Chapter 287

Zinnia asked, “Nathan, why are you cooking again? We still have plenty of food.” After finishing her homework, she came out of her room and found Nathan cooking again.

Zinnia thought, ‘We already made so many dishes for lunch. Even after Quincey took away the fried food, there’s still plenty left—more than enough for just the two of us.”

“We’re having guests over tonight,” Nathan said gently. They planned to have chili con carne for dinner since Zinnia had mentioned craving it at lunch.

“Guests? Who could it be? We don’t know many people in Jinston, do we?” Zinnia asked, looking puzzled.

Zinnia thought, ‘In Jinston, apart from my grandparents and parents, we barely know anyone. Besides, only Yannis and Jackson know Nathan is back. It’s rare for anyone to visit us here.’

“Take a guess?” Nathan asked with a warm smile.

“Could it be Yannis and Jackson?” Zinnia guessed, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Nathan smiled. “Zinnia, why do you call them like this?” Nathan looked puzzled.

Zinnia hesitated, unsure how to explain. After getting drunk, Yannis threw a tantrum and insisted that Zinnia change how she called him. She continued to call him that way and eventually got used to it.

Zinnia shrugged and said, “It’s just easier this way. Three in the Lynn family and one in the Perkins family. So I call them this way to keep things simple.”

Nathan didn’t press further.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” Zinnia called out, dashing toward the door. Nathan shook his head with an amused smile.

Zinnia flung the door open with a bright smile. “Welcome!”

Yannis and Jackson arrived, their arms full of gifts. They’d both been busy over the past few days. It was their first visit since Zinnia and Nathan moved in.

“Why did you buy so many gifts?” Nathan asked as he came over, eyeing the armfuls of gifts they were carrying.

Jackson strode in with a grin. “They’re for Zinnia.”

Zinnia grabbed house slippers for Yannis and Jackson. She reached out to help Yannis with the gifts.

Yannis chuckled softly and gently moved his arms away from her. “Let me handle these, Zinnia. They’re a bit heavy.”

“Nathan,” Yannis said, giving Nathan a nod after changing his shoes.

“Come in,” Nathan responded with a warm smile.

Zinnia walked behind them. Yannis set the gifts down on the table, then turned with a gentle smile to look at Zinnia. “What’s up?” he asked.

“I just wanted to see if you’re still having trouble sleeping,” Zinnia said, looking closely at his face for any signs of tiredness.

Yannis said, “I’m sleeping well now. You don’t have to worry anymore. Your medical skills are truly excellent.” He looked at her, his eyes soft and affectionate.

“Of course. Nathan taught me everything. If I say I can cure your insomnia, I absolutely can,” Zinnia boasted. She thought, ‘I can’t let you look down on me.’

Yannis was primarily troubled by a psychological burden that had haunted him for over a decade. The long-standing tension in his relationship with James left him filled with dread at the thought of facing those accusatory eyes.

He also feared the resentful stares from those around him. Whenever he closed his eyes, his mind would spiral into restless turmoil, and he couldn’t find peace.

Over time, the unrelenting mental strain was like a clockwork spring wound too tight for too long. Eventually, it began to take its toll on his body.

Now that the mental burden had been lifted, he felt more energetic; his health had improved. He believed there was something to look forward to in the future, and life felt truly delightful.

“Of course,” Yannis said with a chuckle, clearly humoring her.

Nathan noticed their doting behavior and shook his head with an indulgent smile. “Zinnia, you should try to be a bit more humble,” Nathan said.

“Why should I be humble around you guys? Besides, you’re my master. Everyone will be green with envy. With you as my teacher, why should I be humble?” Zinnia grinned, her eyes sparkling.

“Exactly!” Jackson chimed in. “The Lynn family has every reason to be proud. Zinnia did a great job.”

“You two always spoil her.” His eyes softened as he listened to their doting words.

“Of course, we’ll protect her. But you also spoil her. You raised Zinnia yourself, after all. It’s not just up to us to look after her; you’ve got to do your part,” Jackson said, helping unpack the gifts they brought.

At those words, Nathan paused briefly. “Okay,” he replied.

Yannis lowered his gaze, then walked over and said, “What do you need me to do? Let me give you a hand.”

“Sure!” Nathan said with a smile. “Zinnia said she’s craving chili con carne tonight, so that’s what we’re having for dinner.” Nathan remained unfazed.

Nathan said gently, “Zinnia, why don’t you go relax for a bit? We’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

Zinnia raised her hand and said, “I can help you.” She was confident she could be of help.

Jackson took off his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. “Zinnia, go have some fun. We’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Zinnia, with us here, you don’t need to do anything,” Yannis added, gently lowering her raised hand.

They didn’t let her do anything. “Here; eat strawberries,” Nathan said with a smile, bringing out a bowl of freshly washed strawberries from the kitchen and placing them in Zinnia’s hands.

Zinnia finally had something to keep her busy, so she didn’t argue about helping. “Alright,” she said and popped a strawberry into her mouth.

Zinnia used to have Nathan doting on her, and now Yannis and Jackson were spoiling her. The only chore Zinnia ever did was to grab a hoe and weed the herb garden when she got bored.

Seeing they were determined to keep her from helping, Zinnia happily carried the bowl of strawberries back to her room. She had other things on her mind.

They headed into the kitchen. “We’ve tracked down some leads on that underground syndicate. They’re most likely hiding in urban villages. Those places are chaotic and packed with outsiders, and these guys have strong counter-surveillance skills. It’s not easy to catch them there.”

As soon as they stepped into the kitchen, the conversation turned serious. They had been investigating the whole time. It wasn’t that there were no leads; it was just hard to take action.

Over the past month, those people had switched locations countless times, always choosing crowded places. Making an arrest was tough, even if they wanted to. With Christmas approaching, even more people were pouring into Jinston.

Anyone who could survive in that organization was ruthless. They didn’t dare push too hard, afraid that if those people got cornered and desperate, they’d lash out and hurt innocent people.

After what happened a decade ago, Yannis knew all too well that human depravity knows no bounds. If pushed to the edge, they would do anything crazy. They couldn’t risk the safety of ordinary people.

Yannis said, “There should be about ten of them. Based on what you’ve told me, the escapees are highly skilled operatives. We can’t risk making a move in the city. We need to find a way to lure them out of Jinston.”

Recently, with the whole city of Jinston under a low-profile lockdown, that group picked up on something and was lying low for now, not daring to make any rash moves.

“Let’s wait until Zinnia’s school break. Then we’ll find a way to lure them out,” Nathan said, his eyes turning cold. “We can’t just wait passively. With them in that secret place, it’s too risky. We need to take the upper hand.”