Chapter 297

“Yannis, make yourself at home, and don’t be shy,” Nathan said, his voice warm and mellow, as he placed the cookies between the two youngsters.

“Got it,” Yannis replied, his eyes crinkling into a gentle smile. He gazed at the tray of cute little cookies. Each cookie was made with care, all in Zinnia’s favorite shapes.

“Sit down. I’ll check your pulse,” Zinnia said. She set aside the cookies, eager to find out how Nathan was really doing.

Nathan sat down beside her and extended his wrist. Zinnia placed her fingers on his pulse point.

The living room fell so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Zinnia knitted her brows. Yannis shot a glance at Nathan. Nathan gave a slight shake of his head, signaling Yannis to stay calm.

“Master, I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off with your body,” Zinnia murmured. “Now that I can finally feel your pulse, it just seems like you have a bit of pneumonia.”

Zinnia focused intently, her fingers lingering on Nathan’s wrist as she carefully assessed every nuance of his pulse. Overall, there were no major issues, just persistent pneumonia.

Yannis’s eyes flickered as he listened to Zinnia’s diagnosis. ‘Nathan’s condition is so critical, yet all she could detect was pneumonia. Just how transcendent are Nathan’s medical skills?’ he thought to himself.

“Let me check your other hand,” Zinnia said, frowning. ‘Something still feels off,’ she thought.

Nathan hesitated for a split second but still extended his hand. Zinnia had barely placed her fingers on his wrist for a few seconds, and Nathan said, “See? I’m fine, Zinnia. The little buns I baked are ready. I’ll go get them.”

Nathan withdrew his hand, stood up, and headed out. Zinnia withdrew her hand, unconsciously rubbing her fingertips together. She seemed lost in thought, pondering the pulse she’d just taken.

Yannis subtly observed Zinnia’s expression. “What’s wrong? Did you notice anything off?”

“Nothing.” Zinnia shook her head. ‘I just did a quick check and didn’t find anything unusual,’ she thought. She felt a small wave of relief wash over her.

“Don’t worry, Master isn’t in any real danger. As long as he rests and recovers, he’ll be just fine,” Zinnia reassured.

After thoroughly checking Nathan’s condition, Zinnia felt a huge weight lift from her chest. The worry clouding her face all afternoon finally melted into a relieved smile.

Yannis gazed at her smiling face, but his heart grew heavier by the second. At that moment, he finally understood why she once said, “I won’t outlive you.”

Back then, he thought she was just joking, but now the realization struck him like a boomerang, painful and delayed.

It was no wonder she always seemed so carefree, only focused on eating well and enjoying life. Nothing else ever entered her consideration.

Because she never believed she had a future. Her tomorrows could be cut short at any moment. By not making plans, she spared herself disappointment.

She lived each day as if it were her last so that whenever something happened, she would have no regrets.

Learning what Zinnia had been through, Yannis felt a constricting ache in his chest. They were each other’s only anchor in life, wholly dependent on one another for support.

If anything happened to either of them, it would be a devastating blow to the other. Their lives had been plagued by misfortune from beginning to end. Even outsiders couldn’t help but ache for them.

“Zinnia, I’m going to make a call,” Yannis said. He stood up and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

“What’s up, Yannis?” Devin’s deep, pleasant voice came through the phone.

“Devin, I need a favor…” Yannis said.

“Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll have someone keep an eye out.” It was rare for Yannis to ask for help, so Devin readily agreed.

“Yannis, what’s wrong? You seem upset,” Zinnia asked between bites of her strawberry bear-shaped cookie, watching him return.

She recalled how troubled he had looked when she left the living room earlier. Her eyes now reflected genuine concern.

“It’s nothing, just some work stuff,” Yannis replied, smoothing away the complicated emotions in his eyes with a faint smile. Outwardly, he looked as calm as ever, as if nothing were amiss.

Zinnia asked, “Did you have another round of banter with James?”

Even though things had settled down between father and son, James still couldn’t resist trading a few barbs with Yannis from time to time.

Yannis said, “No, he’s quietly enjoying his retirement at home. I heard you guys are going back to Tareston for a while?”

“Yeah, it’s been over half a year since we left. Gotta go back and have a look.” Zinnia nodded. Before she knew it, she’d already spent over half a year in Jinston.

“Yannis, can you believe how fast time flies? We’ve already known each other for almost six months now,” Zinnia exclaimed. She marveled at how quickly time had passed.

“Exactly 158 days,” Yannis replied with a nod. He realized, almost in surprise, how long they’d already known each other. So much happened over the past six months. They first met on August 27th.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back for your birthday,” Zinnia assured him. Her eyes crinkled into a smile as something crossed her mind.

“Okay,” Yannis replied. His birthday was just eighteen days away. “So, have you got my birthday present ready yet?” Seeing that she still remembered his birthday, his smile deepened.

Zinnia looked at his smiling face, managed a small smile herself, but shook her head. “Not yet.”

“I thought I’d be getting my present pretty soon,” Yannis teased. He chuckled, clearly not disappointed.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Zinnia retorted playfully.

“But you’ll get me a gift, won’t you?” Yannis asked, his long, beautiful eyes filled with a gentle smile.

“You’re so sure I’ll prepare one for you? What if I don’t?” Zinnia replied playfully. Seeing how confident he was that she’d get him a present, Zinnia curved her eyes into crescents. ‘Why is he so sure about me?’ she wondered.

“It’s okay if you didn’t prepare anything. Having you back before my birthday is the best present I could ask for,” Yannis smiled.

“You’re that easy to please?” Zinnia asked in surprise. She had thought he would insist on a real gift.

“Yes. Just seeing you is a gift to me,” Yannis said softly, his eyes warm. He had never really expected Zinnia to prepare a gift for him.

He didn’t care much about gifts, but just the thought that she might get him something sparked a faint sense of anticipation in his heart. Still, even if she didn’t, Yannis wouldn’t be too disappointed.

Zinnia and Nathan were returning to the small town. With the year-end busy season approaching, Yannis was swamped with work and couldn’t get away with them.

Moreover, he had to deal with the underground forces lurking in the shadows. Yannis insisted on handling this personally; he couldn’t trust anyone else with such a critical task.

They had to capture that group as quickly as possible. Recently, they had leaked news of Zinnia’s upcoming trip, and those people had already left to lie in wait along the route she would take from Jinston.

Knowing about Zinnia’s health condition, Yannis was on high alert. He absolutely couldn’t let her fall into danger this time.

They had to minimize every possible risk.

Once everything was resolved and those people were dealt with, only then could Nathan and Zinnia return to the small town. The thought of not seeing her for so long made Yannis's heart ache with longing. "What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll cook for you,” Nathan made sure to ease.