Chapter 28

From behind, the clerk couldn’t help but gawk and thought, ‘Whoa, this is like straight out of those romance novels. The whole family drama thing is real. But it looks like this family isn’t exactly getting along right now.’

“Hey, Jackson,” Timothy said. He hadn’t expected to bump into Jackson and Zinnia and looked over at Zinnia.

She seemed different somehow–happier. She was actually smiling, which was rare. Back at the house, she’d always seemed so withdrawn, and he could count the times he’d seen her smile on one hand.

This smile was different, though. It was genuine and warm, like she was truly enjoying herself. She was wearing a pretty dress, looking like a little girl who’d finally found her place in the world. It was a far cry from the quiet, shadowy figure she used to be.

Betty caught Timothy’s eyes lingering on Zinnia and pursed her lips. She hadn’t expected Zinnia to still command attention like that.

Zinnia’s smile vanished the moment she saw them. Her face went blank and cold again.

She pulled the orange juice away from her lips, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the cup. Jackson had bought it for her, and she didn’t want to drink it in front of them. She was afraid she’d feel sick and waste his kindness.

“Hmm.” Jackson noticed the change in her and responded with a cool nod. But he stepped a little closer to Zinnia, almost like he was shielding her.

“Jackson, Zinnia, glad to see you guys.” Betty’s smile faltered. She hadn’t expected him to be so cold. Her usually composed expression wavered, revealing a hint of hurt.

“Betty, we’re not real family. Let’s keep it that way. And you can drop the act with Zinnia. She’s got nothing to do with you,” Jackson said.

He had no patience for her false niceties. Having seen all sorts of people in the business world, he could easily see through her little games. She was clearly trying to ingratiate herself with his family.

But the Lynn family didn’t trust anyone so calculating. If she could scheme against her own relatives, who knew what she might do to them in the future?

The Lynn brothers had never liked Betty, not even as kids. There was something off about her–she never seemed to have the warmth you’d expect from a young girl in the family.

They only interacted with her because of Maelis, but now that she was out of the picture, Jackson felt a strange sense of relief. With Zinnia back, it was clear: it wasn’t that they didn’t want a little girl around, they just didn’t like Betty.

“Jackson, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Betty’s voice trembled. She was furious inside, but she forced herself to look even more sorrowful.

Timothy’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected Jackson to be so harsh with Betty. He recalled how Zinnia had smiled warmly at Jackson when they’d first walked in. The two had chatted quietly, with Jackson even ruffling her hair.

But now, facing them, Zinnia hadn’t smiled once, hadn’t even said hello. He thought, ‘It’s just plain rude. She’s only been away from home for two days, and already seems even more disrespectful.’

He thought this was all Zinnia’s fault and tried to expose her. “Hey, Jackson, Betty’s also family. Could you please be fair? I get it. Did Zinnia say something bad about her? Jackson, don’t-”

He didn’t get to finish. Jackson cut him off coldly, “Timothy, you’re the one who should be fair. Zinnia hasn’t said anything. Stop making everything her fault.”

‘The Shaw family are always quick to blame. I can’t even imagine how Zinnia has endured all this mistreatment from them,’ he thought, his determination to keep Zinnia away from the Shaw family only growing stronger.

“Jackson, I’m fine. Please don’t fight with Timothy because of me. Zinnia doesn’t like me, and that’s okay. I mean, I did take her place,” Betty said, gently tugging at Timothy’s hand.

She didn’t want the Shaw family to fall out with the Lynn family. The Shaw family was influential in town, but the Lynn Family was even more so, and they were close with the Perkins family. Jackson was even a close friend of the Perkins heir.

Despite her words, she didn’t deny what he’d said. Deep down, she thought Zinnia must have said something bad about her to Jackson.

A wave of resentment washed over Betty as she thought, ‘Otherwise, Jackson wouldn’t have treated me badly. He’s never spoken to me like this because of Zinnia. Why does Zinnia have to take everything from me?’

Zinnia glanced over at Betty flatly, catching a flicker of disgust in her eyes. Betty’s dislike was becoming more obvious—she was genuinely annoyed, and she wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.

From the first day Zinnia had returned, she’d felt Betty’s disgust. And during the two months at the Shaw residence, it had only gotten worse.

But Zinnia didn’t care. She’d never thought of the Shaw residence as home. She’d only come back because her master had asked her to. Otherwise, she’d have stayed in Tareston, where she was perfectly happy.

Her master hadn’t said she had to stay, though. Zinnia had never planned to linger here. Once her master returned, she’d be gone.

So, as long as Zinnia wasn’t actually hurt, Betty’s hostility, or the attempts to flaunt the Shaw family’s affection or turn them against her, just didn’t bother her.

If the Shaw family really cared, they’d look beyond hearsay and their own biases. But they never bothered to seek the truth. They chose to believe Betty because she was the child they raised, the one they couldn’t imagine doing anything wrong.

As for Zinnia–she was just a blood relation, not someone they’d nurtured. Compared to Betty, Zinnia was an afterthought. Whenever trouble came, their first concern was always for Betty, fearing she might get hurt.

For example, when Zinnia first came back. They told her to stay hidden in her room while they “prepared” Betty for her arrival.

Zinnia wasn’t always quick on the uptake, but once she saw through a situation, she was razor-sharp.

When Betty tried to provoke her, Zinnia didn’t bite. She just gave back what she got. If they didn’t care about her, she wasn’t about to waste her feelings on them. As long as she kept herself safe, she’d be fine.

Now, it was clear she’d made the right choice. Between her and Betty, they’d always pick Betty.