Chapter 324

After waiting until midnight, still preoccupied, Zinnia called out to Nathan, Fiona, and Quincey, “Guys, I’m heading back to my room first.” Then she scurried upstairs.

Once in her room, Zinnia took out her phone. Checking the time, she found it was exactly midnight. She opened WhatsApp and tapped on her second pinned contact.

Zinnia opened the chat window. Their previous messages were sporadic. She tapped the video call button, and almost instantly, Yannis picked up, clearly still awake and perhaps waiting for her.

Yannis’s face appeared on the screen. With a gentle smile, he said, “Merry Christmas, Zinnia.”

Zinnia said, “Happy birthday, Yannis!”

Zinnia and Yannis’ voices overlapped as they spoke simultaneously. At each other’s wishes, their eyes crinkled with shared delight.

Yannis’s eyes crinkled with joy. “Thanks for the birthday wishes, Zinnia,” he said, his voice practically overflowing with happiness as a broad grin spread across his face.

“Where are you?” Zinnia asked, studying his background through the screen. He was still awake. Usually, at a time like this, people would stay around the fireplace with family, but his surroundings seemed oddly quiet and empty.

‘His birthday falls on Christmas Day. Most people would still be awake at midnight, so he’s probably already gotten plenty of birthday wishes. Am I really the first to say it?’ Zinnia thought.

With that in mind, Zinnia lowered her eyes slightly. Then she asked softly, “Yannis, are you in your room?”

Yannis panned his phone to show Zinnia around his room. The Perkins manor was decorated in a traditional style, with all the furniture crafted from rich rosewood.

Zinnia glanced around his room, finding he was alone, so she asked hesitantly, “You didn’t gather around the fireplace with James and the others, did you?”

Yannis’s eyes crinkled with tenderness as he smiled. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been waiting for your birthday wishes, Zinnia. I wanted to hear from you first.”

In fact, Yannis had slipped back to his room deliberately. If he had stayed downstairs with James and the others, he would’ve been flooded with birthday wishes the moment midnight struck. By slipping away, he dodged them, allowing him to wait for Zinnia’s call.

Zinnia’s heart melted. “How did you know I’d call you? What if I hadn’t?”

“You will,” Yannis said with certainty.

Zinnia couldn’t help but smile at how sure Yannis was that she’d call. “But what if I wasn’t the first one to wish you a happy birthday?” she teased, her lips curving up in a playful grin.

‘He really trusts me that much?’ Zinnia wondered. ‘I wasn’t even that sure myself.’

Seeing the playful look on Zinnia’s face, Yannis smiled and said, “I told them they weren’t allowed to wish me a happy birthday.”

Zinnia’s eyes widened in disbelief at his response. “You’re so bossy!” she blurted out, unable to hide her surprise.

“I was just waiting for you, Zinnia,” Yannis said, not the least bit embarrassed.

Yannis had actually told Devin and Layla, those two ridiculously doting siblings, not to wish him a happy birthday at the stroke of midnight. Otherwise, they’d have been racing to be the very first to say that the second the clock struck twelve.

Yannis thought, ‘Honestly, I’m not even sure if Zinnia will call me tonight. With Nathan’s situation coming first, maybe she won’t have time for me. Still, I want to wait, just in case.’

Yannis had forbidden everyone from saying “Happy Birthday,” but when it came to gifts, he received a lot of them. Still, the one he was most looking forward to was from Zinnia.

He had no idea what Zinnia had in store for him. When she gave it to him earlier, she’d made him swear not to open it ahead of time. True to his word, Yannis had resisted every temptation and waited patiently.

Now that it was finally his birthday, Yannis looked at Zinnia with eager anticipation. “Can I open my present now, Zinnia?”

Zinnia nodded. “Sure, it’s nothing fancy. Don’t judge,” she said. The gift was meant for him anyway, so of course, he could open it.

Zinnia was relieved she’d prepared his birthday present ahead of time. With everything piling up now, she probably wouldn’t have been able to put her heart into making something special for him.

“Then I’ll open it,” Yannis said softly. With Zinnia’s permission, he picked up the small sandalwood box he’d left on the nightstand. It was no larger than his palm.

He positioned his phone across from him, adjusting the angle so Zinnia could clearly see both him and the box on the video call.

He carefully opened the box to reveal an exquisitely crafted beaded bracelet. A delicate, soothing herbal fragrance wafted out, instantly clearing his mind and bringing a profound sense of comfort and ease throughout his whole body.

“I made this bracelet myself. Wearing it regularly is good for your health,” Zinnia said, watching him. “If you like it, you can wear it. But if it’s not really your style, you can just keep it as a keepsake.”

Zinnia had crafted the bracelet entirely by hand. She personally polished and strung the beads together with great care. She also carefully picked all kinds of the finest wooden materials to make the beads.

If Yannis wore this bracelet regularly, it would help clear his mind, nourish his internal organs, and greatly benefit his overall health.

Zinnia had spent an entire month crafting this bracelet. Polishing and stringing the herbal beads was painstaking work. Many would shatter at the first attempt to drill a hole through them.

The bracelet wasn’t particularly exquisite or luxurious in appearance. Zinnia knew all too well that her handmade gift could never compare to the priceless treasures Yannis had received.

Zinnia wasn’t sure if Yannis would like it. Truthfully, she had no idea what he actually wanted. He always said he’d love anything she gave him.

She was skilled in medicine, and since Yannis’s health was delicate, she made this for him. If he didn’t like it, he could simply keep it as a little memento.

“I really love this gift,” Yannis said, his eyes sparkling with unmistakable delight. He reached out with his slender hand and slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist right in front of the camera.

He had originally worn a watch on his left wrist, but now he took it off and replaced it with the simple yet refined beaded bracelet.

Against his nice skin and sharply defined wrist bones, the bracelet looked stunning, almost as if it were made just for him.

The bracelet was strung on a red cord, finished at both ends with knots. Zinnia also made it with an adjustable sliding knot, so Yannis could easily fit it to his wrist.

“What do you think about it?” Zinnia asked.

Yannis waved his wrist in front of the camera. “Looks great.”

Zinnia had never thought that the simple bracelet she made could look so good on him. Against his elegant wrist, even the most ordinary beads seemed to transform into something exquisite.

Yannis was radiating with visible joy as he looked at Zinnia on the screen. “I really love this gift. It’s the best present I’ve received this year. Thank you, Zinnia. I’ll always wear it,” he said, his voice earnest and sincere.

Zinnia watched as Yannis’s eyes shone with undisguised delight. She found Yannis seemed really overjoyed with the birthday gift.

She thought, ‘To him, this should have been just an ordinary little gift, yet he loved it so much. He even said he’d always wear it.’

A flutter of warmth spread through Zinnia’s chest. She could clearly sense her own happiness, “I’m so glad you like it. Merry Christmas, Yannis.”