Chapter 226

For two weeks, Zinnia rested at home, with a private tutor ensuring her studies didn’t fall behind. Maisie, Isaac, and even Ethan, Brian, and Lydia dropped by often to keep her company. On weekdays, when Yannis was tied up at work, he’d take her to the Perkins Group, where a private study lounge awaited. Weekends were for her to stay home with friends. Sofia and the other Lynns visited up to three times a day, flooding Cloud Harbor with tonics and supplements.

Once, when Yannis wasn’t around, Sofia secretly asked the chef to add more meat to Zinnia’s meals, but Yannis found it out, leaving the two red-faced with embarrassment. Sofia’s heart went out to Zinnia – after everything she’d endured, even her meals were being restricted. So when Zinnia started indulging in endless snacks, fruits, and nourishing soups throughout the day, Sofia pretended not to notice, allowing Zinnia quite a good life these days.

That weekend, Ethan and the others brought explosive news. “Zinnia, Jackson called the police today. The entire Shaw family got arrested – they’re all crooks,” Ethan blurted.

While Zinnia basked in care, the Shaw family descended into chaos. Their grand living room was now crammed with a dozen officers.

A detective announced, “After investigation, Maelis is charged with theft for bribing others to steal Perkins Group data, intentional homicide, Donald with child abandonment, and Yosef with trade secret."

“Betty, you’re charged with a false accusation, attempted murder, and theft. Timothy, you’re under suspicion of official misconduct. Please cooperate with our investigation.”

The officers’ eyes fixed on the Shaw family. Five out of six members faced criminal charges – a tip-off that even the police found shocking.

“The last case was dropped, wasn’t it? Anne withdrew the charges against me. Why am I being arrested for theft? I never stole anything.” Betty’s voice shook, panic etched across her face as she dodged the police officer who was trying to cuff her.

She hadn’t expected to be dragged into this. Her once-tender face was now mottled with bruises – proof of Maelis’s abuse. Locked in a room by Maelis, Betty had suffered for days: no phone; food worse than scraps. Sometimes, Maelis would fly into rages at midnight, dragging Betty from bed to beat her. The endless torture had pushed Betty to the edge of sanity.

All traces of Maelis’s tenderness were gone. These days, she beat Donald and Betty daily, lashing out at the slightest provocation. No woman could accept that her child was actually her husband’s illegitimate offspring with his mistress – least of all Maelis, who had completely unraveled.

Betty recalled her last prison stint and trembled. Though she’d only spent days there, the trauma ran deep. She never wanted to see the inside of a jail again.

Lately, she had kept a low profile, planning to study abroad to escape. ‘As for Zinnia…’ she mused. ‘With my family in ruins, I can’t take her on now. I’ll bide my time.’

“Betty Shaw, you’re being charged in relation to Ms. Zinnia Moore,” the officer stated matter-of-factly. “Intentional defamation, theft of Moon Scar Cream, and attempted murder.”

Betty’s prior imprisonment stemmed from the Anne incident, but Zinnia’s case was still hanging. Trying to frame Zinnia, dragging her into the water at that birthday party, messing with Yosef’s car by taking out screws – each act was a felony, and none had been resolved.

Now the reckoning had come. Jackson’s investigation revealed Betty stole two jars of Moon Scar Cream from Zinnia’s room. The entire Shaw family would pay.

Yannis filed the report against Yosef, while Timothy’s case stemmed from a lawsuit. A bullied schoolgirl developed severe depression, and her parents sold their home to seek justice. Timothy worked for the law firm representing Betty’s friend. Pressured by Betty’s pleas, he manipulated the case. The girl’s parents lost the lawsuit. Unable to fight the powerful, they moved away with their depressed daughter.

Now the truth emerged – there was always a bigger power at play – and the Shaws were doomed. No one would risk helping them.

Maelis wailed, her voice breaking, “How? I’m their daughter. How could they do this? Who called the police? The Lynns? Why?”

She had been on edge for days. Even though she thought they had spared her, she was still spooked. But after days of calm, she relaxed and turned to tormenting Donald: beating him, dragging him, or forcing him to eat spoiled food. Donald, who had lived a life of luxury, prided himself on his polished demeanor and carefully crafted image. But against Maelis – now consumed by hatred and unhinged – he was defenseless.

Yosef had washed his hands of family affairs. With Donald tormented by Maelis, the company’s burdens fell entirely on Haul and Timothy. Yet they were clueless about running the business. Even Yosef, with years of experience, couldn’t navigate the crisis, let alone Timothy and Haul, who knew nothing. The pressure left them utterly drained.

Donald’s face was a swollen mess, crisscrossed with bloody scratches from Maelis. He crawled across the floor, grabbed an officer’s pant leg, and gritted his teeth, saying, “Officer, there’s a mistake. We couldn’t have done this.” His once-elegant features were now twisted by pain and humiliation. Maelis had broken his legs, leaving him permanently crippled.

“The report came from Mr. Lynn,” the officer stated.

Two weeks ago, when Maelis struck Henry and saw blood gushing from his neck, her face turned ashen, hands trembling. It wasn’t until Haul helped her flee the hotel that the gravity of her actions hit.

‘I’ve been their daughter for years. One mistake can’t erase that. They wouldn’t turn against me, right? After all, they let me leave, and Jackson didn’t even touch me,’ Maelis thought, clinging to the belief as she got in the car.

She raged. “They had it coming. Why did they have to tell me? If they hadn’t, I never would’ve done this.”

Maelis’ eyes were swollen and bloodshot, tears streaming as she clutched her dress, muttering, “They deserved it. They brought this on themselves.” She clawed at her hair, screaming hysterically, “Donald, how dare you. I’ll kill you and Betty. And Zinnia, this is all your fault. Why didn’t you die years ago? None of this would’ve happened.”

Maelis spiraled, alternating between blaming the Lynns, cursing Donald and Betty, and raging at Zinnia.

Haul watched through the rearview mirror, frowning. They had been at work when Jackson called, clueless about the chaos before their arrival.

“Mom, let’s go to the hospital first,” Haul pleaded. Blood trickled from Maelis’ facial wound, but she refused treatment.

Maelis’ voice was hoarse, like scraping metal. “No, take me home!”