Chapter 337

Perhaps truly exhausted, Yannis held Zinnia tightly in his arms for what seemed like ages, refusing to let go.

Feeling his exhaustion, Zinnia wrapped her arms around Yannis’s back and gently patted it, as if to comfort him.

Yannis chuckled at her gesture. “Are you trying to comfort me like a child, Zinnia?”

Zinnia blinked playfully. “Well, can’t I?”

Yannis’s chest rose and fell lightly. “Of course, you can,” he said, his tone clearly laced with laughter.

After a brief hug, Yannis let go of Zinnia and grabbed some eggs from the fridge.

“You’re the birthday boy. Should you really be the one cooking today?” Zinnia hesitated, feeling a bit conflicted. It didn’t seem right to have him cook on his birthday. She offered, “If you’d rather not, I can do it instead.”

But Yannis wouldn’t let her go out and call Nathan, either.

Yannis looked down at her with a playful smile in his eyes. “Can you cook, Zinnia?”

Yannis and Nathan had never even let Zinnia near the stove before. ‘Could she really cook?’ Yannis wondered.

“Well, I can warm milk and cook eggs,” Zinnia said.

In fact, Zinnia couldn’t really cook. Her respiratory system was too sensitive to handle kitchen fumes, so she rarely even stepped into the kitchen. But she did know how to warm milk. She had a milk warmer at home, and she could cook eggs, too.

Zinnia had learned to cook eggs during her time with the Shaw family. Betty never allowed Lucy to prepare extra meals for her, and with the family subsisting on meager vegetable dishes every day, Zinnia often went hungry.

Later, Lucy showed Zinnia how to cook eggs so she could secretly make herself a little treat. It was easy. She just needed to crack the eggs, whisk them together, and then fry them in a pan.

But after Jackson brought her back to the Lynn family, and later when she started living with Yannis, Zinnia hadn’t cooked eggs in ages.

“Look how amazing you are, Zinnia. You can cook eggs now!” Yannis said, his clear voice ringing with undisguised pride and a smile in his eyes.

Zinnia, never one for modesty, gave a proud little huff. “Well, I’m super awesome! It’s just that you never let me in the kitchen. Otherwise, I would’ve learned to cook well by now.”

“Alright, you’re the best, Zinnia. But you really don’t need to learn how to cook. With us and the chef at home, all you have to do is enjoy being fed,” Yannis said, ruffling her hair affectionately.

He thought Zinnia never needed to learn how to cook. Their family’s privileged circumstances meant she never had to lift a finger in the kitchen.

“Wait outside for me. I’ll whip up some risotto cake,” Yannis said as he gently guided Zinnia out of the kitchen.

Yannis and Jackson still hadn’t eaten yet. Spotting some leftover rice from dinner in the kitchen, Yannis decided to whip up a quick batch of risotto cake.

“Okay.” Zinnia stood outside, watching as Yannis skillfully cooked inside the kitchen.

The risotto cake was ready in no time. Carrying two steaming plates of risotto cake, Yannis walked out of the kitchen together with Zinnia.

Back in the living room, Nathan and Jackson had both regained their composure.

Seeing Yannis carrying two plates of risotto cake, Nathan stood up and said, “Hey, you two just got here, I should be the one cooking, not you."

Nathan glanced at Zinnia with a helpless smile. “Why didn’t you tell me, Zinnia? And don’t forget it’s Yannis’s birthday today!”

Zinnia puffed her cheeks in protest. ‘The atmosphere outside was already so tense. How could I just go out and interrupt? Besides, I did try to stop Yannis, but he just wouldn’t listen to me!’ she thought.

Yannis set the two plates of risotto cake on the dining table and walked over. “Nathan, we’re family. There’s no need to be so formal between us,” he said. “I saw some leftover rice in the cooker, so I whipped up some risotto cake. We’re all family here.” His gaze lingered on the bracelet on Yannis’s wrist for a moment.

Yannis glanced at Jackson, who was still on the couch. “Alright, Jackson, come and eat.”

“Okay.” Jackson’s expression softened when he saw Yannis and Zinnia.

“Where are you two staying tonight?” Zinnia asked as they took their seats.

Jackson asked, “Got a spare room in the house?”

Nathan nodded. “There’s a spare room downstairs.”

Jackson nodded nonchalantly. “If there’s a spare room, we’ll stay here. If not, we can just crash here in the living room.”

So after all that back-and-forth, Jackson and Yannis were dead set on staying here for the night.

“This is your room,” Nathan said. “We’ve got basic toiletries here. If you need anything else, tomorrow is market day. Zinnia can take you to town to get what you need.”

They arrived unexpectedly, and Nathan only had time to put together some basic toiletries. These two were a bit particular about their comforts. Luckily, tomorrow was market day. They could head into town and pick up whatever else they needed.

Both Jackson and Yannis nodded, saying, “Alright.”

“Here are some clean blankets,” Zinnia called out as she trotted down the stairs, her arms full of bedding.

As soon as they saw her, both Nathan and Yannis instinctively reached out. As they stood close together, their hands inevitably brushed against each other.

Zinnia looked from one to the other, her face scrunched up in indecision.

Noticing Yannis’s outstretched hand, Nathan flexed his fingers slightly before withdrawing his own.

Zinnia nodded and walked closer to Nathan. As she adjusted her grip, the top blanket started to slip, and Nathan quickly reached out to catch it.

“Nathan got one, and this one is for Yannis. Now you each have your own!” Zinnia said, handing the last blanket to Yannis.

Zinnia’s eyes curved into happy crescents. She was clearly pleased with her idea. ‘I’m so smart!’ she thought. ‘Good thing I brought two blankets. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough for everyone.’

Nathan glanced at the blanket in his hands, then at Yannis’s, and finally at Zinnia, who was blissfully oblivious and clearly pleased with herself.

Nathan shook his head with a wry smile. ‘Just a clueless little girl,’ he thought to himself.

There was only one guest room downstairs, which Quincey occasionally used when he visited. Now it was ready for Jackson and Yannis to share. After all, they couldn’t disturb Nathan, who was sick, or share a room with Zinnia, the only girl in the house.

Jackson and Yannis had known each other since childhood, so sharing a room felt perfectly natural to them.

It was getting late, almost eleven o’clock. After a long, exhausting day, neither Zinnia nor Nathan had a moment’s rest. Everyone was worn out and ready to turn in.

Nathan said, “We’ll be staying upstairs: Just let us know if you need anything.”

Jackson gave the room a quick once-over and said, “It’s your place. Don’t expect me to stand on ceremony.”

Zinnia and Nathan went upstairs. Zinnia waved at him with a bright smile and said, “Good night, Nathan!”

“Good night,” Nathan murmured tenderly.

Zinnia slipped into her room and began fussing with the things she’d brought in. Frowning at the bland-looking item on the plate, she thought, ‘This is way too ugly.’ She picked up her tools again, carefully retouching and adjusting the details.

Once it looked barely passable, Zinnia, struck by a sudden thought, hurriedly unlocked her phone.

It was 11:50 p.m., just ten minutes left until midnight. Zinnia started to panic. She quickly grabbed her things, carefully opened the door, and rushed downstairs.