Chapter 264
Nathan fell back into his swivel chair, feeling a wave of nausea rising in his throat. He pressed his palm against the desk, slightly tensing his knuckles, to ease the discomfort.
"Nathan, I finally get why Zinnia turned out this way. Youโre the one who made her like this, you jerk.โ Jackson grabbed the glass of water from the desk, took a gulp, and tried to suppress his anger.
Jackson really wanted to have a fight with Nathan, but seeing how Nathan looked, he just couldnโt bring himself to do it. Jackson felt like he was going to be suffocated by his own frustration.
For the first time in his life, Nathan had been called a jerk.
โFuck your old illness,โ Jackson continued. โYou better get yourself cured, and then Iโm going to beat you up.โ
โNever thought youโd use such vulgar language.โ Nathan had just managed to suppress the pain in his chest, but was caught off guard by Jacksonโs curse, which made him cough violently. His face turned red from coughing.
It was then that he realized Jackson was really furious because he couldnโt hit him at the moment.
โDonโt tell me you are dying right now?โ Seeing that Nathan couldnโt catch his breath for a long time, Jackson couldnโt help but frown.
โCanโt you say something nice?โ Nathan coughed a few more times, still feeling an itch in his throat. His eyes had turned red from coughing.
โItโs been so many years, I thought you had died somewhere,โ Jackson turned around, walked to the water dispenser in the office, and poured a cup of water for him.
โWhy are you so eager to find me?โ Nathan took a sip from the cup.
โI was thinking of collecting your body,โ Jackson said coolly.
โYouโre overthinking. Iโm not going to die anytime soon,โ Nathan said. He felt an itch in his throat again, so he rolled his Adamโs apple, trying his best not to cough.
โAfter I took Zinnia to the Lynn residence, it was you who sent me that file, right?โ Jackson sighed.
He guessed that Nathan had planned all of this. Nathan had been keeping an eye on Zinniaโs situation in the shadows.
At first, Nathan didnโt think Maelis would dislike Zinnia. Back then, it never crossed his mind that any parent could not love their own child.
His own parents had loved each other deeply, so he believed that no matter how mean someone was, they wouldnโt hurt their kid. He didnโt expect Maelis to be so unreasonable, and he definitely didnโt expect that Donald wasnโt Zinniaโs biological father.
He had only left Zinnia in Laystoland because he thought sheโd missed out on love from her parents. He was trying to do what was best for her, even if it hurt. He never imagined sheโd be treated so badly.
Once he realized something was wrong, he sent her the key right away. What surprised him was that Yannis somehow got involved by accident. In the end, Zinnia didnโt even use the key herself.
The Perkins family knew Zinnia was helping treat Yannis. With their protection, no one dared to ask about her background. Everyone in the Perkins family was fiercely protective, so nobody wanted to mess with them.
After learning what Zinnia went through at the Shaw residence, Nathan was heartbroken. He wished he could tear the entire Shaw family to pieces.
But Nathan had important business to take care of overseas, so he couldnโt bring Zinnia to him. He didnโt even use the connection to track her down, afraid his enemies might contact her.
โThatโs right.โ Nathan nodded.
โWhen are you coming back?โ Jackson raised his eyebrows. He didnโt expect Nathan to joke with him.
โFebruary,โ Nathan said after thinking for a moment.
โWhy?โ Jackson asked.
โThere are still some enemies of mine overseas. I have to take them out before I can go back. I canโt put Zinnia at risk.โ
โJust over a month,โ Jackson said, doing the math. There were only 35 days left until February.
After school, Zinnia took the bus with Lydia to her house. She called upstairs, โBonnie, Iโm here.โ
They went up the stairs. As soon as Lydia pulled out the key and opened the door, Zinnia followed her inside.
โZinnia-โ Bonnieโs cheerful voice came from inside the house.
โSlow down, Bonnie. Put your shoes on,โ a manโs anxious voice called out.
Then Zinnia saw Bonnieโand Benny, who was chasing after her with a pair of fuzzy slippers.
โWow, Zinniaโs here. Iโm going to see her.โ Bonnie quickly slipped on the slippers.
โLydia, whatโs going on?โ Zinnia asked, surprised to see Benny in the living room.
โHe shamelessly stuck around, said he wants to take care of my mom,โ Lydia said, glancing at Benny, who was still chasing after Bonnie, looking a bit helpless.
Bennyโs real name was Ian Hollisโthat much Bonnie knew, and she had written it down in her diary.
Ian had bought the house next door to Lydia and Bonnie. He came over whenever he had time. While Lydia was at school, he helped out at the house.
Bonnie had nerve damage from past poisoning, so her mind was like a childโs. She wasnโt likely to recover. But Ian only lost his memoryโhis mind was still normal. He had no problem living like an ordinary person.
Lydia didnโt want Ian hanging around, so Ian asked Toby to help him buy a house right next door. Sometimes, when the maid took Bonnie out for a walk, Ian used the chance to tag along and slowly build a bond with her.
โZinnia, youโre finally here. I missed you so much.โ As soon as Bonnie saw her, she ran over and grabbed Zinniaโs wrist, rubbing her head against Zinniaโs shoulder, her voice full of trust.
โI came to see you. Sorry, Iโve been a little busy lately,โ Zinnia said gently, patting her head.
โYouโve been busy? Then you must be tired. Come sit down,โ Bonnie said, suddenly looking sad. She pulled Zinnia toward the couch.
โIan, go get Zinnia some yogurt and jelly,โ she called over her shoulder.
Ian gave Zinnia a small nod, then turned to get the snacks like Bonnie asked.
โNever mind, Iโll go get them myself. Youโre clumsy, and you donโt even know which jelly Zinnia likes.โ Bonnie couldnโt sit still and ran off to pick out snacks herself.
In the end, she and Ian looked through the snack box together nearby.
โLydia, did you forgive Benny?โ Zinnia glanced at the two of them, then turned to Lydia, who was walking out of the kitchen with a plate of mini cakes and cookies.
โI didnโt. He just refuses to leave. But if he wants to play housekeeper, let him. My mom doesnโt have anyone to talk to anywayโhe can keep her company,โ Lydia said nonchalantly, glancing at Ian.
Ian insisted on staying at Lydiaโs house. Even when she gave him the cold shoulder, he wouldnโt leave. He had won over Bonnie first, so Lydia couldnโt just kick him out.
After Bonnie got sick, her mind became childlike. Her old friends had already cut ties with her. Since sheโd stayed in a mental hospital before, the neighbors didnโt want much to do with her either.
Back then, the only people Bonnie saw were Lydia, the maid, and Zinnia. Sometimes Maisie, Brian, and Ethan would visit too. Now Ian was here, and Bonnie finally had someone to be with her.
And Ian wasnโt all talk. The first time they met, he transferred all his money into Bonnie and Lydiaโs names. Even the houseโhe bought it with three months of salary that he borrowed in advance from Yannis.
Ian mainly worked on security systems for the Perkins Group.