Chapter 293
After the Christmas celebrations, it was crunch time for final exams. The three-day finals flew by.
As Zinnia packed up her textbooks, her classmates waved and called out, “See you next semester, Zinnia.” Her classmates waved goodbye to her as they left the classroom.
Zinnia smiled brightly and waved back. “See you next semester, everyone.” Before they knew it, the whole semester had flown by.
Maisie walked up to Zinnia and said, “Zinnia, come home and stay for a couple of days. Mom and Dad miss you.”
Zinnia hadn’t been back to the Jenkins residence for a while, as she’d been keeping an eye out for those lurking in the shadows. While Maisie still saw Zinnia at school every day, her parents and Raymond missed her terribly since they hadn’t seen her.
“Then I’ll text Yannis,” Zinnia said. Everyone still thought Zinnia was living with Yannis. Since they both resided in Cloud Harbor, it was easier for them to cover for each other.
While she claimed to be texting Yannis, Zinnia was actually messaging Nathan. It took a couple of minutes for Nathan to reply. He agreed and told her to enjoy herself. Once she was back, they’d return to the small town together.
Zinnia simply texted back. “Let’s go home now,” Zinnia said cheerfully as she linked arms with Maisie.
“Zinnia, why haven’t you been hanging out lately?” Ethan called out. He hurriedly stuffed his books into his backpack and turned to Zinnia.
“Is something wrong?” Lydia asked, her face filled with concern.
Ethan added, “Zinnia, is something wrong? If there is, you have to tell us. We’ll help however we can.”
Brian remained silent. His brother worked in the intelligence department, so he knew bits and pieces about the situation. He couldn’t fathom why foreign operatives were targeting Zinnia.
Zinnia smiled softly. “Just dealing with some stuff lately, but it’s nothing serious. Can’t hang out for now, but once things settle down, let’s all go out together.”
“Zinnia, promise me you’ll tell me if anything’s wrong,” Lydia insisted, still unconvinced. Zinnia rarely went out those days. Whenever anyone asked, she’d say she was focusing on her studies at home.
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely tell you if anything comes up,” Zinnia replied obediently. The group walked out together.
Taking advantage of the stairwell’s cover, Brian leaned in and whispered to Zinnia, “I’ll have my brother keep an eye on them. Security in Jinston is tight. They won’t dare to cause trouble.”
Ever since a kidnapping incident over a decade ago, security measures in Jinston have been extremely tight. Those people crossed the border illegally. Lately, they’ve been lurking everywhere. They’d long been under surveillance from the shadows.
It was the New Year and the city was crowded with people, making any arrests could easily cause panic. That was why they had to let them remain at large at that moment.
The foreign operatives didn’t dare act in Jinston. With surveillance teams watching from the shadows, they wouldn’t be making a move anytime. They wouldn’t dare cause any major disturbance in the city unless absolutely forced to.
The authorities had already contacted Yannis to coordinate a plan. Once all preparations were complete, they would arrange for Zinnia to temporarily leave Jinston, facilitating the apprehension operation.
“Brian, thank you,” Zinnia said, her lips curving into a gentle smile.
Ethan and the others were unaware that Zinnia was under surveillance. Only Maisie knew a bit about what was going on. Brian only knew about this from his older brother.
Chapter 293
Lydia deliberately slowed her pace, falling a step behind the group. She caught snippets of their conversation. Is someone vecide viata tr she in danger? Lydia wondered. A chill flashed through Lydia’s gentle eyes.
Lydia asked, “Zinnia, do you still have the keychain I gave you?”
“I keep it on my phone, so I carry it with me every day,” Zinnia replied. As she spoke, Zinnia pulled her phone out of her small bag to show Lydia. Dangling from the phone case was a hand-crocheted panda charm. It looked adorably clumsy.
Lydia glanced at the charm on her phone case and nodded. “Good.”
“Sweetie, Honey, you’re finally home. I missed you so much!” As soon as the two girls stepped into the living room, Yvette quickly reached the sisters and swept Zinnia up into a spinning hug.
“Mom, I missed you too,” Zinnia giggled, instinctively wrapping her arms around Yvette’s neck.
An energetic figure rushed over.
“My Sweetie, you haven’t been home in so long. Mommy’s been dying to see you. Come here, let Mommy check if you’ve lost any weight. Just look at you, even prettier than before. I just can’t get enough of you,” Yvette gushed.
Yvette set Zinnia down and began fussing over her, turning her this way and that, carefully looking her over. Yvette gave her daughter a thorough once-over, making sure her precious girl was healthy and well.
Zinnia obediently let Yvette examine her and said, “Mom, I haven’t lost weight. I’ve actually put on a little.”
Her rosy, healthy cheeks made it clear she was doing well. Yvette finally felt relieved. “Come here, Maisie. Let Mommy give you a hug too.”
Yvette then pulled Maisie, who was smiling at them from the side, into a big hug. She patted her back and squeezed her arms. “Well, it seems Raymond has been taking good care of you. You’re looking healthy and strong.”
“Mom, if you’re saying I’ve put on weight, just say it directly,” Maisie scowled.
Yvette and her husband had just returned that morning after being abroad for an art exhibition, so Maisie had been staying at Raymond’s place until then.
“Of course not. Mommy just loves seeing you healthy and strong,” Yvette beamed. All she ever wanted was for her two daughters to be safe and happy.
“Where’s Dad?” Maisie asked.
“Yeah, Mommy, where’s Daddy?” Zinnia also asked.
Yvette replied, “Your dad and Grandpa went out to play chess with Henry, and they’ll probably be back soon.” The couple, of course, wanted to spend time with Raymond.
“Yvette, are the girls back? I brought Zinnia’s favorite orange juice and Maisie’s favorite cake,” Aaron called from outside.
“They’re back,” Yvette replied, her voice laced with laughter. Then, they could clearly see the figure outside quicken his pace.
“My precious girls. Did you miss Daddy? ‘Cause Daddy’s missed you like crazy.” Aaron’s voice was brimming with joy.
It was only after spending time with Aaron that Zinnia realized he was actually quite fun-loving deep down.
Both Aaron and Yvette were straightforward and easygoing, so Maisie grew up open-hearted and free-spirited.
“Daddy,” Zinnia called in a soft, honeyed voice, her eyes crinkling with joy.
“My precious girl.” Aaron felt his heart melt at the sound of Zinnia’s gentle voice.
“Here, I brought you your favorite orange juice,” he said, handing her the drink. It was from Zinnia’s favorite brand.
I finally returned home, so
Chapter 293
“Hey, you little rascal. Not even a ‘Daddy‘?” Aaron put on a stern face as he looked at Maisie.
“Daddy,” Maisie replied flatly.
“Fine, just call me ‘Dad.‘ ‘Daddy‘ sounds way too weird coming from you,” Aaron shuddered.
“Give it here.” Maisie shot him a glare and held out her hand.
“Your favorite cherry cake.” Knowing Maisie was out of patience, Aaron stopped teasing and handed the cake to Maisie with a grin.