Chapter 206
Laurie and Zinnia spent half the morning exploring the estate, yet only managed to cover half of it. When they finally sat down in the dining room, servants began presenting dish after dish of various styles. Since it was Zinnia’s first visit, the chef truly pulled out all the stops to impress her.
Zinnia thought, ‘No wonder the heroines in those novels could never escape the estate—it’s enormous.’ She mused, “I spent two hours riding around in a shuttle and only managed to cover a third of the outer area. I haven’t even started on the inside yet.” The daily cleaning was mostly done by robotic vacuums; if the staff had to do it, they’d collapse in bed afterward.
Laurie said, “Lady Zinnia, since we weren’t sure of your preferences, we’ve prepared a selection of dishes from various cuisines. I hope you’ll find something you enjoy.”
Laurie stood beside Zinnia as she took her seat at the long dining table, completely covered with dishes. Behind her, a line of attentive servants waited. Whenever Zinnia glanced at a dish, a servant would immediately place it on her plate. Zinnia thought, ‘Wow, I feel like an emperor.’ Fortunately, Laurie assured her that any leftovers would be eaten by the servants, so nothing would go to waste. This put Zinnia at ease.
After a light lunch, Laurie dutifully led Zinnia on a tour of the estate’s inner grounds. Since this had been her Master’s former home, Zinnia accepted his offer to show her around. After spending the entire afternoon, Zinnia barely managed a general overview of the estate’s interior. The surrounding orchards, stables, and sports fields were simply too vast to explore in a single visit. Eventually, she returned to the main manor, where her Master and his family had once lived.
She stood alone in the vast, empty living room. The towering ceiling seemed to touch the clouds, with intricate openwork and a spiral staircase winding its way up, floor after floor, in this twenty-story main building. Museum-worthy wall paintings adorned the walls, and even the most ordinary decorative pieces could fetch a fortune. Laurie maintained the estate impeccably—spotless and breathtakingly beautiful, like a fairy-tale castle. Yet, Zinnia couldn’t feel a trace of human warmth. ‘It’s stunning,’ she thought, ‘but all this beauty feels so empty without its true master.’
It was getting late, and Zinnia had to return to Cloud Harbor.
“Lady Zinnia, won’t you live here?” Laurie gazed at Zinnia with pleading eyes. “You’ve only just arrived—haven’t stayed even one day yet. Surely you won’t abandon everyone at the estate so soon?”
Zinnia couldn’t bear to meet Laurie’s pleading gaze. “I’ll come back in a while,” she answered. Though already in his sixties, the well-preserved man looked barely over fifty.
“Great. We’ll always be waiting for you, Ms. Zinnia. Just drop me a text whenever you’re coming, and I’ll personally come pick you up,” Laurie said, grinning. He arranged for a driver to take Zinnia back.
As the car pulled away, Zinnia looked back at the estate. ‘I’ll definitely come again,’ she thought. ‘After all, this is my home.’
As soon as Zinnia left, Yelena Lynton, in the Mealinia, immediately received word. She got up from her desk and knocked on the tightly shut office door. A cool, deep voice resonated through the door: “Come in.”
Yelena paused her breathing as she gently pushed open the door. Behind the wide desk sat Nathan, a suave figure. The office maintained a constant temperature. Nathan sat with his head slightly bowed, his chiseled profile resembling fine porcelain. A pale, nearly translucent hand was pressed to his lips, from which occasional soft coughs escaped. His slender frame was slightly hunched, his shoulders draped in a camel-colored shawl.
“What is it?” Noticing Yelena, Nathan lifted his gaze—his eyes, both gentle and cold, clear as crystal. His voice was like jade clicking. Though she’d seen that godlike face countless times, Yelena still found herself in awe. “The Creator really played favorites,” she thought.
She replied, “Boss, the estate just reported that Ms. Zinnia Shaw had arrived at the Moore manor.”
“I hope the estate staff served her well,” Nathan said. Only upon hearing news of Zinnia did his expression soften, a faint smile touching his lips. My little princess has gone to the estate, he mused. I wonder if Zinnia likes it there.
“Don’t worry, Sir, I make sure to keep the staff on their toes every month—they wouldn’t dare neglect Ms. Zinnia Shaw. Laurie said she’ll probably come to stay soon,” Yelena said. Seeing his eyes light up at the mention of Zinnia, Yelena felt a little jealous. Only Ms. Zinnia Shaw, she thought, could bring any happiness to him.
“Speed up wrapping up the Moores’ affairs. They thought sending their youngest son back home would keep him out of trouble, but the fool ran headfirst into disaster the moment he returned. Now he’s finished, and all they care about is getting him out of jail. They’re distracted—this is the perfect time to strike. No more delays. Try to wrap everything up before the end of the year,” Nathan ordered coldly. He thought, ‘Zinnia is smart and helped by Yannis. She might have guessed who I am.’
Just as Zinnia stepped out of the car, another vehicle pulled up behind her. The window rolled down, revealing Yannis sitting inside. Yannis opened the car door, motioned for her to come over, and said, “Hop in.”
Zinnia got into the car, which headed down to the underground garage. The car from the Moore manor wasn’t registered, so it couldn’t gain access.
“Where have you been?” Yannis asked, his smiling eyes resting on her.
Zinnia said frankly, “I went to the Moore manor.”
“Missing your Master?” Yannis glanced sideways at her downcast face. He had never known who bought the Moore manor, but now it was clear—it was Nathan.
“A little,” Zinnia admitted and thought, ‘I don’t even know where Master is now. There’s still so much candy left in the jar he gave me, but I have no idea when he’ll come back.’
Yannis shifted closer to Zinnia and said softly, “Here, you can lean on me.”
“I’m not crying,” Zinnia shot him a sidelong glance as a faint minty fragrance enveloped her. She instinctively scooted away, sniffed, and asked, “What cologne is that? I want it—it smells amazing.”
After spending so much time with Yannis, Zinnia had grown bold around him, speaking her mind without a second thought.
“I’m not sure—my assistant picked it for me. I’ll have him get you a women’s version,” Yannis said, readily agreeing. He shifted closer, gently cradled her head, and guided it to rest on his shoulder. “If you’re feeling down, you can lean on me. And if you want to cry your eyes out, I promise I won’t laugh at you.”
Chapter 206
“I’m not going to cry,” Zinnia murmured, a little sad, her head resting on his shoulder. She didn’t actually feel like crying, but she admitted to herself that she was missing her Master. She thought, ‘Master was born into such extreme wealth, yet in the end, he lived with me in that small town, doing everything by hand, taking care of me, the little burden I was.’ She pictured that young man, supporting the even smaller her.
“Yannis, how’s your investigation into the Moore family going?” she asked.