Chapter 66

Madis was gone. She couldn’t make a choice, so she silently gave up on Zinnia.

Knowing this truth made Zinnia feel a dull ache in her heart. Even though she saw it coming, it still hurt when the moment arrived.

She thought, "I've been abandoned again. My Master doesn’t want me, and my so-called family doesn’t want me either."

After work, Jackson finished up at the company and went home. He didn’t see Zinnia in the living room. Instead, he saw Sofia sighing heavily next to Henry.

Jackson asked what was wrong, his face growing serious. He composed himself before going upstairs. "Zinnia, are you in there? Can I come in?"

"Sure, come on in," a muffled reply came from inside the room. Hearing the tone, Jackson’s heart tightened just a little. He gently turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

The room was warm and tidy. Soft white curtains fluttered lightly in the breeze, but no one was inside.

Jackson scanned the room and noticed Zinnia sitting on the rocking chair by the balcony, swinging her legs slowly—back turned to him.

A soft smile touched Jackson’s lips as he held out a stick of cotton candy dotted with tiny blue flowers.

Footsteps approached from behind. Zinnia turned around and saw him standing there. She smiled faintly. "Jackson." On the small desk beside her lay an open workbook, barely touched.

Outside, thick, fiery clouds blazed across the sky, painting everything red and gold—a dramatic backdrop for Zinnia’s small figure sitting all alone, quiet and still.

The sunset was bold and brilliant, but beneath its glow sat someone so tiny and solitary, utterly alone with no one behind her.

At that moment, Jackson felt his heart twist painfully—as if something inside him had been squeezed tight.

Jackson walked quickly over and sat on the small stool facing Zinnia. He held out the cotton candy to her, his eyes filled with warmth.

“Where did you get this cotton candy, Jackson?” Zinnia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the treat.

“I tasked the chef to make it,” Jackson replied with a smile.

“Thank you, Jackson,” Zinnia admired the beautiful cotton candy, hesitant to take a bite.

The cotton candy was light blue, with a yellow center that had eyes and a smiling mouth. It was sprinkled with glittering sugar, making it look very pretty.

It was huge, about twice the size of Zinnia’s head—a supersized cotton candy that made her heart feel happy just looking at it.

“If you like it, we can ask the chef to make another one later,” Jackson said, noticing her thoughts.

“Okay,” Zinnia took a small bite of the cotton candy in her hand. The sweet flavor spread through her mouth, replacing the sour feeling she’d been feeling.

She took a bigger bite, her small face getting buried in the fluffy cotton candy, ending up with it all over her face.

Jackson chuckled and used his hands to free her clean, delicate face from the cotton candy mess. His voice carried a hidden smile. "How did you manage to turn into a little kitty while eating cotton candy?"

He pulled out a handkerchief, dampened it with some water from the table, and gently wiped off the sticky bits from her face.

“This cotton candy is very sweet,” Zinnia said, sitting still as Jackson cleaned her up.

The candy was sweet, sweet enough to warm her heart—she really liked it.

“Is it? If you like it, I’ll bring more next time,” Jackson said gently.

“Okay,” Zinnia nodded and took another small bite. Then another, and another, not stopping for a while.

“Zinnia, are you feeling sad? Would you like to talk about it with me?” Jackson put the handkerchief aside and gently held Zinnia’s hand that kept bringing more cotton candy to her mouth.

“I feel a little sad, just a tiny bit.” She paused for a moment, then raised her other hand and pinched her thumb and finger together, her face lighting up with a carefree smile.

To be honest, during those two months living with the Shaw family, Zinnia did have some hopes for them.

Growing up in a small town with her Master, she saw other kids with their parents and she only had her Master.

Living in the town, many kids would ask her about her parents. She never knew how to answer because she’d never seen them.

She asked her Master, but he didn’t know. Her Master found her in a roadside garbage bin. He always told her that he was her family. For Zinnia, he was her only family.

But then she was brought to the Shaw family and learned she had parents after all. Deep down, Zinnia felt a bit thrilled.

The next day when she woke up, her Master was gone. All she saw were strangers—Madis and Howard in the courtyard. She was hurt and upset, turning red.

Maybe Madis saw how sad she was and came over, holding her hand and speaking gently to comfort her. That was the first time Zinnia understood what it felt like to have a mother.

Although Howard frowned at her, probably because she was too sad, he handed her a handkerchief. “Stop crying,” he said coldly and then fished out a lollipop from his pocket and threw it to her.

Zinnia thought that he seemed kind of mean and his words weren’t nice. Maybe he didn’t really like her. But also, he seemed to care—he gave her a handkerchief and candy.

Zinnia was often a bit slow to react and not very sensitive to emotions. She thought it was normal that Howard didn’t like her since they just met. So, she wasn’t too upset.

Later, she went home with Madis, who was concerned about her the whole way. Some of the sadness from being abandoned by her Master faded away.

Back then, she sulked and thought, “If Master doesn’t want me, fine. I’m not an unwanted child.”

Her first impression of Madis was good, after all, it was Madis who came to take her home when she was left alone.

However, she forgot that a person’s love can be limited. Madis might have felt guilty towards her, but she couldn’t compare to Betty whom she had raised for over ten years. Even the candy Howard gave her was stuff Betty didn’t want.

Jackson noticed her sadness. His voice grew hoarse and his eyes reddened without realizing it. “Zinnia, no matter how the Shaw family treats you, I only care about you. You’re the little princess of the Lynn family.”

He sighed inside, leaned forward, and hugged the girl who tried to smile through her pain. “Zinnia, with me, you’ll never need to be overly understanding or mature.”

Chapter 67