The faint scent of mint lingered around her nose, making Zinnia’s eyes fill with tears. “Yannis…” she whispered.

“Zinnia!” Maelis gasped in pain, struggling to sit up. Seeing the bloody scratches on her arm, her anger flared, and her voice became shrill. Even though Yannis had thrown her aside, she only dared to scream hoarsely at Zinnia, blaming her for everything.

Maelis’s cutting words pierced Zinnia’s heart, constricting her chest. She clenched her teeth and swallowed the pain. She shoved Yannis aside, revealing her slender frame. Her clear eyes burned with fury. “You hit me first; why shouldn’t I hit you back?”

Zinnia stood tall, her delicate frame betraying no fear. Her gaze was cold and detached as she looked at Maelis, who lay on the ground, eyes full of hatred and resentment. A faint, mocking smile tugged at Zinnia’s lips. This woman, her so-called mother, truly hated her.

“Maelis, what are you doing?” Howard and Timothy rushed over and helped her up.

Maelis didn’t respond. Her eyes were wild, filled with twisted hatred as she glared at Zinnia. “I’m your mother. Hitting you is my right. Who dares say otherwise?”

“Is it your right, Mrs. Shaw? And then isn’t it also my right to bankrupt the Shaw family?” Yannis’s eyes darkened menacingly, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips.

“How dare you!” Maelis’s face twisted in fury, her lips trembling.

“Mom, stop it,” Timothy and Yosef said in unison.

Yannis’s gaze turned glacial. “Who says I wouldn’t dare?”

“You…” Maelis’s voice caught in her throat, rage twisting her features. Her eyes burned red as she stared at Yannis. “She’s my daughter! Do you have to step in?”

A stream of curses welled up in her throat. She knew Yannis wasn’t bluffing. True to her bullying nature, Maelis targeted the weak and always backed down from the strong.

“Don’t kid yourself, Mrs. Shaw,” Yvette snapped. “Zinnia is my daughter. Just because you claim to be her mother, you think you can discipline her? You don’t have that right.”

Yvette walked over, poised and radiant, every step brimming with power. She looked down at Maelis, crumpled in disgrace. One shone with composure, the other drowned in defeat—the gap between them, stark and unforgiving.

Maelis sneered, “Your daughter? Did you give birth to her? Did you raise her? And yet you dare call her your daughter? Yvette, have you no shame at all?”

Maelis stared at Yvette with a distorted and venomous look. Her pent-up rage boiled over, and her sharp eyes seemed capable of skinning Yvette alive. Any trace of her former elegance had vanished; she looked every inch a spiteful shrew.

Yvette retorted, “Shameless? Not half as shameless as you. Acting like you ever raised Zinnia. The only one you raised is that ungrateful brat Betty, and now you keep hounding Zinnia like it’s your right.”

Yvette’s voice was ice-cold. “Don’t you ever dare use that so-called biological debt to control Zinnia. When she was born, your family’s negligence almost cost her life. If anything, that alone has repaid whatever you think she owes you.”

“We, Zinnia, owe you nothing. It’s not her fault she was switched at birth. Betty’s mistakes weren’t directed by Zinnia. You can’t tell right from wrong and just make a mess. Are you even fit to be Zinnia’s mother?”

Maelis’s face turned deathly pale. Her eyes were bloodshot with fury as she raised her hand to strike Yvette.

Jackson intercepted her hand. His handsome face was tinged with frost. “Enough, Maelis. Haven’t the Shaws endured enough because of you?”

Maelis shivered. Her eyes were bloodshot with anger. She hissed at Jackson, “Jackson, I’m your aunt.”

“Maelis, you don’t need to be my aunt anymore. Our family has done more than enough for you,” Jackson said coldly.

Maelis, her voice quivering with rage, shouted, “You bastard! Do you really think you’re in charge of the Lynn family now? Henry and Sofia are still here!”

Maelis also resented Jackson deeply. She thought, ‘If he hadn’t pulled his investments from the Shaw family, would we have fallen into such a dire, besieged state?’

Henry’s aged, stern voice cut through the crowd. “So what if Jackson heads the Lynn family? Maelis, you’re the outsider here.”

Everyone turned to see Henry and Sofia arriving, their expressions stern. Yosef and Donald followed, both wearing solemn looks. They were at a business reception when someone rushed in to report a commotion in the back garden—Maelis making a scene with Zinnia. Donald cursed inwardly, ‘What an idiot.’

“Zinnia, does it hurt? Let me put some ointment on you.” Maisie rushed to her side, her heart aching at the sight of Zinnia’s red and swollen face.

Maelis, whose anger had been simmering, slapped Zinnia hard across the face. Immediately, Zinnia’s cheeks swelled, turning red and bruised—a horrifying sight.

Maisie barely had time to unscrew the ointment cap before Yannis snatched it from her hands.

“Zinnia, this might sting a bit. Try to bear it,” Yannis said, his expression cold, his eyes frosted with suppressed emotion. He gently applied the ointment to her face.

As the cool ointment touched her burning cheek, Zinnia winced. She had never been hurt this badly.

Seeing Zinnia frown, Yannis’s lips tightened. His fury burned white-hot. He crouched beside her and softened his voice. “Zinnia, let me call a doctor, okay?”

He kept his tone gentle, remembering how she’d been knocked to the ground.

“No need,” Zinnia murmured weakly, refusing to move. She couldn’t leave—Jackson and the others had already seen the swelling.

Yannis turned to Charlie. “Charlie, check her over. She just had a bad fall.”

Charlie’s expression grew solemn. “Zinnia, where are you injured?”

Zinnia thought, ‘I fell on my bottom. There’s no way I can say that out loud.’ Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“She fell and landed on her butt. I’m not sure if her coccyx is injured. Could you quickly give her a check? Later, I’ll take her for an X-ray,” Yannis said, his voice thick with worry.

As she walked, Yannis noticed the pained look on her brow. Since she clearly didn’t want to move, he left her alone.

“Zinnia, let me take a look,” Charlie said, gently pressing on her tailbone. “Does it hurt?”

Zinnia replied shyly, “It’s not hurt here.”

Yannis gently let down her hair to hide the swelling. As more people gathered, Zinnia stole a glance at him and bit her lip, burying her injured cheek deeper into her hair. She thought, ‘This is so embarrassing.’

“I’m sorry. I should have protected you,” Yannis murmured. His eyes were filled with emotion, veins standing out on his hand as he gripped the ointment, unable to hold back his self-reproach.

“It’s not your fault,” Zinnia murmured, her head bowed. “None of this was your fault. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Mom, how could you hit her so hard?” Timothy stared at Maelis, his eyes fixed on Zinnia’s badly swollen cheek. Sofia and the others arrived and heard his words.

“What the hell kind of mother are you? If you’ve gone mad, go get yourself treated!” Sofia, shaky and angry, was supported by Henry. Seeing Zinnia’s swollen face, she yelled at Maelis, trembling with rage.

In her youth, Sofia was a force to be reckoned with. However, her temper had mellowed with age. Even so, Maelis’s actions enraged her—this daughter was truly unrepentant.