Chapter 40
Zinnia listened to Timothyโs words without taking them to heart. She just thought he was too dumb to argue with โ getting mad would only make her suffer. With nothing better to do, she idly fiddled with the teddy bear keychain on her backpack.
โTimothy, youโre so cold to Zinnia. Anyone who didnโt know better might think she wasnโt part of your family,โ Isaac said with a curl of his lip.
Jackson had once said the whole Shaw family had something wrong with their heads โ Isaac completely agreed. Timothyโs words were truly infuriating. Isaac didnโt know if Betty had bullied Zinnia back when she lived at the Shaw residence, but he wouldnโt be surprised.
Timothy was stunned. He pressed his lips together and looked at Zinnia.
โZinnia, I didnโt mean to. I already explained everything to Mom and Dad. Please donโt be mad at me anymore, okay?โ Betty said softly.
โWonโt you come home? I can move out if you want. Please donโt take your anger out on Mom and Dad.โ As she spoke, Betty took a couple of steps forward and reached for Zinniaโs hand.
โDonโt touch me.โ Zinnia raised her eyes and shot her a cold look, slapping her hand away.
Every time Betty touched her, trouble would come not long after. Zinnia hated trouble.
There was no one to clean up messes for her. She hated being surrounded by people pointing fingers at her like she was some monstrous villain.
If she could, sheโd stay in Tareston forever.
โZinnia, you still wonโt forgive me?โ Bettyโs eyes suddenly filled with tears, her face full of hurt as she took two steps back, looking as though sheโd been deeply wronged.
โDonโt look at me like that. Itโs disgusting,โ Zinnia said coldly, her tone devoid of emotion, making no effort to hide her disgust.
โZinnia, Betty is your sister!โ Timothy exclaimed, stepping forward to catch Betty as she stumbled, her body trembling with grief. His voice rose, tinged with frustration. He hadnโt expected that even after Betty apologized, Zinnia would remain so unrelenting.
โStop pretending. I donโt have a sister!โ Zinnia flared up like a startled kitten, her beautiful eyes dark with irritation.
โZinnia,โ Jackson said gently, pulling her into his arms and stroking her head in a calming motion.
โDonโt get mad, Zinnia. Here, have a candy. Donโt waste your breath on that hypocrite,โ Isaac said.
He hadnโt expected Zinnia, usually so quiet and well-behaved, to show such fiery resistance now. It seemed she really couldnโt stand Betty. Isaac leaned closer and unwrapped a piece of candy from his bag, popping it into Zinniaโs mouth.
โBetty, didnโt I warn you not to drag Zinnia into everything?โ Jackson said, his tone turning icy. โIf you want to climb up, donโt use Zinnia as your stepping stone.โ
โAnd you, Timothy. Are you stupid? Canโt you understand plain words?โ Jacksonโs face turned cold, his gaze like ice as it swept across Timothy and Betty.
It was clear these two hadnโt taken yesterdayโs warning to heart. Jackson shook his head inwardly. Timothy, a lawyer, yet completely blind to Bettyโs manipulations โ he was a lost cause.
Bettyโs face turned pale.
Timothy frowned. He had the feeling that Jackson was trying to tell him something. But when he looked at Betty, her eyes red with sorrow, and then at Zinnia, guarded closely by Jackson and Isaac.
He was the one who shared Zinniaโs blood, her real brother. Yet it was her two cousins who were the ones protecting her.
Timothy couldnโt help but recall what Lucy had told him the night before โ Zinnia was just a child who needed protection, too.
Yesterday afternoon, Betty had suffered from a terrible bout of diarrhea at the mall. Timothy ended up staying with her at a jewelry storeโs medical room while she got an IV.
No one knew what Betty had eaten, but she couldnโt stop running to the bathroom.
At first, they didnโt think much of it. But when it happened again and again without end, and Bettyโs face turned pale from exhaustion, Timothy realized something was wrong and called for a doctor.
Since she couldnโt leave the restroom, even the IV had to be administered inside. With Betty in that condition, Timothy couldnโt leave her alone and stayed with her in the hospital while she received fluids.
By the time they returned home, it was already dark.
Timothyโs eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion. After walking Betty up to her room, he immediately went downstairs to find Lucy and ask for some chamomile tea.
His brain was ringing with red alert warnings. His temples throbbed so hard it made him feel physically sick.
โLucy! Lucy!โ Timothy called as he came downstairs, pressing a hand to his pounding temple.
โMr. Shaw, whatโs wrong?โ Lucy rushed out from the servantsโ quarters, surprised. Since Timothy and Betty had come home late, the household staff had already retired for the night.
โLucy, make me some chamomile tea. Quickly,โ Timothy rasped, slumping into the couch, his voice hoarse.
โChamomile tea?โ Lucy hadnโt expected him to ask for that.
โYes, chamomile tea. Hurry, my head is killing me,โ Timothy said, gasping slightly.
โMr. Shawโฆ weโre out of chamomile tea.โ Lucy looked at him, pale and slouched on the sofa, clearly distressed.
โWhat? Weโre out? Why didnโt you restock?โ The only thing keeping Timothy upright through all of this had been the promise of that tea. Now, hearing it was gone, a surge of frustration hit him.
โMr. Shaw, ever since Ms. Zinnia Shaw left, we havenโt received any of the ingredients used to make your chamomile tea,โ Lucy said helplessly. She wanted to help, but the herbs used for the tea had always come from Zinnia.
โWhat does Zinnia have to do with it? Didnโt Betty buy the herbs?โ Timothyโs headache was getting worse. Hearing Lucy mention Zinnia only made him more irritable.
โMr. Shaw, the chamomile tea you drink was always prepared by Ms. Zinnia,โ Lucy replied with a frown.
โWhat are you talking about? Betty told me she got the prescription from a famous herbalist!โ Timothy frowned deeply.
Betty had said she had gone out of her way to consult a renowned doctor to get that recipe for him. But now Lucy was saying it came from Zinnia?
Zinnia was just a girl from the countryside. Timothy refused to believe she couldโve found such an effective formula.
โMr. Shaw, we donโt know about any recipe from Ms. Betty Shaw. But the tea youโve been drinking โ Zinniaโs the one whoโs been giving us the herbs all this time,โ Lucy said, her expression serious.
Theyโd never once received instructions from Miss Betty to prepare chamomile tea for Mr. Shaw.
Looking at Lucyโs earnest face, Timothy fell into silence. Inside, a storm had begun to rage.
Lucy wasnโt someone who would lie. And yet, he couldnโt quite accept that the chamomile tea had come from Zinnia all along.
He was completely stunned. A terrible thought struck him โ had Betty been lying all this time?
His pale lips pressed into a thin line. Remembering how coldly he had treated Zinnia before, Timothyโs expression darkened.
He wondered now โ had Zinnia secretly looked down on him in her heart? He had never once imagined that the tea was from her.
And now that he knew it was, the first thing Timothy wanted to do was confront Betty. โWhy had she said it came from her?โ