Chapter 210

Today, a madam hosted a luncheon for several elite socialites. The room buzzed with lively chatter, but the conversation died down as soon as a particular remark was made.

“Well, now that you mention it, it really does sound familiar. I remember my husband’s sister-in-law had a baby that was switched at birth by someone unknown. It wasn’t until a few years ago that the truth came out.”

“It turns out it was her husband who did it.”

“He kept telling her to be extra kind to the child who wasn’t hers, so she treasured that child like the apple of her eye.”

“But one day, she found out she’d been raising her husband’s illegitimate daughter while her own child was suffering in someone else’s home. His sister-in-law was furious.”

“She brought her real child back, took back the company, and kicked out her husband and his daughter. She’s been making amends to her real child ever since. Honestly, what’s happening with the Shawn family really reminds me of my sister-in-law’s story.”

“Well, in our elite circles, little secrets happen all the time—things like this are commonplace. If that’s really the case, it suddenly all makes sense.”

“If Maelis ever found out about this, she’d totally lose it. Nobody could possibly accept raising her husband’s illegitimate daughter.”

Someone sighed, and an awkward silence fell over the room. The ladies exchanged uneasy glances. “Surely that can’t be true, right?”

“Let’s not tell them about this,” Zinnia said to Isaac and Maisie.

“We thought it’d be best to let Grandma enjoy her birthday first. We’ll tell her about Maelis after today’s celebration,” Isaac said. It was Sofia’s birthday, and none of them wanted Maelis’s situation to ruin her special day.

“Of course,” Zinnia replied.

As they entered, the cheerful voices of Sofia and Yvette drifted out, and a smile lit up Zinnia’s face.

“Zinnia’s here!” Yvette was the first to spot her.

“Zinnia, my baby girl.” Hearing Zinnia’s arrival, Sofia’s face lit up. She turned around, her kind features radiating warmth.

Zinnia hurried in, beaming. “Happy birthday, Grandma!”

“I am so happy to see you, Zinnia,” Sofia said, taking Zinnia’s hand, her loving eyes brimming with unreserved affection.

Isaac, trailing behind, teased, “Grandma, every time Zinnia’s around, you don’t even see us anymore.”

“You’ve been with me all day. Why can’t I spoil my sweet Zinnia for a while?” Sofia said, giving Isaac a playful glare.

“Mom, Dad, Grandpa,” Zinnia greeted everyone warmly.

Sofia kept her birthday gathering small—just inviting Raymond’s family, the Lynns, and Yannis. All told, it was just one table of guests. Jackson’s parents, stationed at an overseas embassy, only came back for Christmas and rarely returned otherwise. For Sofia’s birthday, the couple had arranged for someone to deliver their gifts well in advance.

Chapter 210

With a smile, Zinnia said, “It’s nothing fancy, just a painting.”

Zinnia’s gift for Sofia was a masterpiece by a renowned artist, valued at around $1.5 million at auction. She had acquired it at an auction with her Master when a buyer who couldn’t afford her medicine exchanged the painting for it. Knowing Sofia’s birthday was coming up, Zinnia called Chandler several days ago and asked him to retrieve the painting from the storage room of her Master’s house and send it to her.

Henry and Raymond were playing chess on the coffee table, their faces flushed as they argued heatedly about fishing. Aaron sat nearby, watching their game and hoping to learn a thing or two.

Jackson and Yannis were still tied up with work, and Charlie had surgery, so he’d be late. Isaac and Maisie arrived first, and when Zinnia showed up, the three of them ended up playing Go Fish.

Zinnia wasn’t very good at it—even though Isaac and Maisie went easy on her, she kept losing, and soon her face was covered with sticky notes as a playful punishment.

“Zinnia, remember the rules,” Isaac explained as they played.

“Got it,” Zinnia nodded attentively. But when the round ended, she had lost again.

“Zinnia, how come you lost again? You’re really having a bad run of luck today,” Isaac said as he and Maisie leaned in to check Zinnia’s remaining cards. They shrugged. They’d been deliberately playing to help her win, but Zinnia was so unlucky.

Maisie scratched her head. “Isn’t there supposed to be beginner’s luck? How come Zinnia’s always so unlucky?” she joked, grabbing another sticky note. “Come on, let me stick another one on you.”

Zinnia obediently leaned her head forward, letting Maisie stick another note on her. Even though she kept losing, she couldn’t help but smile. ‘I’ve never played this game before, but it’s actually pretty fun,’ she thought, genuinely enjoying herself.

“Here, Zinnia, let me stick one on you,” Isaac said, grabbing a sticky note and sticking it on Zinnia’s cheek. By now, her face was covered in sticky notes, some of them barely hanging on and fluttering with her every move.

Watching the three of them with amused smiles, Sofia and Yvette teased, “Come on, you two, give Zinnia a break.”

“No need, Grandma, Mom,” Zinnia said, waving her hand. “It won’t be fun if they let me win.”

When Jackson and Yannis arrived together, they saw Zinnia in the private room with sticky notes covering her face—some fluttering comically in the breeze from the doorway—a sight that made it impossible not to chuckle.

“Hi, Jackson, Yannis.” Sofia beamed, her smile widening as she and Yvette looked up from their conversation.

The three card players looked up, the sticky notes on their foreheads fluttering upward. Zinnia blinked in surprise and quickly reached up to press down the notes dancing atop her head, looking adorably flustered.

Isaac, Maisie, and Zinnia all greeted Yannis and Jackson.

Yannis’s gaze landed on Zinnia, his eyes brimming with amusement. When Zinnia caught him smiling, she shot him a playful glare. She knew he was mocking her, and his smile was getting more obvious.

“Happy birthday, Sofia. May you enjoy everlasting health like the evergreen pines,” Yannis said with a warm smile as he entered the private room.

“Thank you.” Sofia’s face lit up with delight at his sweet words.

“Grandma, Charlie will be here soon,” Jackson added.

“I see,” Sofia said.

Yannis and Jackson walked over to the small sofa where the three card players were sitting. Yannis looked down at Zinnia, her face plastered with sticky notes, his lips twitching as he struggled to suppress a smile. “What are you guys playing?” he asked.

“Go Fish,” Zinnia replied slowly, clearly noticing Yannis laughing at her but choosing to ignore it.

“You lost, right?” Yannis said with a teasing grin. “Let me win it back for you.”

Chapter 210