Chapter 212

“I want to be dealer again this round. Is that okay?” Zinnia turned and looked at Yannis hopefully. She had won a few rounds with his help.

“That’s fine,” Yannis nodded.

“Zinnia, draw your cards,” Jackson said with a smile.

“Okay.” Zinnia drew 5 cards – 2 fours and 3 sixes.

She turned back and looked at Yannis with shining eyes. It was the first time she’d gotten such a good hand.

“Hush.” Yannis raised a finger to his lips.

Zinnia fell silent, but her eyes were shining.

The other four glanced at their little interaction and felt a bit left out.

This time Zinnia had to draw from the pile. She kept her eyes on it without blinking, her soft fingertips resting on the stack. Inside, she kept praying to draw a 6.

She prayed for a while, feeling excited. She didn’t even dare to look at the card she drew.

“You look at it.” Zinnia turned her head away and pressed the card into Yannis’s hand.

If it was a 6, Zinnia could complete her set. She hadn’t gotten a hand this good in a long time, and she truly believed Yannis was lucky and hoped his luck would make it even better.

“What card do you want?” Yannis tilted his head and whispered close to Zinnia’s ear.

So excited that she hadn’t noticed him get close, Zinnia whispered back, “6.”

“Congratulations, little princess. Your wish came true,” Yannis said with a smile.

The winner of this round was clear – it was Zinnia. Zinnia smiled so much that the corners of her lips stayed up for a long time.

“Yannis and Zinnia are so close,” Sofia smiled as she watched them play.

“It’s nice when a family gets along like this,” Raymond smiled, too.

Jackson stared at Yannis and Zinnia sitting side by side. He felt something was a little strange. They looked almost like a couple.

Just as Jackson was about to say something to get them to move apart, Aaron came to call them for dinner.

Zinnia tried to pull the sticky notes off her face.

“Let me help you,” Yannis rushed forward.

He was alarmed when Zinnia started tearing all the sticky notes off at once, tugging at her skin. He hadn’t expected her, a little girl, to be so rough and careless with her face. He was nervous just watching her.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Zinnia said. It really hadn’t hurt. Zinnia was impatient and didn’t want to pull them off one by one – that was too much trouble. There were at least twenty sticky notes on her face.

“It may not hurt, but you shouldn’t do it that way. Here, let me. It’s not a trouble.” Yannis knew exactly what she was thinking. He removed the notes from her face carefully, one by one.

Zinnia remained sitting on the sofa. Yannis bent down and, with his slender fingers, gently peeled away each sticky note.

She looked up at Yannis’s charming face. He was close enough for her to see his thick eyelashes, his pretty eyes, his straight nose, and every mole on his nasal bridge if she looked closer. She suddenly felt an urge to touch it.

She pressed her fingertips together, holding back that feeling. She could even feel his soft breath on her cheeks, making them tingle.

Zinnia turned her face away.

“One more. Don’t move.” Yannis cupped her face to keep it still and peeled away the last pink sticky note under her eye.

“Let’s go. Time for dinner.” After removing all the notes from Zinnia’s face, Yannis stood up and held out his hand.

Zinnia took it and stood up.

“Zinnia, come on. Let’s sit together.” Maisie, who hadn’t gotten many sticky notes, peeled them off, washed her face, and came back to tug Zinnia away.

Yannis didn’t stop Maisie. He handed Zinnia a wet wipe. “Wipe your face.”

Zinnia took it and cleaned her face.

At that moment, Sofia called them again. Zinnia and Maisie walked toward her immediately. “We’re coming.”

“You planned Zinnia’s cards, didn’t you?” Jackson walked up to Yannis and asked.

In that last round, Zinnia’s luck seemed unbelievably good – no matter what, she won. The truth was, it was all because every card Zinnia drew was carefully chosen by Yannis.

“I just wanted to make her happy,” Yannis let out a small laugh.

Zinnia’s luck at cards really was bad. Although she hadn’t lost a single game afterwards, the cards she drew were actually quite poor. Yannis could tell she hadn’t been very happy back then.

“You treat her so well. Anyone who doesn’t know you might think you’re Zinnia’s real brother,” Jackson teased. He noticed the happiness in Yannis’s eyes and heard the affection in his voice, which made him feel a little unsettled.

Yannis listened without saying a word. He just smiled. He thought to himself that if Maisie heard what Jackson said, she’d surely burst out laughing.

“Maisie, I need to use the restroom,” Zinnia said.

They were in the lounge and were about to move to the dining room in the adjacent suite. As soon as they walked outside, Zinnia suddenly felt the need to use the restroom.

“Zinnia, I’ll go with you,” Maisie turned back toward their suite.

“It’s okay. I see a restroom over there. I’ll just use that one,” Zinnia said. “Maisie, please let Sofia know.”

Zinnia glanced around. They were in the middle of the two suites’ corridor, and there was a restroom just a few steps away – much closer than going back.

“All right,” Maisie nodded when she saw it was nearby.

Zinnia kept her head down as she walked out of the restroom and turned a corner, bumping into something hard.

“Sorry,” Zinnia instinctively took a step back.

“It’s okay. Are you all right?” A slender hand reached out to steady Zinnia by the arm.

The two spoke almost at the same time. At that moment, Zinnia noticed a deep, woody sandalwood scent. She felt the voice was a little familiar.

She looked up and saw a charming, delicate face. It was Adrian.

“Adrian?” For some reason, Zinnia felt a rush of hidden happiness when she saw him.

“Zinnia, are you here for dinner?” The moment Adrian saw Zinnia, his icy demeanor seemed to lift, and a spark of happiness appeared in his eyes.

He looked carefully at the right side of her face, trying to find something, a hint of concern hidden deep in his gaze.

Adrian knew Zinnia was well cared for, but he’d still gotten someone to show him her recent photos. Her face’s injuries were already healed, but without seeing it in person, he hadn’t felt at ease.

They’d only met once, which made it hard for him to find a chance to ask her out.

The last time Adrian saw Zinnia at the Bacon Mansion was pure coincidence. His friend’s grandfather was having a birthday, and Adrian went to drop off a gift.

He and his grandfather were staying low-profile to recuperate and didn’t want to be disturbed, so Adrian hadn’t made his presence known. As he was about to leave after delivering the gift, he walked past the garden and stumbled upon Zinnia being bullied by Maelis.

The moment he saw her, a rush of happiness filled him; but when he saw her being treated unfairly, a deep rage rose within him.

“That’s right,” Zinnia nodded.