Chapter 267

The next day, during lunch break, Zinnia turned to Maisie behind her. She rested her chin on both hands and called softly, "Maisie."

"What is it?" Maisie smiled, her eyes crinkling at the sight of Zinnia’s cute expression.

"Maisie, I wanted to ask you something," Zinnia said.

Lunch break was long, and most students had gone outside to relax after eating. Ethan and Brian had gone to the drink shop downstairs to get orange juice for Zinnia and Maisie. Lydia had been pulled away by William to talk about the upcoming competition.

Now it was just Zinnia and Maisie in the classroom.

"What do you want to ask?" Maisie gently pinched Zinnia’s cheek.

"I wanted to ask about what happened seventeen years ago – when Yannis got kidnapped," Zinnia said. "Does anyone actually know the real reason behind it?"

"Yannis still has insomnia, and no treatment has worked. So I thought maybe if I knew what really happened back then, I could figure out a way to help him." She lowered her voice as she added that part.

Zinnia still hadn’t found a way to cure Yannis’s insomnia. She wanted to try and fix it before Nathan came back. If she couldn’t, then she’d have to wait for Nathan to help.

Once Nathan returned, Zinnia would definitely go home with him. That would make it hard for her to keep helping Yannis. So she wanted to cure him now, while she was still living in Cloud Harbor.

She’d promised she’d fix him – but it had been a long time, and she hadn’t come up with anything.

Yannis’s insomnia was one of the toughest cases Zinnia had ever run into. She was good at treating external injuries and strange illnesses, but when it came to the nervous system – like sleep issues – she was honestly not that good.

She really wanted to ask Nathan for help, but he wasn’t around. And she had already promised Yannis she’d handle it. If she failed in the end, it’d be embarrassing.

Worried she’d get laughed at by folks back in Tareston, Zinnia told herself she could not let Yannis ruin her medical reputation. At that thought, she clenched her little fists.

"Zinnia, the only people who really know what happened back then are Yannis and Uncle James," Maisie said after thinking for a bit. "Even my grandpa doesn’t know the full story."

She went on, "If you want to know the truth, you’ll have to ask Uncle James. But he’s got a bad temper. A lot of people are scared of him and don’t really talk to him much."

"How about this – you wait a bit. I’ll ask my mom to give him a call when I get home, and then I’ll let you know when you can meet him?"

Maisie had no idea Zinnia had already met James. He wasn’t nearly as scary as she’d imagined.

Maisie herself was afraid of James. He was the kind of man who had really been through fire – he’d seen combat, taken down major drug rings, and always carried a kind of dangerous warrior’s aura. The older he got, the more intimidating he looked.

Basically, Maisie didn’t feel comfortable being alone with James. Even her cousins were kind of scared of him. The only one in the younger generation who wasn’t was Yannis, who had literally grown up riding on James’s shoulders.

"Okay." Zinnia nodded, agreeing to her plan.

She didn’t know why, but something deep down made her feel uneasy. That was why she wanted to help Yannis with his insomnia as soon as possible – before anything else went wrong.

Chapter 267

After school that afternoon, Zinnia ran into someone she didn’t expect – Howard.

He looked completely worn out. It hadn’t been that long since they last met, but to Zinnia, it felt like he had aged several years all at once.

After the Shaw family fell apart, Howard was the only one who didn’t end up in prison. Once the company went bankrupt, it was like he suddenly grew up overnight.

Among the Shaws, Howard had probably hurt Zinnia the least. Now that the others were all in jail, she no longer felt much resentment toward him.

Howard was making a living through racing now. After the Shaw family’s collapse, he lost all the luxury he used to enjoy. His clothes were plain now, and he no longer wore limited-edition sneakers.

The drop in lifestyle didn’t seem to bother him much. He had already imagined a life like this long ago. But knowing his family was still behind bars left him completely deflated.

When Howard saw Zinnia, his eyes looked tired and weathered. He called out softly, "Zinnia…"

"Ms. Moore." Emily and the others quickly walked over, eyeing Howard warily.

"It’s fine, Emily," Zinnia said. She hadn’t expected Howard to look so down and out either.

"Is something wrong?" she asked coldly.

She was surprised to see him at all. It had been a long time since she’d seen anyone from the Shaw family. The last time she heard about them was just yesterday, when the police called to say Maelis wanted to see her.

"Zinnia, could we talk in private? I promise I won’t hurt you. I just want to talk," Howard said earnestly.

Seeing how Emily and the others were staring at him with such suspicion, he gave a bitter smile. He used to be Zinnia’s family, but now even seeing her required getting past her bodyguards.

After they found a nearby café, Zinnia asked, "So? What do you want from me?"

She sat across from Howard while Emily and the others kept watch two tables behind them.

"Zinnia, do you want something to drink? Or maybe something to eat?" Howard looked at her nervously.

"No," Zinnia said carelessly. "Just say what you came here for. I’ve got things to do."

She glanced at the menu. Even the cheapest coffee was over two hundred dollars. Then she looked at Howard’s plain button-down shirt – faded and frayed from too many washes.

Seeing that Zinnia didn’t plan to order anything, Howard waved over the server. "A vanilla milkshake and a slice of strawberry cake, please."

Just the milkshake cost $122, and the cake was listed at $222.

Zinnia frowned. "Just get to the point. I don’t need this. I’m allergic to cream."

"You’re allergic to cream?" Howard froze.

He had no idea. Suddenly, he remembered – if Zinnia was allergic to cream, she would never eat a cream cake. Yet he and his family had once thought she pushed Betty into the water because of the cake.

The memory hit him like a knife to the chest, filling him with a quiet pain.

Chapter 267

Zinnia frowned even more when she saw him just sitting there, stunned. "Why did you come to see me?"

Howard clenched his fists, forcing down the emotion bubbling inside him. He glanced at her hand and knee with concern. "Zinnia, are your hand and leg better?"

Before everything fell apart for the Shaw family, Howard had heard about Zinnia saving Henry. He had wanted to reach out, but Zinnia had already blocked every way he could contact her.

She’d been resting at home during her recovery, and he had no chance to see her. By the time she finally went back to school, the Shaw family collapsed. Everything came crashing down on Howard, and he was left completely exhausted.

When he finally got a break and thought of checking on Zinnia, there was no opportunity. She was always surrounded by people picking her up and protecting her.

Zinnia’s voice was sharp. "Just get to the point. You don’t need to ask about that."

Howard wanted to say more, but her words shut him down. His face fell with quiet disappointment.

"Zinnia…" His voice was hoarse. "Mom wants to see you. She said she has some news about Donald."