Chapter 85

“Mr. Perkins?” Maelis felt chills down her spine when she saw Yannis’s icy gaze. Her brows knitted in pain.

Yannis said, “Mrs. Shaw, is this how a mother should act, by jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts? Have you lost your mind?”

Yannis coldly shoved her hand away, and Maelis stumbled back a few unsteady steps.

“Mom.” Yosef caught hold of her. His brow furrowed even deeper. He hadn’t expected Maelis to suddenly slap Zinnia.

With lingering fear, he glanced at Zinnia and thought, ‘Thank goodness Mom failed to hit her, or there would be no way to mend things between us and Zinnia.’

“Yannis, what brings you here?” Maisie asked in surprise.

Seeing Yannis step in to stop Maelis’s hand, Yvette and Maisie finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Neither of them had expected Maelis to suddenly lash out. They thought, ‘Zinnia and Betty are both her daughters. How could she be about to hit Zinnia without even asking what had happened?’

Even Anne, who was standing nearby, let out a barely perceptible sigh. No one could have imagined Maelis would act that way.

Only Betty couldn’t even care about her disappointment. Her eyes were locked on the man walking in. Her back straightened, and her face contorted slightly with emotion.

As she watched the tall, strikingly handsome man enter, her heart raced uncontrollably. She couldn’t believe she was actually seeing Yannis.

Her clenched hands trembled. She thought, ‘Yannis? The person Zinnia called over was actually him.’

Betty watched Yannis by her side. Yannis never gave anyone the time of day, but now he took a protective stance next to Zinnia.

Betty wondered, ‘Isn’t Mr. Perkins famous for keeping women at a distance? Why is he standing there with that bitch? When did Zinnia get to know him? Why have I never heard a word about this?’

Betty’s fingers clenched tightly at her side. She thought, ‘That shameless brat. She’s even managed to get her claws into Mr. Perkins.’

For some reason, Anne instinctively glanced at Betty and caught the flash of resentment in Betty’s eyes.

Anne’s chest tightened unexpectedly. She couldn’t believe Betty was that kind of person.

But as she looked closer, she found the hatred in Betty’s eyes hadn’t faded at all. Betty was still glaring at Zinnia with pure jealousy.

Anne suddenly found herself doubting Betty’s excuse that she was just scared. Anne realized this was no longer a simple conflict. It looked like real hatred for Zinnia.

“Such poor taste,” Hugo’s disdainful remark came from behind Anne.

Anne frowned, shot a look of disgust at him, and said, “No one is stopping you from keeping your mouth shut.”

“Can’t you even take a comment?” Hugo shrugged.

Yannis turned to look at Zinnia, who was stunned. His usual coldness melted away. “Zinnia, I’m here now,” he said gently.

As his gentle words reached her, Zinnia stood frozen for a while. After that, she blinked as if in a daze. She whispered, “Yannis.”

Her voice was so hoarse and faint that it was barely audible and heartbreakingly fragile.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here now. I’m sorry I was late and let you suffer,” Yannis said.

His heart twisted painfully at Zinnia’s sight. He stepped forward, gathered her into his arms, gently patted her back, and murmured soothing words.

Maelis was pushed aside. She stared at the two embracing ahead and then looked down at her own hand, which was still trembling.

She thought in horror, ‘What was I about to do? I almost struck Zinnia.’

“Mom, you were too impulsive just now,” Yosef said. He thought, ‘No matter how angry you were, you shouldn’t have treated Zinnia like that.’

William said, “Mrs. Shaw, it was just a minor spat between classmates. There’s nothing serious. They are grown now. We can’t resort to physical punishment at every turn.”

Startled, William stood up and shot Maelis a disapproving look.

Maelis stayed silent with panic churning inside her.

Zinnia remained silent in Yannis’s arms for a long time. Yannis gazed down at her, unable to hide his worry. “Zinnia, I’m sorry. I should’ve come sooner.”

The little girl in his arms seemed frozen in fear, not uttering a word or moving at all. Her state made Yannis even more anxious.

“Zinnia, won’t you say something to me?” Yannis pleaded gently.

Hearing his gentle words, Betty bit down hard on her lip. Her eyes gradually turned red with jealousy.

She thought, ‘That shameless bitch. How did she manage to make that untouchable man stoop so low to plead and coax her?’

“Thank you,” Zinnia whispered. She lowered her head and blinked as she pulled away from Yannis’s embrace.

Her voice was so faint, like a breath that a breeze could scatter, gone before one could catch it.

“It’s my fault for being late,” Yannis said regretfully, blaming himself.

He was late because he got stuck in the lunchtime rush hour traffic on his way there.

Maisie and Yvette stared wide-eyed at Yannis, utterly stunned by his gentle demeanor. They couldn’t believe Yannis, who was notoriously sharp-tongued, would ever speak so tenderly. With their first time hearing this now, their skin crawled.

William surveyed the chaotic scene, rubbed his temples in frustration, and asked, “Zinnia, has your guardian arrived?”

The other students’ guardians were already present.

William had assumed Yannis was Zinnia’s guardian, but when Maisie greeted Yannis, William was no longer sure whose side Yannis was on.

Just as Yosef was about to speak, Yannis cut in by saying, “Yes, I’m her guardian.”

Yosef’s face darkened, while Maelis stood frozen in shock. They wondered, ‘If Yannis is Zinnia’s guardian now, where does that leave us?’

Maisie stared at Zinnia in astonishment. She couldn’t believe Zinnia was this impressive to get Yannis to come as her guardian.

Yvette couldn’t help but give Yannis a startled look.

Maisie and Yvette locked eyes. Both of them were stunned. They had silent communication.

Yvette: [Is Yannis really close to Zinnia?]

Maisie: [No idea. Zinnia said she met him once with Yosef. That’s probably how they know each other.]

Yvette: [Yannis has really become gentle after his trip abroad, huh?]

Maisie: [He literally called me a mess last time.]

Yvette: [You deserved it.]

Maisie rolled her eyes.

Maisie and Yvette exchanged knowing glances, silently agreeing to hold their questions until they got home.

Hearing Yannis’s words, William wanted to say something, but in the end, he just let it slide.

He said, “Now that both sets of guardians are here, let’s talk this through. Honestly, neither side meant any harm. They were just standing up for their friends. We teachers suggest the kids exchange apologies, and then we can put this matter to rest.”

“Zinnia, apologize right now.” Maelis’s sharp voice cut through the room the moment William finished speaking. Her gaze locked onto Zinnia. “Is this how I taught you? You’re too stubborn to admit when you’re wrong. I’m so disappointed in you.”

Even though Zinnia hadn’t called Maelis there as her guardian, Maelis couldn’t help but scold her out of habit.

That icy, unfamiliar stare from Zinnia chilled Maelis to the bone. It made Maelis instinctively clutch at her authority as a mother.

Maelis thought, ‘I’m her mother. How could she glare at me like I’m her enemy?’

The weight of everyone’s judging eyes made Maelis’s face burn with humiliation. She used to receive praise when she came there, but this was the first time she’d been called in because her children got into a fight. The shame stung.

Besides, that defiant glare from her daughter made the anger coil tight in her chest.

“Mrs. Shaw, what makes you so certain that it’s Zinnia’s fault?” Yannis interjected sharply.