Chapter 148

Yannis had barely sat down when he rushed off to the meeting room, leaving Zinnia alone in the office. When Yannis decided to bring Zinnia to the office, he told Toby to prepare snacks and desserts that girls like. He made sure there was no cream in anything.

Maisie only mentioned it once last time, but Yannis remembered. Toby then asked everyone in the office group chats for snacks and fruit. The big coffee table was full of colorful treats and fresh fruit.

“Zinnia, do you need anything else?” Toby asked, since Yannis asked him to look after her while the other assistants went into the meeting.

“No, I’m good. Thanks,” Zinnia said with a shake of her head, picking up a piece of chocolate to munch on.

Toby put the iPad in front of Zinnia and said softly, “What would you like to drink? There’s a long list of drinks–just tap what you want and it will be sent right over.”

The iPad showed many drinks–milk, fruit drinks, coffee, and soft drinks. Unlike snacks, some drinks don’t taste as good if they sit out for too long. Since Toby wasn’t sure what Zinnia wanted, he didn’t pick for her.

They had a special drink supplier, so orders could be sent quickly. “This one,” Zinnia said, looking at the tempting picture as she ordered a strawberry juice. She hadn’t had juice in two days and was really craving it.

“Zinnia, I’ll go now. I’ll be right outside at the first desk–just tell me if you need anything,” Toby said. With everything set, he finally left.

As the special assistant, Toby already had a lot on his plate. Before leaving, Yannis told him clearly: “Don’t stay in the office unless you really need to.” Yannis could be pretty territorial about that.

Zinnia found herself alone in the office. She curled up on the couch with a blanket around her, feeling a dull ache in her lower belly that was mild in the morning but worse by afternoon–maybe because she caught a chill the night before.

Zinnia put down the chips and opened the thermos on the table. Inside was the hot chocolate Yannis made for her at noon. She didn’t like the bitter taste, so he added a lot of milk to the hot chocolate.

The thermos kept it warm. She took a few big sips, feeling the warmth go down her throat and ease her stomach pain. Feeling better, she picked up her iPad and started watching a popular drama.

She was glad she finished most of her homework last night. If she had to do it now, she’d rather die.

The muffled sounds from the TV played in the background. Zinnia’s stomach hurt so badly she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Her hand instinctively pressed on her belly, and before she knew it, she drifted into a restless sleep.

When she woke up, she heard a worried voice–Yannis asking, “How is she, Roderick?”

Roderick said, “She had a serious problem at birth, which caused her to have very low energy and blood. She must have met a doctor to save her.

“Otherwise, it’s a miracle she survived at all. Look how well she’s grown. You must have worked really hard and used some rare medicines, right?”

Roderick carefully took out the IV needle from Zinnia, then looked at Yannis, who was standing by her bed looking concerned.

Roderick was hired by the Perkins Group. When Yannis fell into a coma overseas, it was he who took Yannis to the hospital. After Yannis came back, he brought Roderick back with him. They had a good relationship.

Yannis stayed quiet, his usually calm eyes now soft and worried as he remembered all the trauma she went through as a child.

A flash of anger crossed Yannis’s cool face. He thought, ‘A newborn is so vulnerable. How could anyone be so cruel as to hurt a baby?’ Yannis wouldn’t accept this. Anyone who dared to hurt her should pay a heavy price. His gaze sharpened with cold anger.

Roderick felt a chill down his spine as he looked at the serious, cold Yannis.

“Yannis is really angry now. I’m curious about what will happen to the person who hurt this girl,” Roderick thought to himself.

He added, “She has a cold constitution, which causes very bad menstrual cramps.

“She was exposed to cold water once, and recently she caught a chill again, making things worse. Her period is very painful.”

Seeing how worried Yannis looked, Roderick explained Zinnia’s condition clearly.

“How should we take care of her?” Yannis asked nervously.

Yannis remembered her being pulled into the pool on her birthday. As for catching a chill, his mind flashed back to last night.

“She is already being carefully treated,” Roderick said. “But menstrual cramps don’t fix overnight. They take years of steady treatment. I told you, it’s a miracle she survived.”

“She needs careful care,” Roderick added. “Her meals should be a good mix of meat and vegetables. Don’t give her meat at every meal. Too much meat can upset her health.”

After checking Zinnia’s condition, Roderick thought, ‘She was really lucky to survive. If she hadn’t met a doctor back then, she wouldn’t be here today.

After feeling her pulse, he thought, ‘It’s truly a miracle. Who has such amazing medical skills to pull her back from death?’

“Yannis,” Zinnia mumbled groggily, catching bits about eating less meat. That woke her up a little. Her eyelids fluttered open.

“Zinnia, I’m right here,” Yannis whispered. The room was quiet as he quickly crouched down beside her, leaning in to listen.

Roderick left the room. “Yannis, what happened to me?” she whispered weakly. She checked herself and felt her stomach didn’t hurt as much.

“Zinnia, you fainted from the pain earlier, so I called a doctor for you,” Yannis said, feeling relieved that he brought her here. If she fainted at home, he wouldn’t know what to do.

Zinnia had a past trauma that caused her very bad period pains, to the point she’d thrash in bed, feeling like she was dying.

Her master tried everything to help, and it got a little better, but there was no permanent fix. She had to take care of herself.

Even doctors can’t heal themselves. When it comes to her menstrual cramps, Zinnia was helpless. Her master had done all he could.

Zinnia was curled up watching a drama when the pain got too much and she passed out. It was Toby who came in with her strawberry juice and saw something was wrong. He quickly called Roderick and told Yannis.

Before leaving, Yannis told Toby to watch Zinnia closely in the office and tell him if anything happened. So when he heard she fainted, he stopped his meeting and rushed to her side, staying with her and watching over her for a full hour.

Roderick had just removed her IV when his comment about eating less meat suddenly woke her up.