Chapter 174

Yelena hid the sadness in her eyes as she gave him the iPad. Following his orders, she had been watching Zinnia’s daily life. Nathan’s fingers clenched around the iPad, his eyes fixed on the screen. A cough wracked him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. His grip tightened. With slow, heavy steps, he moved to his office chair and sat down.

Yelena, worried, quickly poured him some water. His pale, sickly face flushed slightly from coughing, tugging at her heart. ‘If only he were an angel from heaven,’ Yelena thought. She couldn’t understand why someone so kind suffered so much.

“You can leave now,” Nathan said, ignoring the water, his eyes still on the paused screen. His gaze immediately fell upon the delicate figure sitting in the center.

Yelena saw his complete focus on the screen. A flicker of disappointment crossed her face, but she stepped back and gently closed the office door.

Nathan looked at the person on the screen longingly, his pale fingers softly tracing her bright eyes and happy, confident smile. “It looks like even when I’m not there, my little girl is still taking good care of herself,” he whispered.

A faint smile touched his lips as he leaned back, his cough subsiding. He looked at the tiny figure on his screen, a hint of longing in his eyes. ‘Zinnia, you seem happy in Jinston. They are treating you well. That makes me feel better,’ Nathan thought. A wave of sadness washed over him, a deep ache in his heart.

Nathan closed his eyes, trying to quell the pain. If he had a choice, he would never have left Zinnia in their care. ‘I can’t stay with her forever. Zinnia needs to learn to depend less on me. She needs new people in her life—only then can I finally let her go,’ he thought with a heavy heart.

Nathan watched the video repeatedly throughout the night, trying to soothe his longing. “Just wait a little longer, Zinnia,” he whispered. “Once I fix everything, I will come and give you a life that’s free and happy.”

For some reason, Zinnia suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and stopped. “What’s wrong, Zinnia?” Maisie asked, concern etched on her face.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go,” Zinnia said, rubbing her chest. Hearing Maisie’s worry, she shook her head.

“Yannis. Over here.” Maisie waved happily as Yannis approached. Zinnia looked up.

A warm smile graced Yannis’s face, his caring eyes fixed on them as he held two sticks of cotton candy. Zinnia thought they looked pretty.

“Zinnia, you are so beautiful. No phone could ever show how pretty you really are,” Yannis whispered, his tone lazy and spoiled.

He looked at Zinnia, bathed in the amusement park’s colorful lights. Her hairpins swayed gently as she walked, her cosplay costume making her look lively and cheerful. With a pretty lamp in her hand, she seemed like a delicate doll come to life. Yannis thought, ‘I want to hold her in my hands forever, to love and protect her always.’

Yannis’s compliments always made Zinnia’s cheeks flush. Even though she was used to his sweet words, her face still warmed each time.

Chapter 174

“Sweet talk,” Zinnia said, lifting her head.

“Are you really Yannis? Did you get possessed or something?” Maisie said, eyes wide with surprise. ‘This smooth-talker can’t be my cousin!’ she thought. She knew Yannis was kind to Zinnia, but she’d never seen him like this. ‘Sure, he spoils his girl, but now he can’t even take his eyes off her. If Zinnia weren’t still a teenager, I’d start to think he’s got other plans!’ Maisie thought.

“Want me to find a brain doctor for you? I’ll pay,” Yannis joked, barely looking at her.

Maisie thought, ‘No thanks. Okay, that’s definitely my cousin. That’s the tone I know. Just a moment ago, he was acting weird. I still can’t believe those sweet words actually came out of his mouth. Usually, he never compliments girls; if he doesn’t make the girls trying to get close to him cry, that’s already nice.’

“Here you go,” Yannis said, giving one candy to Zinnia and one to Maisie.

“But you usually don’t let me eat too much sugar,” Zinnia said, looking at the cotton candy, then at him with confusion.

“It’s a treat for you being happy today,” Yannis said, smiling warmly.

Zinnia tilted her head. “So if being happy gets me candy, and I’m happy every day, does that mean you’ll stop banning my sugar?”

She didn’t think just being happy would get her a treat. A warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed inside her. She took a sweet bite of cotton candy.

Since leaving her master, few people had ever complimented her. During those two months with the Shaw family, every look they gave her was full of dislike. It hurt her.

Yannis said, “Today’s special. Tomorrow, you’re back on your sugar ban.” Seeing her attempt to bend the rules, he realized she knew how to push her luck.

Zinnia stayed quiet, thinking, ‘So candy is just for today. What a stingy man.’

At his age, Raymond loved having his grandchildren around, filling the house with warmth and laughter. The three of them returned to the Spence residence, their voices making him smile.

“Are you hungry?” Raymond asked, instructing the butler to prepare their rooms.

Raymond’s wife died over twenty years ago, leaving him alone in a quiet house. Maisie often stayed with him, and Yannis visited when he could.

Yvette and Aaron were always busy. Yvette was a well-known painter who traveled the world for inspiration, with Aaron always by her side. Even after many years of marriage, they still loved each other deeply and rarely spent time apart.

Maisie linked her arm with her grandpa’s and said with a smile, “We just ate this afternoon, but I’ve missed eating here, Grandpa. So I’m here for dinner.”

“Good,” Raymond said, smiling. Because her parents shared such a loving marriage, Maisie grew up to be warm and caring.

The Spence family wasn’t as large as the Lynn family, but with Zinnia, the house was filled with happiness and warmth. Yvette and her husband were flying in that night but hadn't yet arrived.

Chapter 175