Chapter 281

Nathan’s return felt like a change, and yet, somehow, nothing had really changed.

Yannis came home alone. He stared at the quiet house for a long moment before finally clearing away the cold food on the table. He sat quietly in the living room for what felt like an eternity, gradually easing the loneliness in his heart.

He and Zinnia had been around each other for so long that solitude felt unfamiliar now. Yannis rubbed his forehead, thinking, ‘Funny how easily habits form and how hard they are to break.’

He had gotten used to the noise and the feeling of someone always waiting at home. Now that she was suddenly gone, the silence was harder to accept than he expected.

Zinnia blocked the doorway as Nathan tried to see her out. “You don’t have to do this. Just stay home and get some rest. I’ll be back after school and bring you something delicious, okay?”

She knew he had flown back overnight and hadn’t had a proper rest.

Zinnia looked at Nathan with concern. “Your cough is pretty bad. You really shouldn’t take it lightly. Just rest at home, okay? If you need anything, just order it on your phone.”

Nathan took the backpack from Zinnia’s hands. “I’m not tired at all. This is my first time walking you to school here in Jinston. Honestly, I’m quite curious what your school is like.”

“Didn’t you want to keep who you are secret? With your striking looks, you’ll be noticed the moment you go out,” Zinnia protested, blocking his way.

Nathan was all covered up yesterday, only his eyes showing above the mask, but still, that was more than enough to draw people’s gaze.

Besides, Zinnia heard that someone was targeting her, and all she could think about was whether Nathan would get caught up in it.

“I’ll just stay in the car. I promise I won’t get out,” Nathan said after a moment’s thought.

Zinnia hesitated briefly and said, “Alright then.”

They took the elevator down, and as soon as they reached the ground floor, they saw Emily and Stephen, who stared at Nathan warily.

“Emily, this is my mentor. Yannis knows him. He’s taking me to school, so you don’t have to come with me,” Zinnia said.

There was too much going on last night, so Yannis didn’t have time to tell Emily and Stephen about Nathan yet.

“What’s wrong?” Just then, Yannis came out of the elevator, drawing their attention.

After learning what had happened, Yannis explained, “There’s no need to be on guard. This gentleman is Zinnia’s family. And you don’t have to follow her to school this morning.”

Only after Yannis explained did Emily and Stephen finally lower their guard. Because of the rise of the underground forces, they had no choice but to stay alert around any strangers who approached Zinnia.

Besides, Nathan kept his mask on, his cap low. To people who didn’t know him, that was reason enough to be wary.

After Emily and Stephen left, Nathan said to Yannis, “Thanks for protecting her.”

“No problem,” Yannis replied with a gentle smile.

Zinnia noticed the faint dark circles under Yannis‘ eyes. “Didn’t you sleep well last night?” She asked with concern.

His skin was pale, so the dark circles under his eyes stood out, especially after two nights with barely any sleep.

Zinnia thought, ‘Is Yannis still haunted by what happened seventeen years ago? No way. He already talked it through with James. He shouldn’t be losing sleep over it.’

“Are you still having trouble sleeping? Let Nathan check on you. He’s much better at medical skills than I am.” As Zinnia spoke, she reached out to pull Nathan over for an examination.

She thought, ‘He can’t go on like this. Guess my medical skills still aren’t quite there. It’s time for Nathan to step in.’

Nathan’s eyes softened with concern. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Yannis shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m not losing sleep anymore. I just had some work last night and stayed up late.” He really couldn’t sleep last night, but it wasn’t because of what happened seventeen years ago.

Zinnia studied him carefully. “Really? You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“I swear I’m not. If I feel unwell, I’ll definitely come to you two,” Yannis said with a light chuckle. “Are you heading off to school?”

Zinnia nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’ll drive you there,” Yannis said.

Zinnia hesitated, intending to refuse. “Don’t you have to go to work?”

To everyone’s surprise, Nathan nodded and agreed to Yannis‘ proposal. Then they accompanied Zinnia to school.

“Hey, Maisie!” Zinnia called out, seeing Maisie waiting outside for her. She pushed open the door, jumped out, and dashed straight toward Maisie.

Due to the potential dangers surrounding Zinnia, Maisie always accompanied her at school for protection.

Nathan watched through the window as Zinnia bounced along with Maisie toward the school gate, his eyes filled with tenderness.

It wasn’t until Zinnia was completely out of sight that Nathan reluctantly withdrew his gaze. “Yannis, thank you for taking such good care of Zinnia all this time.”

“Having Zinnia around has been more of a pleasure for me,” Yannis replied with a faint smile. “Are you going home? I can give you a ride.”

“Let’s find a café and talk,” Nathan said gently.

“Alright,” Yannis responded, sensing the seriousness in Nathan’s tone.

Nathan took off his mask in a private room in the café.

Yannis took a seat across from Nathan, and between them sat a coffee table, with freshly brewed coffee on it. Yannis said, “Try this.”

Nathan held the cup and took a sip. “It tastes amazing,” he said with a smile. He recognized this as the flat white that had been highly recommended online recently.

Yannis said, “Zinnia told me you like this.”

Nathan lowered his gaze with a soft smile. “Zinnia even told you about that, huh? Looks like you two are close to each other.”

Yannis looked at Nathan and said gently, “She cares about you. She’s been worried sick about you ever since you left.”

Nathan looked at Yannis with a gentle gaze. “Yannis, what do you think of Zinnia?”

What do you mean?” Yannis blinked, not sure why he was asking this question.

“I just need you to be honest with me,” Nathan said gently.

Yannis fell silent for a long moment before he finally said, “She’s a good girl. Nathan, you must be very proud of her.” He couldn’t pinpoint what he liked about Zinnia because, to him, everything about her was perfect.

Nathan smiled. “Would you be willing to take care of Zinnia from now on?”

Yannis remained silent for a long time with a rare look of confusion. He had no idea why Nathan would say something like that, so he hesitated.

Nathan stared at Yannis with a serious look, saying slowly, “I can feel how much Zinnia relies on you. You mean a lot to her.

“After we got back last night, I asked if she was doing okay in Jinston. She said she was fine and mentioned a lot of people. The one she mentioned the most was you. She kept saying how good you’ve been to her.

“Because of what Zinnia has been through since she was little, her emotional awareness isn’t as strong as most people’s. Even so, she can feel how genuine you are. You must have put in so much effort.”

Yannis suddenly felt that something was off. He asked, “Is something wrong with your health? If you ever need help, I’m here for you.”

“Jackson was right about you being smart,” Nathan said with a gentle smile, “I’m good, and if I need anything, I won’t hesitate to ask.

“If I’m still alive after this is all settled, I’ll take her back to Mealinia for a few years, but if something happens, I want you to look after Zinnia.”