Chapter 235

“Yannis, I feel so bad for you,” Zinnia sighed, totally missing his hidden agenda. In her eyes, he was way more pitiful than she was.

Completely fooled by Yannis’s Oscar–worthy performance, Zinnia forgot all about his overprotective siblings who doted on him, a dad who stuffed cash in his pockets like it was nothing, and a grandpa constantly fretting over his health.

Yannis felt a headache coming on. ‘Seriously?’ he thought. ‘I’ve been pouring it on about how lonely I am. Any normal person would offer to stick around by now. But all Zinnia does is call me “poor guy”—not a word about staying!’

As his guilt–tripping didn’t land, Yannis cranked up the sad puppy eyes. “Zinnia, have some mercy and stay with me tonight, okay? Look, you’re on your own right now, same as me. Nathan’s still MIA, and with Donald running around, it’s not safe for you to crash alone. Jackson and I would both be stressing 24/7. If Nathan found out, he’d lose his mind.”

Yannis didn’t miss a beat with the pity play. Could anyone blame him? He’d just gotten Zinnia back, and she was already talking about splitting. No freaking way was he letting her walk—not after everything he’d pulled to win her over.

Zinnia had just started thinking about moving out, but Yannis totally derailed her plans before she could even start. He acted so well that Zinnia fell for it completely.

Yannis picked up on her hesitation from the silence. He leaned down, locking eyes with hers. “Zinnia, you really gonna bail on me?”

His sad gaze threw Zinnia off. She frowned, feeling like a pebble flicked against her chest—no real hurt, just a persistent twinge. Before she could shake it off, a dull ache started blooming inside.

She didn’t like seeing Yannis like this. He was born to be wild and free, not moping around. When he acted all sad, it felt wrong, and she couldn’t help wanting to cheer him up.

“Well, I’ll stay till I cure your insomnia,” Zinnia said, her voice softening in compromise.

Zinnia often avoided meeting Yannis’ gaze. His eyes were unfairly beautiful, and when he locked onto her, their depth made it way too easy to lose herself if she didn’t look away quickly.

Yannis had dialed back the intimidation around Zinnia, playing it warm and approachable. But she wasn’t naive—if he were really that soft, why did everyone in his life call him a walking migraine? She knew he was holding back, probably afraid of freaking her out.

Zinnia wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell good from bad. She could tell Yannis’ kindness to her was genuine. If he wanted her to stick around a little longer, she’d do it.

‘But I need to cure his insomnia quick,’ she thought, ‘or what Yannis worried about might actually happen.’

Yannis’ eyes crinkled in a smile. “Deal,” he said, but inside he thought, ‘As if that’ll happen. If insomnia were curable, I wouldn’t have suffered for years. So, she isn’t going anywhere. Even if she cures me, I’ll just find another excuse to keep her. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Besides, a few sweet words, and she turns to mush. Once she softens up, she’ll do it again and again.’

Yannis knew this too well. Just like when he was with Zinnia, he couldn’t help but cave, backing down till he was practically cornered.

Now that Nathan hadn’t returned, Yannis decided to make Zinnia stay first. If Nathan came back and took her away, Yannis would just move next door. No way was he letting her out of his sight.

Yannis always thought ahead. He knew clearly he could never top Nathan in Zinnia’s life, and he didn’t kid himself about that. They had over a decade of history and love—a bond no one could match.

Zinnia stole a quick glance at Yannis’s grinning eyes and looked away in a hurry. ‘His smile is way too bright,’ she thought. ‘He’s so easy to please. I just said I’d stay, and now he’s beaming like that.’

“I’m gonna study,” Zinnia said, about to leave, only to find he’d been holding her wrist this whole time.

His warm skin pressed against hers, almost hot where his fingers wrapped around her wrist. She gave a little wriggle, flustered and awkward under his hold.

“Zinnia, come to the office with me tomorrow?” Yannis suddenly asked. “I’ll be swamped at work, might not get back till super late.”

Ever since Zinnia got hurt, Yannis had been worried about her being alone at home. He started taking her to the company with him often. Even after she healed, he still wanted to drag her to work on weekends.

“Nope. Tomorrow I’m visiting Bonnie, and I need to ask about that thing you mentioned,” Zinnia said. It was cold out, and she loved sleeping in—no way was she waking up early to play corporate lackey with Yannis.

“Alright then,” Yannis relented, his voice dropping a notch as he let go of her wrist reluctantly. He slid his hand behind his back and curled his fingers, trying to hold on to the warmth and softness still lingering in his palm.

The next day after lunch, Zinnia grabbed her stuff and set out to see Lydia. When she pulled open the door, a man and woman stood outside. Both had that cool, professional aura—shrewd eyes and ramrod–straight stances.

Spotting Zinnia, they greeted her politely, “Morning, Ms. Shaw.”

“So Yannis sent you as my bodyguards?” Zinnia asked. She’d only gotten a text from Yannis that morning saying he was assigning two, and this was her first time seeing real–life bodyguards up close.

“Yep, Ms. Shaw. I’m Emily Connor, specializing in close–quarters combat,” said Emily, the short–haired woman. She was 5’9” with a sharp shoulder–length bob and rugged good looks. In her gray tracksuit, she came off cheerful and direct.

‘Oh my god. Ms. Shaw is so sweet!’ she screamed inwardly. After years in the military surrounded by tough–as–nails dudes and gals, it’d been forever since she’d seen someone so darn adorable.

“Ms. Shaw, I’m Stephen Reed, specializing in ranged and close combat, driving, and counter–surveillance,” said Stephen.

Standing 6’3” with a build that stretched his shirt tight, Stephen had one of those forgettable faces that blend into crowds—perfect for staying under the radar. Despite his imposing size, he was a quiet introvert.

Hearing their laundry list of skills, Zinnia raised an eyebrow. “You two aren’t exactly your average bodyguards, right?”

“Mr. Perkins handpicked us from the military,” Stephen replied.

Yannis had literally plucked them from active training yesterday. Their abilities were top–notch; each could take down ten guys easily. Together, their strengths complemented each other perfectly.

Stephen could drive and scan for trouble. Emily was a chameleon—she could slide into any scene, even play buddy if Zinnia didn’t want a crowd tagging along.