Come in 29
Posted on July 07, 2025 ยท 0 mins read
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Chapter 29

โ€œBetty, if you truly believe youโ€™ve taken Zinniaโ€™s place, do the right thing and leave. Stop making things hard for everyone.โ€

โ€œActions speak louder than words, and Iโ€™m not falling for any more passiveโ€“aggressive tactics. Iโ€™m warning youโ€“leave Zinnia alone, or youโ€™ll have me to deal with.โ€ Jacksonโ€™s tone was icy, and his piercing look made Betty feel uneasy.

Betty felt a shiver run down her backโ€“it was like he saw right through her.

โ€œJackson, come on. Betty is a little girl. Where would she go if we kicked her out?โ€ Timothy stepped in, trying to defend her.

โ€œHave you even thought about where Zinnia would go after you pushed her out?โ€

โ€œOf course weโ€™d take care of her. Weโ€™d set her up somewhere,โ€ Timothy said. At home, Betty and Zinnia were always clashing. He thought sending Zinnia away wasnโ€™t about cutting her offโ€“it was about giving her some space to breathe.

โ€œYou can set Zinnia up somewhere, but you canโ€™t do the same for Betty? And once sheโ€™s gone, youโ€™ll just forget about her?โ€ Jacksonโ€™s voice dripped with sarcasm.

โ€œOf course not-โ€ Timothy replied automatically. They couldnโ€™t just abandon Betty.

But his eyes drifted to Zinnia sitting off to the side, idly playing with her cup of juice, her gaze distant and disinterested.

Zinnia glanced up at Timothy briefly, her eyes so indifferent that it made his heart feel uneasy. It was as if something was slipping away from him, something he couldnโ€™t hold on to, leaving him feeling helpless and anxious.

Timothy, a lawyer accustomed to dealing with all sorts of people, couldnโ€™t shake the feeling that Zinnia had simply given up on them. She looked at them like she was seeing right through their facades, her gaze cold and distant.

It was as if sheโ€™d seen their true colors long ago and decided to let go of any expectations. She accepted whatever came her wayโ€“good or badโ€“with a quiet resignation.

If they wanted to send her away, sheโ€™d go. If they favored Betty over her, that was fine too. If misunderstandings caused her pain, she didnโ€™t let it show. She just didnโ€™t seem to care anymore.

She didnโ€™t seem to care what they thought of her, whether they approved or disapproved. She was an observer, detached and uninvolved, as if she had no stake in the outcome.

Her heart had been broken, and in response, sheโ€™d closed it off, fortifying it against further hurt. Her indifference was unsettling, making those around her feel uneasy.

Timothy couldnโ€™t understand why he was so bothered by her attitude. All he felt was a growing irritationโ€“why could she remain so calm and indifferent while he felt so frustrated and unsettled?

Timothy hadnโ€™t paid much attention to Zinnia. He was always busy with work and often stayed elsewhere. He only came home when something required his presence, and even then, he rarely saw her. Zinnia kept to herself, holed up in her room like a snail in its shell.

Most of what Timothy knew about Zinnia came from Betty. She was always getting into troubleโ€“breaking Maelisโ€™s favorite jewelry, smashing Donaldโ€™s vase, or sneaking into Yosefโ€™s room for who knew what reason.

Once, she made him a โ€œhealthyโ€ soup that gave him a stomachache for hours. And she was always badmouthing Betty to Maelis, saying Betty had taken her place and should leave.

All this made Timothy feel frustrated whenever he thought about Zinnia. She seemed so petty and narrowโ€“minded, like she hadnโ€™t been taught to get along with others. And he just couldnโ€™t bring himself to like her.

But today, and during their last meeting, he felt like he didnโ€™t really know her at all.

Last time, she was sharpโ€“tongued and quick to anger, always on the defensive. She even ran away once because she felt wronged.

But this time, she seemed different. She smiled more, but there was still a hint of disdain in her expression. Despite her own brother being there, she never acknowledged him, acting as if he wasnโ€™t even in the room.

He sneered inwardly, โ€˜Betty says Zinnia just isnโ€™t much of a talker, but now it seems less like shyness and more like rudeness.โ€™

โ€œHah, Timothy, if you donโ€™t want Zinnia, weโ€™ll take her in. If Bettyโ€™s the only sister youโ€™ve got, then stay out of our way,โ€ Jackson said with a sneer. It seemed they didnโ€™t think there was anything wrong with getting rid of Zinnia.

He added, โ€œIf you canโ€™t handle two girls, we can help out. Besides, Zinnia already thinks of us as family. You keep Betty, and weโ€™ll take Zinnia.โ€

โ€œBut Jackson-โ€ Timothy frowned. Their family could take care of them both and he thought they had never rejected Zinnia. In his eyes, it was ridiculous to consider the Lynn family took Zinnia in.

The cold look in Jacksonโ€™s eyes felt like a slap. It was like he was calling out Timothy for being blind to the situation. Jacksonโ€™s words were sharp, showing no mercy for Betty or Timothy. Before he could even get a word in, Jackson cut him off.

Timothyโ€™s irritation was building. He hadnโ€™t been sleeping well lately, thanks to a tough case that had kept him up for days. His nerves were on edge. Running into Zinnia and getting chewed out by Jackson only made things worse. He wished heโ€™d never come out at all.

But Jackson held a lot of influence over the Shaw family, and none of them wanted to cross him. Timothy suppressed the mounting frustration and tried to quell the anxiety that was stirring inside him.

For a moment, neither Timothy nor Betty knew what to say.

Betty felt like every mocking glance around her was aimed at her, like everyone was looking down on her.

Jackson took Zinniaโ€™s hand and led her toward the counter. โ€œHi, Iโ€™m here to pick up my order,โ€ he said.

The clerk had been thinking about sharing this juicy gossip with her friendโ€™s after work, but she quickly composed herself and smiled politely, โ€œSure, Mr. Lynn. Your custom piece is ready. Itโ€™s right over hereโ€“please take a look.โ€

She walked over to the jewelry display where Betty had been browsing earlier and showed the jewelry set.

โ€œZinnia, do you like it? This is a welcome gift I prepared for you. I didnโ€™t get the chance to give it to you earlier, so I thought Iโ€™d make it up to you now,โ€ Jackson said as they approached.

He had ordered the jewelry in a rush the first time he met Zinnia, and it had finally arrived that day. He wanted to surprise her with something special.

Zinniaโ€™s eyes widened as she looked at the gemstone in the glass case. Her fingers, which had been nervously gripping her cup, relaxed. โ€œThank you, Jackson,โ€ she said softly, her lips curving into a smile.


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