Chapter 307

Maisie’s words made Yannis instantly recall that the man had shouted outside that Nathan had been disabled.

‘She must have heard it,’ Yannis thought, his heart clenching. He strode over and pushed open the VIP room door behind him. Seeing Zinnia hunched over, retching violently, he rushed inside. “Zinnia!” he cried.

“Zinnia!” Maisie, panicking, frantically pulled out her phone to call for help.

Zinnia vomited violently, her whole body wracked with convulsions. There’s a saying: when the pain in your heart reaches its limit, your body will start to rebel.

“Zinnia. Listen to me, okay? Try to stay calm–your Master will be here any minute,” Yannis called out anxiously. He reached out and, following what Nathan had taught him, began applying pressure to the acupressure points on Zinnia’s back.

Zinnia’s mind buzzed. She couldn’t hear what Yannis was saying, and her vision was blurring. She could only see Yannis’s lips moving and his eyes were filled with worry.

Zinnia’s fingers dug into the couch cushions as she fought the waves of nausea. She hadn’t eaten dinner, and whatever she’d had that afternoon was long digested–now she was just retching up bile, the acrid taste burning her throat.

Her pale face flushed red from the effort, tears forced from her eyes.

“Zinnia, can you hear me? If you can, just nod,” Yannis urged, still pressing her acupressure points, his voice tight with anxiety as he asked.

Zinnia forced herself to focus on his words, and after a moment’s delay, she managed a weak nod. As the pressure in her chest eased just a little, she felt the suffocating tightness in her heart beginning to disappear.

She closed her eyes, struggling to not think about what that person had said.

‘Disable. Not long for this world,’ she thought desperately. ‘Master can’t possibly be disabled. No way. He’s so strong. He even saved me–how could he not save himself?’

But as these thoughts flashed through her mind, Zinnia doubled over and retched again, unable to control herself. Yet there was nothing left in her stomach.

“Zinnia.” Yannis took some tissues to wipe her lips, feeling upset seeing her vomit so violently.

After that, Zinnia couldn’t throw up anymore. She stayed hunched over, her face deathly pale, and barely managed to steady her emotions.

Yannis gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “Listen to me, okay? Your Master is fine. Do you trust me, or do you trust a stranger? I promise you; he’ll be all right in the end.”

Zinnia’s eyes were rimmed with red, bloodshot, and raw. The sight made anyone’s heartache.

When she looked at Yannis’s face, tears rolled down her cheeks one by one. Zinnia hadn’t dared to cry in front of Maisie–she was afraid of worrying Maisie. But now, facing Yannis, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Zinnia, trust me. I won’t let anything happen to your Master. No matter what it takes, I’ll save him,” Yannis promised. He gently wiped away her tears, pulled her into his arms, and stroked her back, over and over.

Zinnia rested her head on his shoulder, unable to speak. But knowing how worried Yannis was, she still managed to nod.

Yannis could feel the dampness slowly soaking through his shirt. The tears were cold, but the wetness seemed to be burning his skin, his heart ache even more.

They’d known she would find out the truth one day but never expected it to happen so suddenly, without any warning. With no time to prepare herself, she simply couldn’t accept it.

She couldn’t take it. And with her health, she didn’t even dare to let her emotions out completely.

Yannis leaned his head against hers, his palm moving gently along her back, “Zinnia, trust me, okay?”

Zinnia didn’t say a word–she just gently pinched the corner of his shirt.

“Zinnia!” When the private room door burst open, Nathan’s eyes locked onto the people inside. Zinnia’s head was resting on Yannis' shoulder, barely facing the doorway.

The moment Zinnia saw Nathan, her tears instantly broke free, streaming silently down her cheeks.

Seeing her eyes, red and swollen from crying, Nathan felt his heart twist painfully. He rushed in and knelt beside them.

Yannis, seeing Nathan arrive, gently let go of Zinnia.

Nathan carefully gathered Zinnia into his arms, softly patting her back. He took a small porcelain vial, uncapped it, and a fresh, soothing sandalwood scent filled the air.

He held the vial under Zinnia’s nose. The gentle scent drifted in with each breath. Nathan said, his voice impossibly gentle, “Zinnia, I’m here. I’ll always be with you. Don’t be afraid.” He continued to gently pat her back. His tone was softer than ever.

Zinnia curled up in his embrace, her body still wracked with quiet sobs. The desperation slowly faded from her eyes, and at last, she drifted off to sleep on Nathan’s shoulder.

“Nathan.” Yannis watched from the side.

“Don’t worry. She just needs to rest–she cried herself to exhaustion,” Nathan reassured Yannis and then stood up with Zinnia in his arms.

“How’s Zinnia?” Maisie had been waiting outside the room. Zinnia slept for a full day and night–from last night straight through to this afternoon. Now, as dusk was falling, she still hadn’t woken up.

Maisie had been waiting there since morning, while Nathan stayed with Zinnia the whole time. Yannis was also waiting outside. He’d been there since Zinnia was inside–staying up a full day and night without sleep.

“She’ll be fine. You should go home for now. I’ll see the two of them off later,” Yannis said, his voice rough from exhaustion.

“No, I’m not leaving. I need to see Zinnia with my own eyes before I can relax. What exactly happened to her? She looked deathly ill–shouldn’t we call a doctor?” Maisie insisted, her eyes rimmed with fatigue.

Yesterday, after she called Nathan back, she saw Nathan soon come out carrying Zinnia in his arms. Zinnia’s eyes were puffy, and her face was ashen. She seemed to be seriously ill.

Maisie didn’t know Zinnia’s exact condition, but just from Zinnia’s complexion, she could tell things weren’t good. She had promised to protect Zinnia, but now she felt she had failed.

Maisie realized something must have happened to Zinnia last night when she went to the restroom. The thought that she hadn’t protected her filled Maisie’s mind with guilt.

Yannis looked at her haggard face and sighed. “This wasn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself,” he said, his voice hoarse from not speaking for so long.

As they were speaking, the door to the VIP room opened. Nathan stepped out. He clearly hadn’t slept all night, either, and his pale face couldn’t mask his exhaustion.