Chapter 146

Zinnia grabbed her fully charged phone and texted Jackson. She briefed him on what she had seen, sent over the photos she’d taken, and provided details of where and when she’d seen it.

Zinnia was confident that with Jackson’s skills, he’d be able to track that woman down. The woman she saw yesterday bore a striking resemblance to the figure she’d spotted at the hotel before.

Jackson still hadn’t replied. He was probably busy. Just as Zinnia was about to step out, someone knocked on the door. Zinnia opened the door to find Yannis standing outside, holding a cup of hot chocolate.

Yannis smiled gently and said, “Zinnia, have some hot chocolate to warm you up first. The gnocchi soup will be ready soon.” He gave her the drink, his deep eyes looking worriedly at her slightly pale lips.

Zinnia was surprised he’d know. The hot chocolate took away the cold from her hands, and her cheeks started to flush. She took a sip, and her lips showed a rosy color.

Yannis’s gaze lingered on her lips for a moment before he quickly looked away. “I’ll go check if the gnocchi soup is ready.”

Yannis left again. Just then, the phone on her desk rang. ‘That must be Jackson,’ Zinnia thought. She walked over, unlocked her phone, and sure enough, it was a message from Jackson.

He said he’d immediately investigate. Zinnia finally felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She thought, ‘Jackson will handle all this.’

Zinnia felt absolutely no affection for Donald. Every time he looked at her, his expression made her feel like she was nothing but dirt. It stung every time. She still remembered the first time she was brought back to the Shaw family.

Donald had muttered under his breath, “Bastard.” That word left Zinnia deeply disturbed. From the moment she saw Donald, she took an instant dislike to him and felt not an ounce of filial love.

“Zinnia, the gnocchi soup is ready! Come out and have some,” Yannis called from the living room.

“Okay.” Zinnia downed the cup of hot chocolate in one gulp, set her phone down, and stepped out of the room.

Yannis had already set the gnocchi soup on the table. As he sat down beside her, Zinnia noticed there was only one serving. She turned to him and asked, “Aren’t you eating, Yannis?”

The gnocchi soup was cooked in rich chicken broth, with a thin layer of clear, golden chicken fat on top. It wasn’t greasy at all, and the smell was really tempting.

Yannis’s eyes crinkled. “I’ve already eaten, Zinnia. This is all for you,” he said softly.

That morning, after seeing Jackson off to work, Yannis ordered breakfast for Zinnia. Remembering she said she wanted gnocchi soup a few days ago, he even got some fresh ingredients so he could make them himself.

The chicken broth was made for lunch, but it turned out to be perfect for cooking the gnocchi soup. Zinnia blew on it to cool it and took a bite. It was soft and springy, full of flavor. Zinnia’s eyes lit up. It was tasty.

Yannis watched her eyes light up with happiness, a gentle smile on his face as he asked, “Is it good?”

Zinnia said, “Yummy! With skills like this, if you ever became a chef, I’d be your biggest fan.”

Zinnia popped another bite into her mouth. ‘So good! If he ever opened a restaurant, I’d be there every day,’ she thought.

Yannis grinned, “If I ever get into trouble, I’d just open a restaurant and wait for you to visit every day. That way, I definitely won’t go broke.”

Zinnia chuckled, “Your place would be packed. I’d probably have to make a reservation.”

Yannis thought for a second and said seriously, “Then I’ll just cook for you. No restaurant, no waiting lines.”

“What about your future wife?” Zinnia asked softly. She kept eating, and her cheeks puffed out cutely. She blinked at him.

She remembered Yannis saying he learned to cook just to win over his future wife. She felt she was getting the benefits meant for his wife.

Yannis chuckled softly. “I won’t marry. I’ll just cook for you. If I end up alone, just come visit me often, okay?”

Yannis reached out and gently tucked her loose hair behind her ear. His deep, soft voice, full of tenderness, was really charming. His eyes sparkled with quiet amusement.

Zinnia couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Yannis had changed since she woke up, but she couldn’t quite say what it was.

Zinnia lowered her head and said with a playful smile, “Don’t worry. If you really can’t find a wife, I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”

Zinnia thought for a moment. If she took care of Yannis when he got old, he’d cook delicious meals for her every day. Not a bad deal. Taking care of him would mean a lifetime of good food.

Yannis grinned and teased, “So, you want to keep me?”

“Are you expensive to keep?” Zinnia asked casually.

Zinnia thought, ‘Yannis cooks so well. If he ever gets into trouble, I’d happily support him, as long as he keeps cooking for me. But if he’s too high-maintenance, I might not be able to afford him.’

“Keeping me won’t be cheap,” Yannis said, playfully serious.

“How much would it cost to keep you?” Zinnia asked, totally serious.

Zinnia thought, ‘Do I have enough saved to keep him? If not, I can sell more medicine or do some medical jobs to make extra money. Still, I don’t know how much I need.’

“I’ll give you a special deal–a hundred,” Yannis joked. He didn’t want to scare her off. After all, she just said she wanted to take care of him.

Zinnia looked surprised. “A hundred?” That was super cheap.

“Too expensive? Then how about ten dollars? I need some bread. Otherwise, how could I cook for you if I go hungry?” Yannis’s lips curled into a gentle, amused smile, his eyes shining with warmth.

Zinnia teased, “Wow, you’re that cheap?”

‘Too expensive isn’t good, but too cheap isn’t right either. He’s even cheaper than what I spend on a steak. Ten dollars a day is enough to feed him. With millions in the bank, I could support him forever,’ Zinnia mused.

Yannis looked at her, a teasing smile on his face. “So, how much money do you have, Zinnia? You really sound like a rich girl—got a big stash saved up, huh?”

“Over five million,” Zinnia said, trusting him completely and not hiding anything. She recently got back over three million from the Shaw family. Yannis thought, ‘Wow, this little girl has over five million saved? My price was practically giving it away.

‘I thought the Shaw family treated her so badly she probably didn’t have much money. Jackson said she barely used her allowance from the Lynn family, so I thought she was short on cash. I really underestimated her.’

Five million might be less than what his cufflinks cost, but it was a big amount for most people. Yannis mused, ‘Zinnia’s background must be more complicated than just being adopted from a small town.’