Come in 230
Posted on July 09, 2025 ยท 0 mins read
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Chapter 230

โ€œPunktestualed her. What about your biological father? Do you want us to help you find him?โ€

No one had seen the twist in Zinniaโ€™s origins. Jackson had always suspected Donald might not be her real father, but heโ€™d never imagined the suspicions would actually prove true.

Zinnia hesitated briefly before answering, โ€œNo need. I have a father now.โ€

She felt no connection to her birth fatherโ€“what if he was another Donald? It had taken her so much effort to break free from the Shaw familyโ€™s mess, and the last thing she needed was more drama.

After all, Donald had admitted spiking the hotel room with aphrodisiacsโ€“anyone entering would lose control. Back then, Maelis, unaware the room had been vacated, saw a figure in the bed, mistook him for Donald, and succumbed.

Zinnia could only see two possibilities. First, her biological father might have been an unwilling participantโ€“forced into the act and likely resenting that existence because of it.

Second, he could be the type to sleep with any woman thrown his way. If so, his character would be suspect. And if he ever found out about Zinnia, heโ€™d only bring more trouble into her life.

Zinnia wanted none of it. Not searching was the best choice. Whether that man was good or bad, they had no connection.

Besides, after all these years, that man might already have his own familyโ€“a wife, children, and a settled life. Her sudden appearance could just end up disrupting their peace.

Zinnia was perfectly content with her life as it was and couldnโ€™t care less about her biological father.

โ€œUnderstood,โ€ Yannis said, dropping the topic.

The hotel Donald booked back then was exclusiveโ€“only the elite could access the penthouse suite. Anyone present in that room would likely be wealthy or powerful, suggesting Zinniaโ€™s biological father might have an extraordinary background.

But since she showed no interest in searching, Yannis didnโ€™t push.

Watching Zinnia pop pastries into her mouth, Yannis said, โ€œDonโ€™t overdo it. Iโ€™ll make dinner.โ€

Zinnia nodded. โ€œOkay.โ€

After Yannis entered the kitchen, his phone rang. Glancing down, he saw Tobyโ€™s name on the screen. โ€œHello?โ€ he answered.

โ€œBoss, I found who Lydia resembles!โ€ Tobyโ€™s voice crackled with excitement.

Yannis peeled vegetable leaves. โ€œMm.โ€

โ€œRemember who taught you coding?โ€

โ€œBenny?โ€

Two years ago, while abroad, Yannis found Benny on the streetโ€“an amnesiac hacker with no memory of his identity or origins.

Yannis brought the man home, had him cleaned up, and kept him around to work for him. Benny had taught Yannis programming, and after two months of mentoring, he realized he had nothing left to teach Yannis.

Then he simply wandered off to โ€œexplore the world.โ€ Caregivers mentioned Benny was searching for someone, though he could never remember who.

Yannis hadnโ€™t seen Benny in so long that it took him a moment to place the memory.

โ€œHe's looking for family? Lydiaโ€™s from a single parent home, no father in any picture.โ€

โ€œFind time to ask about it later. Make sure someone takes good care of Benny,โ€ Yannis said.

He caught Tobyโ€™s implication whether they should arrange a meeting between Benny and Lydia. But with Lydia stateside and Benny overseas and with memory loss, logistics made it complicated.

Besides, there might be more to the story. After all, Benny being Lydiaโ€™s father was just speculation. Yannis thought he needed to find the right time to ask Lydia first.

Suddenly, he recalled the recent cyberattack and asked, โ€œAny progress on the hacker who targeted our company?โ€

Toby replied, โ€œNot yet. They withdrew too fast, and all traces vanished. Our team traced the origin to Jinston. Iโ€™ll have them keep digging.โ€

โ€œThis hacker has been active latelyโ€“first the Moore familyโ€™s data breach abroad, then the Shaws! Our experts confirm the methods match the attack on us. Itโ€™s like theyโ€™re shadowing our moves, maybe seeking revenge for someone.โ€

Yannisโ€™ crew had just dealt with the Moores, and the hacker leaked the familyโ€™s data right after; the crew had given the Shaws a reality check, and the hacker hit the Shawsโ€™ servers too. Uninformed observers might even suspect Yannisโ€™s men were behind it.

Toby mused, โ€œWeโ€™re avenging Zinnia, but could this hacker be doing the same?โ€

โ€œStop investigating,โ€ Yannis said. โ€œI have an idea who it is.โ€

โ€œCould it beโ€ฆโ€ Tobyโ€™s voice trailed off as a suspicion dawned on him. He remembered Yannis once mentioning the hackerโ€™s techniques felt familiar.

As Yannis drove Zinnia to school, he teased, โ€œI told you to rest a few more days, but you insisted. Werenโ€™t you the one who used to hate school? Since when are you so eager to go back?โ€

โ€œIโ€™m fully recovered. If I stay home longer, Iโ€™ll turn into a couch potato,โ€ Zinnia said from the passenger seat, double-checking her backpack. โ€œRight now, studying is what matters most; I need to catch up.โ€

Though absent for days, Lydia and the others had brought Zinnia homework, and her private tutor ensured no lessons were missedโ€“sheโ€™d never been so diligent.

Yannis parked the car and squeezed her cheek gently. โ€œIโ€™ll make your favorite dishes tonight. No heavy lifting at school, okay?โ€

โ€œGot it.โ€ Zinnia nodded, slipping out of the car.

Yannis watched until she stepped through the school gates. He was just about to start the car when his phone vibrated, the ringtone sharp and insistent.

He checked the screenโ€“Jacksonโ€™s name lit up. โ€œWhatโ€™s happening?โ€ he asked.

โ€œDonald has escaped,โ€ Jacksonโ€™s voice was ice-cold. โ€œCornered, he might target Zinnia. Iโ€™ll arrange undercover protection, but stay alert.โ€

The previous day, Maelis had nearly strangled Donald. As if that wasnโ€™t enough, she lunged at him again, sinking her teeth into his neck until blood poured.

The police could only rush Donald to the hospital first. But early the next morning, when a nurse did the rounds, she found that he had vanished. They checked the surveillance and figured out what had happened.

Donald had used a medical exam as cover, crawled onto a stretcher cart meant for transporting bodies to the morgue, and slipped out of the hospital. By the time anyone realized he was gone, heโ€™d vanished without a trace.

Yannis frowned, โ€œIโ€™ll deploy teams to search. He just escapedโ€“heโ€™ll need to treat his wounds before making moves.โ€


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