Chapter 299

The moment Zinnia’s car left the underground garage, the figures in the shadows sprang into action. They drove a van, following Zinnia.

“They’re finally gone. Time to settle the score. Damn, I’ve been feeling like someone’s been watching us, but I can’t even tell if they’re really after us. I was too scared to go anywhere.

“Lucky for us, that dumb little bitch just had to go out and have some fun.”

A voice crackled through the earpiece with doubt. “Isn’t this a damn trap? They’ve barely left the house for ages–so why suddenly go out now? Could they be trying to lure us out?”

“So what if they’re trying to bait us? It’s just a weak girl–no way they’d go to all that trouble for her. It’s said that security’s tight around the end of the year.

“We sneaked back in, so there’s no way they’ve actually spotted us, right?” Snide remarks crackled through the earpiece. They believed with their skills, there was no way they’d ever get caught.

Another one added, “Zinnia’s just a weak girl and Nathan’s injured now. They can barely look after themselves. In Jinston, they have no one to turn to, and the entire Shaw family’s behind bars.

“Even if she’s with Yannis, they’ve only just met. Yannis wouldn’t care much about her. Men lose interest quickly and their thrill wears off fast. Haven’t even seen them together much lately, so he’s probably already lost patience with her.

“Didn’t Donald say both the Jenkins and Lynn families care about Zinnia? Something doesn’t add up,” one of them muttered.

“Don’t mention that damn cripple. Donald really pisses me off. Useless as hell–didn’t give us any fucking useful intel. All he said was that Zinnia’s dumb as a rock and easy to fool.”

“Bullshit. If she was really that stupid, why would all those big families give a damn about her?”

“Where the hell is Donald now? If he weren’t Zinnia’s father and still had some use, I’d have ditched his ass ages ago.”

“He’s holed up in the abandoned factory with both legs busted, moaning all fucking day. Can’t even control his own piss and shit–it’s disgusting as hell. Once this job’s done, I’m gonna finish him off for good.”

The earpieces crackled with a barrage of complaints.

“There are two trained guys in Zinnia’s car, and there’s a man in the back seat–no idea who he is.” Frowning, the man who followed Zinnia watched as the car drove off into the distance.

A suspicious voice crackled through the earpiece. “That guy in the back seat–could it be Nathan? Didn’t they say he sneaked back into Jinston?”

“No, doesn’t look like him. That guy’s just plain-looking–nothing like Nathan. I’d recognize Nathan’s face even if he was dust. Nathan would never look like that.

“Probably just another bodyguard. Rich people are scared shitless, always gotta have someone tagging along wherever they go.”

“You fucking morons! That mysterious stranger said Nathan can disguise himself–maybe that was him.

“I didn’t expect Zinnia actually mattered this much.” The earpiece erupted with a chorus of furious curses. “He’s definitely trying to make us drop our guard. Good thing we’re sharp enough to see through it.”

“Yes, Boss. You’re so sharp,” someone flattered.

One added through the earpiece, “Perfect. Nathan’s out too. We’ll deal with them together.”

Another one also said through the earpiece, “Tch, these rich bastards can’t even take a piss without an entourage of bodyguards. How ridiculous!”

“So what if they’re trained? There’s just a handful of them—you really think our whole crew can’t take them down!”

“Rich bastards are so high maintenance, scared shitless, gotta have bodyguards tagging along everywhere. Once I get through this, I’m gonna live like a king too.”

The earpiece buzzed with a chaotic mix of voices, everyone talking over each other.

“Nathan doesn’t even dare show his real face. Since he went through all that trouble to disguise himself, he probably just took Zinnia out for some fun. Doesn’t seem like much of a threat,” their boss Jerry scoffed, his suspicions easing slightly.

“Listen, we can’t afford to fail this time. We have to succeed–no matter what–and finish them off for good. That mysterious stranger said the antidote he gave us didn’t fully neutralize the poison in our bodies.

“We won’t get the real cure unless we make Nathan experience heart-wrenching agony. Only then will that guy give us the antidote,” Jerry added cruelly.

One of them snarled, “Alright. Once we get that fucking antidote, I swear I’ll make that guy pay.”

At the mention of the mysterious stranger, all of them gritted their teeth.

Jerry barked, “Move out. This time is our best shot–once Zinnia and the others actually reach the resort, it’ll be way easier for us to make our move.

“We’re being followed,” Emily muttered, checking the rearview mirror.

Maisie spotted the unmarked van and said calmly, “They won’t dare make a move while we’re still downtown. Besides, we’ve got our people tailing them too.”

“Get some sleep if you’re tired,” Nathan said, glancing at Zinnia, who was yawning beside him.

Perhaps too excited about heading to the resort, Zinnia had stayed up unusually late last night and woken up early this morning–no wonder she was feeling drowsy now.

“No, I’m not sleepy.” Zinnia shook her head stubbornly, her eyes locked on Nathan beside her.

Upon closer inspection, Zinnia noticed that Nathan’s face had been disguised–a completely unremarkable one.

“Nathan, seeing you with this face feels so strange to me.” Zinnia looked at Nathan’s face. It wasn’t exactly plain–just an average-looking guy. But compared to his usual striking features, it was almost disappointingly ordinary.

“So with your face changed, will they not figure out it’s you?” Zinnia asked, puzzled.

Nathan shook his head. “No, if anything, they’ll only be more convinced that I’m with you.”

“Then why bother disguising your face?” Zinnia asked. “If you knew they’d figure it out anyway…”

“If I didn’t do that, they’d suspect it’s a setup,” Nathan chuckled, gently pinching her cheek.

He added, “If I showed up with my real face, they’d be certain it’s a trap. They know I came back quietly, so they wouldn’t expect me to show up so openly.”

Zinnia suddenly understood everything and thought to herself with a sigh, ‘Smart people really are on another level. His mind works like lightning - there’s no way I could ever keep up.

‘I thought he changed his face just to avoid drawing attention, but he’s already figured out exactly what the enemies are thinking.’

Zinnia marveled inwardly, ‘Nathan is truly brilliant. If he sets his mind to it, there’s absolutely nothing he can’t figure out. He’s a nightmare to his enemies. Thank goodness he’s my master.’

“Why am I not smart? Did you overdose me with medicine when I was little and turn me stupid?” Zinnia pouted, propping her chin in a troubled look.

She wondered, ‘Why is everyone around me so brilliant, like Nathan and Yannis? So why am I the only one who’s not? Even though they’ve both taught me, I feel like I’ve barely grasped one-fifth of what they know.’

But Zinnia wasn’t one to dwell on self-doubt, so she decided to pin the blame squarely on Nathan instead.

She thought, ‘As a kid, especially before I turned three, I was taking tons of medicine non-stop. My mouth was always bitter–so bitter it still makes me want to cry just thinking about it.

‘All those meds must’ve messed up my brain. There’s definitely no way it’s my fault.’

Nathan paused, not expecting the blame to fall on him. Still, he accepted it without hesitation. “Sorry, it’s on me.”

“Once this is all over, you’ve got to help me get smarter. Whenever I’m with you and Yannis, I feel like my brain’s just decoration.” Zinnia tugged at Nathan’s sleeve.

Maisie listened to the banter between Nathan and Zinnia, stifling a laugh. She thought to herself, “No wonder Zinnia is so adorable–it’s all thanks to Nathan spoiling her rotten.”

“Alright,” Nathan said with a playful grin. “I’ll figure it out to help you get smarter.”