Come in 36
Posted on July 07, 2025 ยท 0 mins read
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Chapter 36

It was Jacksonโ€™s first time seeing that look on Zinniaโ€™s face. She looked serious, totally different from the careless vibe she always gave off. She really seemed to love medicine.

Yannis didnโ€™t expect much. He had seen way too many doctors over the years, and none of them helped. But seeing how focused Zinnia looked, he didnโ€™t want to crush her hopes. He was already used to disappointment.

Perry sat nearby, watching as Zinnia checked Yannisโ€™s pulse.

โ€œDid something really bad happen to you before?โ€ Zinnia frowned as she asked.

Yannis wasnโ€™t just losing sleepโ€”he couldnโ€™t sleep at all, night after night. His body was totally worn out, and his mind was stretched thin. If it went on like this, one day his body might just give out. It could leave permanent damage. If it got bad enough, he might even end up with brain damage and never wake up again.

Yannisโ€™s raised brows dropped a little. โ€œI had an accident when I was a kid,โ€ he said. He didnโ€™t deny it, but he didnโ€™t go into details either.

โ€œWear this for now. You really need sleep. If you keep going like this, your body wonโ€™t be able to take it,โ€ Zinnia said.

She didnโ€™t press himโ€”she knew every patient had their own privacy. She turned and rummaged through her small backpack, then pulled out a little herbal pouch and handed it to him.

โ€œPut it under your pillow. Donโ€™t think about anything,โ€ she said seriously.

โ€œOkay. Thanks, Zinnia,โ€ Yannis said.

The moment she took out the pouch, he smelled that calming herbal scent. It was similar to Jacksonโ€™s pouch but stronger. The smell made him feel comfortable. Maybe it was just because he was in a good mood today, but his aching, tired head finally felt a bit lighter.

Yannis accepted the pouch. Even if it didnโ€™t work, he wasnโ€™t going to turn down Zinniaโ€™s kindness. Still, he didnโ€™t really believe a herbal pouch could fix his insomnia. Every time he thought about the past, all he saw was blood. Every time he closed his eyes, those pale, lifeless faces came back. There was no way he could sleep.

It had been more than ten years. Heโ€™d tried everythingโ€”pills, hypnosisโ€”nothing worked. When things got really bad, he had to be knocked out just to rest for a little while. But even then, heโ€™d wake up in under thirty minutes.

โ€œHere, take this too. Eat one before bed,โ€ Zinnia said, digging into her bag again and pulling out a small wooden bottle.

Yannis looked at the plain bottle she handed him. It had no label, probably something she made herself. It even had a faint medicinal scent, kind of like the way she smelled.

Maybe it was because she studied medicine, but Zinnia never wore perfume or makeup. She always had this light herbal scent on her, with a hint of bitterness if one paid close attention.

Yannis held the bottle tightly in his palm. It still felt warm from her hand.

He looked at Zinnia and saw that she was looking at him too. โ€œTry it first. If it doesnโ€™t work, tell me and Iโ€™ll make you something else,โ€ she said.

โ€œTake the medicine after dinner if you can,โ€ she added. โ€œYour bodyโ€™s really tired. You need a good nightโ€™s sleep.โ€

โ€œOkay. Thank you.โ€ Yannis tugged at the corner of his lips and gave a small smile.

Heโ€™d heard this kind of reminder way too many times before. But somehow, hearing it from Zinnia, with that serious look on her face, made him feelโ€ฆ at ease. Even he thought it was kind of strange. But he didnโ€™t argue. He was afraid heโ€™d see her frown again or that puzzled look she gave when she didnโ€™t understand him. He was honestly kind of scared of the way Zinnia stared at himโ€“like she was about to scold him for being disobedient.

Their first meeting had been super awkward. And during the second, he totally embarrassed himself. Now that it was their third time meeting, he really didnโ€™t want to mess it up again.

Yannis carefully put away the herbal pouch and the small wooden bottle.

โ€œZinnia, can I have one too?โ€ Perry looked at her hopefully. โ€œI canโ€™t sleep well at night either.โ€

โ€œWerenโ€™t you just having trouble eating?โ€ Zinnia turned to him, confused. He didnโ€™t look like he had insomnia.

โ€œI canโ€™t eat, so I get really hungry at night. And then I canโ€™t sleep,โ€ Perry explained.

โ€œThen Iโ€™ll give you one.โ€ Zinnia didnโ€™t think too hard about it. She reached into her small backpack again and pulled out another herbal pouch for Perry.

She thought the timing was kind of perfect. These two pouches were ones she had made earlier for Yosef and Timothy, but before she could give them out, the whole situation with Betty happened. After that, she never got the chance to hand them over, so theyโ€™d just stayed in her bag. Since Yannis and Perry asked, she just gave the pouches to them instead.

Zinnia started to notice that rich people always seemed to be sick somehow. If it wasnโ€™t insomnia, it was stomach problemsโ€“or something else. The Shaw family was like that. Jackson too. And now even Jacksonโ€™s friends.

She shook her head. She really didnโ€™t get it. These people had everythingโ€”money, power, nice clothes, great foodโ€”and yet they were all messed up somehow. But then she remembered the kind of food the Shaw family usually ate, and it started to make a little more sense. If she had to eat that bland vegetarian stuff every day, sheโ€™d probably get sick too.

โ€œThanks! Iโ€™ll take good care of it,โ€ Perry said happily, accepting the pouch.

Since Jackson and Yannis both had little gifts from Zinnia, Perry felt like he needed one too.

โ€œAll right, eat up,โ€ Jackson said, starting to pick out more food for Zinnia.

Zinnia went back to eating meat. The delicious flavors made her eyes crinkle with a smile. The other three watched her enjoying the food and couldnโ€™t help but feel happy too.

โ€œYou guys didnโ€™t feed her or something?โ€ Yannis looked up at Jackson.

Zinnia looked so happy and grateful just eating chili con carne, like she hadnโ€™t had anything good in a long time. She was skinny and small. Yannis wondered if sheโ€™d grow any taller in the future.

โ€œItโ€™s the Shaw family that starved her,โ€ Jackson said without even lifting his head. Seeing how much she liked meat, he added another plate of it in front of her.

He glanced at Zinnia, about to ask if the Shaw family really hadnโ€™t been feeding her properly.

โ€œThe Shaw family?โ€ Yannis frowned. He had just come back to the country not long ago and hadnโ€™t kept up with the Shaw family drama. However, his cousin had mentioned that there was this super annoying daughter in the Shaw family. Based on her story, Yannis didnโ€™t like the Shaws much either.

Even though the Lynn family was connected to the Shaw family by marriage, Yannis didnโ€™t have much to do with any of the Shaw Boys. The Shaws basically got rich thanks to the Lynns, so they werenโ€™t exactly on the same level.

Now hearing Jackson bring them up, Yannis frowned, guessing that Zinnia might be that switched-at-birth daughter the Shaw family had just gotten back.

Back when he was abroad, Yannis had heard Jackson casually mention that his auntโ€™s kid had been switched at birth. Jackson didnโ€™t seem to care much at the time.

Since Jackson had always acted like he didnโ€™t care about that new daughter, and now he seemed to care so much about Zinnia, Yannis hadnโ€™t made the connection that Zinnia was that kid the Shaw family had recently brought back.

When Jackson introduced her, he had only said her name; he never mentioned her last name. So Yannis just assumed Zinnia was a Lynn too.

โ€œJackson, Betty Shaw isnโ€™t as sweet and gentle as she looks. You better protect Zinnia,โ€ Perry said.

Perry knew the whole story with the Shaw family. The moment he saw Zinnia, he figured it out. And thinking of the Betty he had met before, he shook his head and glanced at Jackson again. He felt like Zinnia was no match for someone like Betty. Zinnia wasnโ€™t the type to fight or push for anything.

โ€œOf course,โ€ Jackson nodded, then looked at Yannis.


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