Chapter 151

After they got home, Zinnia was so tired from everything that had happened that afternoon that she didn’t even want to move. Yannis made her comfortable on the sofa and made her hot chocolate to help her feel better.

“Zinnia, wait here for me. I’ll make us some dinner,” Yannis said softly. He realized that after everything they’d been through, his plan to make her gain weight hadn’t worked out.

“I want meat!” Zinnia hugged a plush toy tight, feeling sad as she remembered what she had vaguely heard earlier. “How can you take that away from me?”

“Don’t worry, there’s meat,” Yannis said with a laugh. Feeling better, Zinnia relaxed back on the sofa with a sigh, while Yannis went into the kitchen.

Zinnia took out her phone to check the group chat, where others were talking about plans. In three days, there would be an event, and they wanted to go together. Zinnia quickly sent a hand-raising emoji. She definitely wanted to join the fun.

Maisie: [Zinnia! We asked you to play games this afternoon but got no reply. Did something happen?]

Maisie wanted Zinnia to join her for games that afternoon but couldn’t reach her for hours. Worried, she messaged Yannis, who told her Zinnia was safe with him, which made her feel better.

Zinnia: [Just got too sleepy this afternoon and fell asleep.]

Then, a private message from Lydia popped up: [Did something happen this afternoon?] Her worry was clear in her words. Lydia saw that Zinnia hadn’t replied for hours that afternoon, so she checked and saw Zinnia was at Perkins Group.

Their security was very tight. She couldn’t get in quickly. Not wanting to waste time, she went straight to Maisie, who told her Zinnia was with Yannis.

Lydia finally relaxed, knowing Zinnia was safe. To make sure she wouldn’t miss anything, she set up an automatic alert to notify her instantly whenever Zinnia sent a message.

Zinnia: [Just felt a little sick this afternoon and took a nap, so I missed your messages. Are you done with work now?]

Zinnia casually explained, not going into details about what had happened that afternoon. She remembered Lydia mentioning she had a part-time job.

Lydia: [Almost done. What do you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll make it for you.] Touched by Zinnia’s care, she smiled and sent a bunny petting sticker.

Zinnia: [I want a chocolate cupcake!] Zinnia was already used to being spoiled with treats. Lydia brought her something tasty to school every day.

Lydia: [I’ll bring it tomorrow. How about adding some strawberries?] Lydia loved how Zinnia always told her exactly what Zinnia wanted.

Zinnia: [Okay.]

After chatting with Lydia for a bit, Zinnia sent a few messages to others in the group chat. Then Yannis called from the kitchen, “Zinnia, dinner’s ready!”

Yannis brought out the dishes and was just taking off his apron when Zinnia put down her phone and walked over. But when she saw the food, her face dropped. It was full of greens she really hated.

“Yannis, are we running out of money?” Zinnia asked seriously. Just two days ago, he said he might go broke, and then he was serving her vegetarian food.

“Of course not,” Yannis said gently. “But Roderick said you need a balanced diet. So from now on, just one meat dish per meal.”

Yannis wouldn’t be poor in this life. But the clear dislike in Zinnia’s eyes was obvious. He put down the plate and gently guided her to sit.

It was not that Yannis didn’t want Zinnia to eat meat. Her health just couldn’t handle it. Roderick explained that it wasn’t easy for Zinnia to reach her current healthy state, and upsetting that balance could seriously hurt her.

Zinnia used to binge eat without problems, mainly because she had spent two months eating poorly. Her body was so deprived of fats and nutrients.

But her diet had been balanced for a while, and she needed to watch what she ate. No more overeating, and sweets should be limited too.

Yannis added softly, “Roderick also said you can’t have too many sweets, and snacks will be limited too. From now on, Zinnia, you’ll need to ask me if you want any snacks.”

Yannis really didn’t want to risk her health.

Yannis became more curious about Zinnia’s past. He wondered, “Who could have saved a baby nearly dying and helped her get healthy with rare herbs?” A quiet thankfulness grew in him.

“Yannis, you’re a monster,” Zinnia pouted, her eyes losing their sparkle at his words.

Yannis said softly, “Zinnia, I talked to Roderick. Once you turn eighteen, your body will be stable, and we can loosen some of these rules. It will be a tough year, but hang in there, okay?”

Yannis never liked to refuse Zinnia anything. Seeing her unhappy hurt him too.

Zinnia said, “Yannis, I’m totally fine. I’m a doctor, you know? Even if there were problems, I could fix them myself. Seriously, you don’t have to cut out my meat, snacks, or sweets!”

She grabbed Yannis’s sleeve, her bright eyes looking up at him. ‘I only love a few things. Why are they all off-limits? That doctor is just mean!’ she thought.

Yannis said, “Zinnia, I’ll make some low-calorie sweets for you. For snacks, I’ll get a factory to make natural ones. But when it comes to meat, I just can’t agree to let you have more.”

That was the first time Yannis saw her acting cute, and his heart skipped a beat. Her big eyes looked at him begging, her face still a little pale. Seeing her like that, he felt his heart melt.

Yannis, who usually gave her anything she wanted, felt like he couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to agree, but he forced himself to hold back.

He could say yes to everything else. Sugar-free sweets, special snacks, even the moon and stars if she asked. But not anything that could hurt her health.

“Yannis, you’re so mean!” Zinnia glared at him as she pulled her hand away, showing her unhappiness.

Yannis said, “Zinnia, once you heal completely, I’ll prepare a big feast for you. Whatever you want. The vegetarian dishes are tasty too. Give them a try. They’re just as good as meat. Don’t you trust my cooking?”

Zinnia pouted sadly. Yannis sighed, gently rubbing her head. “Yannis, I don’t think we’ll be together much longer,” Zinnia said.

Yannis felt a sharp pain in his chest at her words. He hated this sudden ache. She was right there, but he couldn’t shake a feeling of insecurity. “Why?” Yannis asked.

Zinnia pouted, “I will leave you.”