After dinner, Maisie had her driver take Zinnia home, and she casually sent Yannis a message to let him know Zinnia had been safely delivered.

The next second, Maisie received a text message: [Payment received, 300 thousand dollars.] Delighted, she sent Yannis two kneeling thank-you stickers. She thought, ‘Yannis may be scary, but when it comes to money, he delivers.’

When Zinnia got back, Yannis hadn’t returned. Every light in the house was on as always. Ever since her first visit, she’d never seen the place dark, day or night.

Zinnia messaged Yannis to let him know she was home.

Yannis replied right away: [I’ll be back very late tonight. Lock the doors and windows, and message me if you need anything.]

Zinnia replied: [Okay.]

Zinnia entered her room and carefully put away what she had brought back from the Lynn residence. She thought someone should find time to check the house her Master had prepared for her.

Looking around the redecorated room, she thought, ‘I won’t be staying here long anyway. All this is unnecessary.’

Pushing aside her thoughts, Zinnia went to wash up. The lingering smell of chili con carne was still on her. By the time she finished, it was nearly nine o’clock, and Yannis still wasn’t back.

Zinnia sat at her vanity and picked up her phone. She was ready to send the photo she took earlier that day to Jackson.

But when she pressed the power button, she found her phone was dead. Not being much of a phone person, she hadn’t even noticed. With a sigh, she put it on the charger.

Bored, Zinnia dug out her homework. Since she had other plans for the next day, she figured she might as well get her homework done now.

As time ticked by, Zinnia felt a little thirsty. She left her room to get some water. But just as she stepped out, she heard the front door open. Curious, Zinnia headed toward the entrance.

Seeing Jackson supporting Yannis as they came in, Zinnia hurried over, calling out, “Jackson! Yannis!”

“Zinnia, why aren’t you in bed yet?” Jackson asked in surprise as he steadied the drunken Yannis. He thought, ‘It is almost midnight. At her age, staying up late isn’t good for her health.’

“What’s wrong with Yannis?” Zinnia asked as she hurried over to support Yannis from the other side. As she got close, an overpowering stench of alcohol hit her. She thought, ‘He smells like he’s been marinated in booze.’

“He’s drunk,” Jackson said. He and Zinnia helped Yannis into the living room and carefully lowered him onto the sofa.

Noticing Jackson also reeked of alcohol, Zinnia said, “Jackson, have you been drinking too? I’ll go make you some sobering soup.”

“Don’t bother, Zinnia. I’ll have someone bring some sobering soup over in a bit,” Jackson said, not wanting his little sister to tire herself out.

Jackson leaned back on the sofa, massaging his throbbing temples. He’d been drinking with Yannis and Perry for hours. Even with his high alcohol tolerance, the prolonged session gave him a splitting headache.

Perry had already passed out drunk, so Jackson had the driver take him home. Jackson was still relatively sober, so he brought Yannis back himself. Every year on the same day, Yannis went all out drinking.

“Don’t worry about it, Jackson. Just wait a moment,” Zinnia said. She dashed back to her room to gather ingredients for a sobering soup, then ran into the kitchen to start cooking. After that, she poured two glasses of water.

In the living room, Yannis was hunched over, retching violently from the alcohol.

Jackson patted Yannis on the back with a resigned sigh. He said, “Damn it. Just make sure you take good care of Zinnia, that’s the least you can do after all I’ve done for you.”

Yannis’s usually neat hair was now a mess, two buttons of his shirt undone from discomfort. His cheeks were flushed, and the corners of his eyes were red.

Seeing Zinnia approach, Jackson hauled up Yannis, now done retching, and deposited him back on the sofa.

“Jackson, have some water. Let me take care of Yannis. The sobering soup is already cooking and will be ready soon,” Zinnia said. She handed Jackson the glass before kneeling beside Yannis.

Yannis’s head lolled to the right, turning directly toward Zinnia. His breath came out in hot puffs, his eyes bloodshot from all the drinking. Even his neck was flushed pink with intoxication.

Zinnia had known Yannis for so long, yet had never seen him so disheveled and vulnerable.

He had left that morning with his usual aristocratic poise, but by night, he had become a complete mess, the heavy smell of alcohol on him as if he were trying to drown himself in it.

Jackson said, “It’s okay, Zinnia. Don’t worry about Yannis. He’s used to this. He’ll be fine after sleeping it off tonight.”

Zinnia said, “It is fine. You rest now. Let me give Yannis some water. It’ll help settle his stomach.”

Zinnia gently supported Yannis’s head. Feeling how hot he was, she wondered how much he’d drunk. She pressed the cup of water to his lips and coaxed softly, “Yannis, let’s have some water, okay?”

Jackson said, “Zinnia, Yannis is drunk. He can’t hear a thing and won’t drink anything.”

When Yannis was drunk, he refused everything and got super defensive. If anyone tried to force him, he would knock it all over or fight one off in a heartbeat.

After drinking half a glass of water, the burning in Jackson’s stomach eased considerably. He turned to check on Zinnia, only to freeze in shock the next second.

Yannis rested his head on Zinnia’s shoulder. Hearing her soft, sweet voice, he struggled to open his eyes and met her clear, bright eyes.

His tense body finally began to relax as he slumped weakly against Zinnia. His voice was thick and sticky with drunkenness as he murmured to her ear, “Zinnia.”

Zinnia felt her ears grow warm.

Even drunk, Yannis was stunning. His face was flushed from the alcohol, eyes tinged red, long lashes resting against his eyelids. The tip of his nose was pink, making the crimson mole on the bridge of his nose seem even more vivid and alluring.

They were so close that Zinnia could feel Yannis’s scorching breath against her face. “Yannis, have some water, okay?” she coaxed softly, holding the cup to his lips.

Perhaps truly drunk beyond reason, it took Yannis a long moment to process the sensation when his burning lips met the cool rim of the glass.

He pried his eyes open again to look at Zinnia, and only after confirming she wasn’t a threat did he drink.

Jackson watched as Yannis leaned in so close to Zinnia, and for some reason, found it quite an eyesore. Fighting the urge to shove Yannis’s head aside, he called out, “Zinnia, let me take over.”