Chapter 145

Zinnia bent down, thinking about how Jackson had helped Yannis earlier. She grabbed Yannis’s hand, draped it over her shoulder, and then firmly gripped his wrist, getting ready to haul him up.

Being petite, it was no easy feat for Zinnia to help up Yannis, a man over six feet tall in his drunken state. “Yannis, can you try to stand? Let me help you back to your room, okay?” Zinnia coaxed, her voice gentle and pleading.

Fortunately, Yannis had snapped out of his earlier mood. His eyes rolled slightly as he processed her words with a drunken delay. Then, leaning on Zin for support, he slowly got to his feet.

Suddenly, Yannis muttered in a low, sulky voice, “Why do you treat Jackson so well? Why did you let Maisie kiss you before?”

His questions, which seemed to come out of nowhere, left Zinnia momentarily stunned. But considering that he was drunk, she still answered patiently, “Because Jackson is my family, and he has always been very kind to me.

“Maisie is my good friend, and she is also very kind to me. She kissed me because she likes me.”

Yannis replied, “I am your good friend, too. Don’t let her kiss you. I am better to you than they are. I want to be your family, too.”

Zinnia replied helplessly, “Of course, we are friends. And I treat you like my brother. So basically, you are my family, too.”

Yannis said, “I don’t want to be your brother. Jackson is your brother. I want to be more than that. You must treat me better than you do them.”

Zinnia was speechless for a moment. She thought, ‘Seriously? Is this even the Yannis I know? How come he becomes so unreasonable and stubborn when he’s drunk?

‘Didn’t Jackson say that we don’t need to mind him when he’s drunk, and that he’ll be fine after a good sleep? Does this level of fussiness look like someone who doesn’t need to be taken care of?’

Yannis pressed further, “Promise you will treat me better. Promise you will never leave me.”

Zinnia thought, ‘Forget it, don’t take it seriously with him. He is drunk anyway. If he cooperates, I can help him get back to sleep. But if he stays there and doesn’t move, I can’t even drag him.’

Realizing a compromise was her only option, she said, “Fine, I promise.”

“You are so sweet, Zinnia,” Yannis said and beamed right away. His face lit up like a child given his favorite candy.

Zinnia quickly helped him toward the room. But she couldn’t help but feel that Yannis was lighter than when Jackson and she had supported him together.

Yannis’s room was still lit. As soon as the door opened, the stark monochrome decor came into view. The bed was covered with a black comforter, one corner hastily thrown back.

Zinnia could tell that Yannis had bolted out himself. He was barefoot, not even stopping to put on his shoes.

Zinnia helped Yannis onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him. Standing by the bedside, she looked at Yannis, who stubbornly kept his eyes wide open, staring at her.

She said softly, “Come on, try to get some sleep. Can’t fall asleep? Do you want me to massage you?”

Zinnia thought, ‘If even all that alcohol can’t help him sleep, his insomnia is a headache.’

Simply massaging his head wouldn’t put Yannis to sleep. Zinnia was targeting specific pressure points to stimulate drowsiness, but she knew that prolonged use of this method could be harmful to his health.

Yannis blinked at her, his eyes full of anticipation. He said, “You forgot to say goodnight to me.”

“Fine, goodnight,” Zinnia said. She thought, ‘He’s so particular about this.’

Zinnia returned to her room, feeling utterly drained. She collapsed onto the bed, cocooned herself in the blanket, and sank into a deep sleep without another thought.

After fussing around with Yannis for over half an hour, it was already past 3 a.m., way past the time anyone should be awake in the dead of night. With all that commotion, Zinnia could no longer fight the overwhelming drowsiness.

When Zinnia woke up, morning had already come. Soft light filtered through the cream-colored curtains, filling the room with a gentle glow.

Suddenly, Zinnia felt a bloating pain in her belly. She quickly scrambled out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to take care of her period needs. Afterward, she came out and sniffled.

She thought, ‘Well, my nose is stuffed up. I knew staying out in the cold last night would come back to bite me. Did Yannis catch a cold or not?

‘No idea when he left his room, or how long he was out in the cold wind last night. He’d been drinking, so he’s more likely to catch a cold than I am.’

With concern about Yannis, Zinnia couldn’t be bothered to go back to sleep. Besides, her stomach was still cramping, and all she wanted was something warm to drink. She opened the door and stepped out.

It was already daylight outside. As she looked around, her gaze fell on Yannis sitting in the living room.

Dressed in a gray tracksuit, Yannis sat upright with a laptop on his lap. His sharp brows and chiseled features exuded an air of cold elegance and quiet nobility, yet his distant gaze was tinged with aloof indifference.

Yannis was fully sober. Seeing Zinnia rush out anxiously, he set aside his laptop, stood up, and walked over to her. He called out, “Zinnia.”

Zinnia held onto Yannis’s hand and looked up at him with concern. She asked, “You didn’t catch a cold, did you?”

“I don’t. Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a doctor?” Yannis asked, his heart softening at her anxious, caring gaze.

After a night’s rest, Yannis had reverted to his usual aloof and noble self, with no trace of last night’s vulnerability. Watching him, Zinnia thought with relief, ‘He probably doesn’t remember anything that happened while he was drunk.’

After checking his pulse and finding it normal, Zinnia released his hand. She said, “Good thing you didn’t catch a cold.”

Feeling the fleeting touch on his wrist was nothing like the tight grip she’d held him with last night, a silent loneliness welled up in Yannis’s chest. He asked, “Zinnia, did you catch a cold? Shall I call a doctor for you?”

Yannis thought, ‘Zinnia isn’t the type to worry for no reason. If she is concerned about me being sick, it must be because she has noticed something unusual. Maybe she is the one who isn’t feeling well.’

A look of concern clouded the usual clarity and gentleness in his eyes.

“I’m fine, Yannis. And don’t you remember? I’m a doctor myself,” Zinnia said.

She thought, ‘My nose is a bit stuffy, nothing serious. I’ll just make myself some medicine later.’ What bothered her were the cramps in her lower abdomen, leaving her looking noticeably pale.

Yannis' gaze dropped to her slightly pale lips, his concern lingering. He asked, “Zinnia, you’re looking pale. Are you feeling alright?”

“No, I’m fine. I am just having some cramps,” Zinnia stammered, her eyes darting away, unable to meet Yannis’s gaze. At that moment, she felt Yannis seemed just as stubborn as he had been the night before.

Noticing her evasive gaze and hearing what she said, Yannis immediately realized it was that time of the month for her, and a flush crept up his ears. Zinnia asked, “Where’s Jackson? Did he leave already?” She glanced around anxiously and thought, 'I didn’t have the chance to tell him about Donald’s matter.’

Yannis replied, “He has gone to work. How about some gnocchi soup for breakfast? I made them fresh this morning,” Yannis said.

Zinnia thought, ‘Well then, I’ll talk to Jackson later.’ Then she nodded and said, “Sure,” Right now, all she wanted was something warm to eat, anything would do.

“Okay, Zinnia, wait here a moment. I’ll go cook you some gnocchi soup,” Yannis said, turning toward the kitchen.

Zinnia had intended to tell Jackson about Donald’s matter the previous night, but seeing how exhausted he looked, she didn’t want to trouble him further and decided not to mention it.

Now that it was already the next day, she planned to send him a message to let him know. So she returned to her room to get her phone.