnia, looks like we’ve got a ready-made guide for eating out from now on.”

Maisie served herself some meat, shaking her head in amazement. She thought, ‘Yannis is being considerate for once. He even remembers Zinnia’s likes and dislikes.‘

Yannis had told Maisie: [Zinnia loves eating meat and enjoys all kinds of it, but she doesn’t like fatty parts. She can’t stand even a trace of fat on lean meat.

[She also likes shrimp, but she hates peeling them because she dislikes having greasy hands or getting her hands messy with juices.]

“Zinnia, Yannis says you need to eat some veggies,” Maisie said as she placed some vegetables on Zinnia’s plate.

Zinnia stared at the plate of greens in silence for a few seconds. She complained inside, ‘Seriously? Even when I’m out eating, Yannis still manages to control what I eat.‘

Noticing Zinnia’s dislike for vegetables but knowing she couldn’t go against Yannis, Maisie said, “Zinnia, come on, just have a piece of greens. Then you can eat all the meat you want.” As she spoke, she put more meat on Zinnia’s plate.

Zinnia picked up some greens and shoved them into her mouth, chewing with all the enthusiasm of someone eating cardboard.

Maisie couldn’t help but chuckle. She thought, ‘Zinnia faces the greens with the same resentment she usually reserves for math homework. Quietly, Maisie recorded a short video of Zinnia eating vegetables and sent it to Yannis, her lips curling into an irrepressible smile.

Meanwhile, in the quiet living room of Perkins Manor, a soft chime broke the silence.