Chapter 306
After letting Donald finish speaking, the man swiftly gagged his mouth again.
“He knows about Zinnia’s father. Hand our men over, and we’ll return yours,” the man looked at Yannis again and said in a flat tone.
“That information is useless to us. My girl doesn’t care less about her biological father,” Yannis drawled.
‘Zinnia doesn’t give a damn about her so-called father,’ Yannis sneered in his mind. ‘Even if she does care, we can find him out on our own!’
The man was shocked by Yannis’s response. This was their final trump card, but it didn’t even faze them. They had always banked on Donald being useful – the only reason they’d endured his insufferable presence all this time instead of killing him, clinging to the hope that, if things went south, he might be their last-ditch lifeline.
Donald let out a muffled, desperate sound, struggling with all his might. He couldn’t believe his last trump card – his only bargaining chip – meant nothing to Yannis. ‘I can’t stay with these monsters any longer,’ Donald thought. ‘I’d rather go back to jail.’
Seeing his rescuers just across from him – hope now within arm’s reach – how could Donald even think of giving up? With a sudden burst of strength, he thrashed violently and crashed to the ground. Desperately, he began wriggling like a worm toward Yannis across from him.
“You worthless piece of shit!” Seeing him struggling to crawl forward, the three men were angrier. The man at the front bent down, grabbed him by the collar, yanked him up, and delivered a vicious slap across his face.
The blow was so brutal that blood immediately spurted from Donald’s split lip.
“What a waste!” Another man nearby lashed out with a vicious kick, his face twisted in fury. Their final trump card proved worthless.
Donald’s face contorted in agony, a muffled cry escaping his lips.
After the beating had vented their anger, the man at the front forced down his rage and held back his companions. He glared at Yannis and sneered, “Don’t you people from Laystoland always say you’d never abandon someone in need?
“If you don’t give our boss back, we’ll blow his brains out.” He pulled out a pistol and pressed it against Donald’s temple.
When Donald felt the cold barrel pressed against his temple, his eyes widened in sheer terror as his body trembled uncontrollably.
‘Threaten me? No one ever dared to threaten me in my entire life,’ Yannis thought with a cold smirk.
He shrugged and said, “Go ahead. He’s worthless to us anyway. Keeping him just takes up a cell and we’d have to feed him. He’s nothing but a damn nuisance.”
The three men glared at Yannis, seething with fury at his nonchalant attitude. But with even their smartest boss captured, they had no chance to stand against Yannis.
Donald’s eyes widened with desperation, tears streaming down his face as he stared at them pleadingly.
The negotiation fell apart, and the three men scanned their surroundings, looking for an escape. But they were surrounded. There was no way out.
The whole crew was rounded up in one fell swoop. Donald was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Afterward, he would face his unserved prison sentence.
“I’ll leave this to you. Make sure to interrogate them thoroughly,” Yannis said, giving Jaiden – who was overseeing the arrangements – a pat on the shoulder. With that, he turned and headed toward the main hall.
Zinnia had already come back from the mountaintop. Now, she and Maisie were in the VIP lounge.
Chapter 306
Just as Yannis reached the door, he heard Maisie’s anxious voice slip through the slightly ajar door. “Zinnia? Zinnia, what’s wrong?”
Zinnia looked weird since coming down from the mountain – she was mind-absent. Worried, Maisie waved her hand in front of Zinnia’s eyes.
Zinnia sat motionless in the chair, her eyes glazed and unfocused. Looking into Maisie’s worried eyes, Zinnia felt her throat constrict painfully. She wanted to tell Maisie not to worry, but her voice seemed clogged with concrete – she couldn’t speak. She mustn’t speak.
Her hands clenched together so tightly that her knuckles turned white, desperately holding back the storm of emotions inside her. Zinnia blinked her aching eyes, red-rimmed with faint blood vessels showing. She slowly shook her head, signaling to Maisie not to worry.
Maisie asked anxiously, “Zinnia, what’s wrong? Talk to me, please. Can you tell me what’s wrong? I’m so worried to see you like this.”
Seeing Zinnia’s red-rimmed eyes, as if she’d been hurt by something, Maisie felt terrible. She comforted Zinnia gently, her voice thick with worry.
When Zinnia saw Maisie’s worried face, she pursed her lips tightly and stayed silent. She shut her eyes for a moment, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Yannis pushed the door open and stepped inside, worry plain in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
At the sound from the doorway, Zinnia’s eyes finally flickered with awareness. When she realized it was Yannis, her lips trembled slightly, and she was on the verge of tears.
She wanted to cry so badly, but the persistent ache in her chest reminded her she couldn’t afford to let her emotions run wild right now.
Zinnia lowered her gaze, deliberately avoiding Yannis’s eyes. ‘If I look at him, I’ll lose control.’ She remained silent and motionless.
“Yannis, hurry up. Zinnia’s not responding. She won’t talk or make a sound,” Maisie urged, her voice trembling with worry. Maisie was worried sick. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong – ever since they came back from the mountain, Zinnia became like this.
Before Maisie could finish her words, Yannis had walked over and crouched down in front of Zinnia, who seemed to lose her soul. He had a bad feeling.
His heart clenched with worry. “Zinnia, what’s going on? Can you tell me?” Yannis kept his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to startle her.
“Master…” Zinnia whispered, her eyes flickering as she looked at Yannis. After a long pause, her voice finally emerged – so hoarse it was barely audible. She spoke so softly, as if afraid that speaking any louder might give something away.
“Your Master is handling something right now. Is there something you need from him, Zinnia? You can tell me, can’t you?” Yannis watched the silent girl before him, his eyes clouded with worry.
Now that the culprits had been caught, Nathan went to interrogate them himself. There must be a mastermind behind this, and Nathan was determined to drag that person into the light. Zinnia remained silent. She still refused to speak to him.
Yannis frowned and asked softly, “Should I go get your Master for you?” He thought, ‘The key lies with Nathan.’
Zinnia pursed her lips and gave a silent, barely perceptible nod.
Yannis got up and left to find Nathan. Something was clearly off about her.
Maisie leaned over and said gently, “Zinnia, I’m just going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.” Noticing Yannis heading out, Maisie followed him.
Zinnia watched their retreating figures, her eyes shifted slightly, and a hint of moisture glistened deep within them. Her throat burned with suppressed agony. Zinnia doubled over as her stomach heaved, retching violently against the wave of nausea.
Pain throbbed in Zinnia’s chest in relentless waves. She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms, desperately suppressing the emotional storm within.
‘I mustn’t lose control. Mustn’t,’ Zinnia repeated to herself. She fought to contain the turbulent emotions surging inside.
Outside the door, Yannis turned to Maisie with a questioning look. She had been by Zinnia’s side the whole time. Yannis’s eyes narrowed intently as he looked at Maisie. “What happened? When did Zinnia start acting like that?”
Maisie explained anxiously. “Nothing happened. I was with Zinnia the whole time, but she started acting strangely when we were still at the mountaintop.
“After we came down, she just stopped talking completely. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t say a word – she just kept shaking her head."
Yannis frowned. “Think carefully. Did anything happen?” Yannis’s brow furrowed.
Maisie fell into thought, carefully recalling the earlier events. “I remember when there was a commotion outside, Zinnia went out to use the restroom. Then she hasn’t been herself since she came back.”