Chapter 62

After the meal at the restaurant, Zinnia couldn’t resist taking more pumpkin pies with her. She liked them very much.

With dinner done and the night creeping in, the group made their way back to school. Outside their classroom, they spotted a girl pacing nervously, looking for someone.

She saw them and yelled, “Zinnia!”

They were chatting and laughing, with Ethan and Maisie leading the conversation. Occasionally, Brian would chime in, while Zinnia and Lydia, both quiet, simply listened.

Their laughter caught the attention of Anne Carson lingering ahead. She turned around, fixing her eyes on the one nestled in the center of the group, calmly sipping her orange juice.

The orange juice Zinnia was holding was bought for her by Lydia. She was full, but she still couldn’t resist the orange juice.

Hearing Anne’s voice, Zinnia looked up with a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes.

Ahead stood a striking girl in a blue dress, her ponytail draped over her shoulder. She clasped a gift bag in her hands, her posture calm and composed.

Their chatter abruptly stopped as they noticed Anne. Frowns appeared on their faces because everyone knew she was close to Betty, and her showing up here to look for Zinnia couldn’t mean anything good.

“Zinnia, can we talk alone?” Anne asked, stepping closer and fixing her gaze on Zinnia.

She recognized everyone else in the group, but Zinnia was unfamiliar to her, so she believed this must be the girl she was looking for.

“Anne, what’s so secret you can’t say it here?” Maisie asked sharply, raising an eyebrow at her.

Anne Carson, the Carson family’s daughter, was well-known in their circle. However, she had good grades and wasn’t in the same class as them, so they weren’t particularly close.

Since going back two months ago, she had often been seen with Betty. Given their dislike for Betty, the group had naturally kept their distance from Anne as well.

“I just want to have a private conversation with Zinnia. Is that okay?” Anne asked, her eyes gentle and her tone calm, showing no signs of hostility.

“What do you want to say? If it’s not something private, just say it here. Otherwise, we can go to the corner,” Zinnia said. She didn’t know Anne and wasn’t keen on dealing with strangers, but Anne didn’t want attention.

Anne studied Zinnia’s earnest expression, thinking to herself, ‘She seems even more clueless than in the videos. Does she really not know why I’m here, or is she just naive?’

She said, “I’m here to apologize on Betty’s behalf about the whole incident on the online forum. Ever since you came back, she’s been on edge, worried she might get kicked out of the Shaw family. That’s why she made a mistake.

“I’ve already talked to her about it, and I hope you can forgive her. She got you this gift as a peace offering. Please take it.

“Mrs. Shaw and the family definitely don’t want to see you two fighting. They’d be so happy if you could just get along.”

Seeing that Zinnia didn’t want to be alone with her, and noticing the wary looks of the people around Zinnia as if she might harm her, Anne didn’t push the matter.

Anne extended the bag toward Zinnia.

Zinnia said, “I have nothing to do with the Shaw family anymore. Whether they’re happy or not doesn’t matter to me.

“You’re Betty’s friend, right? Then tell her that she can have the Shaw family. It’s got nothing to do with me. However, if they mess with me again, I won’t let it slide.”

Zinnia glanced at the gift bag but didn’t take it. Her expression was calm, her tone flat, and her small face was tense with resolve.

Anne came to her for one simple reason–to apologize on Betty’s behalf.

Anne frowned as she listened. She thought, ‘She looks dull and slow but turns out she’s got some spine. I didn’t expect her to walk away from the Shaw family so decisively.’

Zinnia’s calm and unwavering gaze as she mentioned the Shaw family made it clear that she didn’t want anything to do with them anymore.

However, what she wanted was not the point. The Shaw family already had problems with Betty, so if Zinnia refused to forgive her, it would only deepen the rift between Betty and the family.

Betty cared deeply about the Shaw family, and Anne didn’t want her to be hurt by them. At the same time, she genuinely hoped Zinnia and Betty could find common ground.

She didn’t think Zinnia was a bad person, and she believed that if she and Betty could reconcile, it would make everyone happy.

“Are you serious, Anne? Can’t you tell if Betty is scheming on purpose or just scared of being kicked out and slipped up by accident?” Maisie crossed her arms, saying in a sarcastic tone.

She didn’t believe that the future heir of the Carson family couldn’t see through Betty’s petty tricks.

“Betty said she didn’t mean it,” Anne replied, remaining calm.

If Betty said so, then Anne believed her. She thought Betty might have made a mistake, but she hadn’t meant it.

“Anne, you’ve been played by Betty. If she didn’t do it on purpose, why are you apologizing and not her? She’s just scared of being humiliated. She always acts sweet, but the moment something happens, she hides behind others,” Maisie scoffed.

Everyone in this circle could see through Betty’s games.

“Maisie, you’re wrong about Betty.” Anne’s usually gentle eyes turned cold after hearing Maisie’s words.

“Betty is clearly using you, Anne. Are you seriously this blind?” Ethan frowned, his dislike for Betty evident.

Betty’s schemes were obvious. She secretly set traps for Zinnia, even manipulating online rumors to try and ruin her. If it weren’t for Isaac stepping in to clarify, Zinnia would become a joke in their school.

However, even after Isaac spoke up, Betty didn’t back down. She tried to drag Zinnia into another storm of public opinion. In the end, it was Isaac’s video that shut her down, leaving her no room to argue.

Otherwise, Betty wouldn’t have let Zinnia off so easily. Growing up in a family like hers, she was no stranger to playing mind games.

Zinnia’s return hit Betty the hardest. Of course, she should worry about losing the Shaw family’s affection, but no matter how anxious she was, she shouldn’t have done something that crazy.

For over a decade, she had lived a life of luxury that rightfully belonged to Zinnia. Now that Zinnia was back, instead of stepping back, she tried to take Zinnia’s place. That alone was enough to anger everyone.

The incident shattered Betty’s image of being gentle and gracious. People had always felt something was off, and now it made sense–she hadn’t been kind, just fake. The old Betty was nothing but a polished lie.

“Ethan, stop slandering Betty,” Anne glared at him. She wouldn’t allow anyone to throw dirt on Betty’s name.

“Anne, mark my words. Betty is just stringing you along,” Ethan said with a smirk.