Chapter 38

"Zinnia, do you think my hair looks bad?" Isaac leaned in close and flipped his platinum blond hair.

"It looks nice," Zinnia said, staring at how his hair sparkled in the sunlight. She nodded.

Isaac gave off a bit of a rebellious vibe. His face was sharp and handsome, wearing a black T-shirt, and his platinum hair shone brightly. He looked full of energy. No wonder Sofia always sounded both annoyed and amused whenever she mentioned him.

"Grandma, did you hear that? Zinnia said my hair looks good!" Isaac bragged proudly to Sofia after getting Zinnia’s praise.

"Alright, eat your breakfast," Sofia said, hurrying them to the table. "Jackson's taking you both to school. He's upstairs handling something. He should be done by the time you finish eating."

Zinnia and Isaac sat down to eat. Isaac had just flown back that morning and hadn’t eaten yet. Zinnia had simply gotten up late.

Luckily, today was just registration day. Evershine High didn’t open the gates until 8:00 a.m.

"Hi, Zinnia. I’m Isaac Lynn, your cousin," Isaac said.

They sat side by side at the table. Isaac glanced at Zinnia nibbling on a ravioli and felt warm inside.

Jackson said Zinnia would be living with them from now on. The more Isaac looked at her, the more he liked her. He loved girls like Zinnia–cute and real. Totally not his type were girls like Betty.

Betty always acted fragile, ate just two bites and claimed she was full, and spoke in a high, whiny voice. It was super annoying.

"Zinnia, eat more. These pancakes are good," Isaac said after trying one and liking it.

"Thanks," Zinnia replied. She took a bite and tasted the sweet maple syrup. It was pretty good.

Zinnia had never met Isaac before–this was their first time seeing each other. She looked at him, eating and sneaking glances at her, and figured he probably didn’t dislike her.

"You’re so cute, Zinnia. I rushed back today, so I didn’t bring you a gift. I’ll make it up to you next time," Isaac said with a goofy smile.

He had been out on a jungle adventure yesterday. There was barely any signal out there. When he realized school was starting soon, he quickly packed up and headed home. It was only when he left the mountains that he got Jackson’s message about Zinnia.

By then, Isaac was already on his way to the airport and didn’t have time to get her anything.

To be honest, before coming home, he was a bit worried. He thought Zinnia might be the soft, crybaby type like Betty–and just the thought gave him a headache.

Before meeting her, Isaac had kind of been against the idea. He didn’t want some clingy new girl showing up.

But now that he’d seen Zinnia, he thought she was the cutest thing ever. Her round, chubby cheeks looked super soft. Isaac was completely charmed and couldn’t stop staring at her.

"Aren’t you eating?" Zinnia turned to him. He was holding a churro but hadn’t taken a bite.

"Oh, yeah–here I go," Isaac said quickly and shoved it into his mouth. But he ate too fast and started choking, coughing hard.

"Drink some milk," Zinnia said, handing him a warm glass.

Isaac grabbed it and gulped it down. "Okay, I’m good. Thanks, Zinnia," he said, patting his chest. He coughed a couple more times before settling down.

"You should eat slower. If you choke, it can feel really bad. In serious cases, you can even choke to death," Zinnia said seriously, watching him with concern.

"Got it. I’ll remember," Isaac said, sitting up straight under her stern gaze. He had been so focused on staring at her, he hadn’t realized he was holding a churro.

Sofia sat on the living room couch, watching the two kids get along so well. Her eyes crinkled with a smile.

She’d always said Zinnia was lovable–anyone who met her would like her. Only the Shaw family didn’t know how to appreciate her. They’d regret it someday.

"Zinnia, this is a back-to-school gift from Charlie," Sofia said, turning around from the couch with a pink gift bag. "He’s been a little busy at the lab lately, so he couldn’t be here to see you off. He feels really bad about it."

Charlie, Sofia’s second grandson, had originally planned to take Zinnia to school himself, but something came up at the lab. His professor insisted he finish the experiment before transferring to the hospital to start his residency.

"Please tell Charlie thank you for me," Zinnia said.

She hadn’t expected a gift just for starting school. Lowering her eyes, she saw the stuffed animal in the box inside. Zinnia smiled softly.

"Zinnia, are you ready? It’s time to head to school," Jackson called as he came down the stairs in casual clothes.

His dark hair was slicked back, revealing a strong, handsome face. He looked well-rested lately and carried the kind of calm, charismatic air that only came with maturity.

"Jackson." Zinnia spotted him and walked over with small, light steps.

"Did you sleep well, Zinnia?" Jackson asked with a gentle smile.

"Very well," Zinnia nodded.

Isaac stared wide-eyed at the smile on Jackson’s face. In all his years, he couldn’t remember ever seeing Jackson smile like that. Jackson had always been the stern, stone-faced type.

Ever since he started working at the company, that serious, intimidating aura around him had only gotten stronger. Isaac never dared joke around in front of him.

But now, watching Jackson be so warm and gentle with Zinnia, Isaac couldn’t help but marvel–Zinnia’s charm had even cracked Jackson’s armor.

"All packed? If so, let’s go," Jackson said, turning to Isaac. "And I don’t want to see your hair still looking like that when I get home tonight."

The moment Jackson looked at him, his demeanor shifted. His face was still calm, but Isaac could feel the pressure instantly. He straightened his back without thinking.

"Got it," Isaac replied obediently.

"Zinnia, are your things ready? We’re heading out," Jackson asked again, his tone soft as he looked back at her.

"Yes, I’m ready," Zinnia said, bending over to pick up her backpack from the couch. But before she could lift it, Jackson reached out and took it from her.

"Thanks." Every time Zinnia was with Jackson, she never had to carry her own stuff.

"Do you want to bring the plushie with you?" Jackson asked with a smile, noticing her staring into the gift bag.

"Can I?" Zinnia asked. It was a gift from Charlie, and she didn’t want to leave it home all alone.

"If you want to, of course you can," Jackson said, ruffling her hair. "Grab your backpack–let’s go."

Watching Jackson’s blatant double standard, Isaac quietly went to pick up his own bag.