``` Chapter 94
“Don’t stay up too late tonight, you two. Get some sleep early. I’ll drive you to school in the morning,” Yannis said, handing Maisie the toiletries he’d just bought.
“Got it, Yannis,” Maisie replied obediently.
“Zinnia,” Yannis then said to Zinnia.
“Yes?” Zinnia turned to look at him.
“Here you go,” Yannis said, handing her a pink paper bag. She noticed it looked a lot like the one he’d given her last time. “It’s a cake–to celebrate your gaining a new family member,” he said with a warm smile.
“Thank you,” Zinnia said, pausing briefly when she heard it was a cake, but she didn’t refuse. She thought, ‘I can give it to Maisie later. Besides, today really does feel like a day worth celebrating–and Yannis’s thoughtful gift is just perfect.’
“Alright, call me if you need anything,” Yannis said, giving them one last look as the elevator doors began to close.
“Zinnia, it’s girls’ night!” Maisie cheered as she pushed open the door. Her eyes lit up in the warm, cozy room–she was truly happy for Zinnia. Thank goodness Jackson and the others treated Zinnia so well now, or Maisie would feel so sad for her.
“Okay,” Zinnia replied, a shy smile tugging at the corners of her lips–she’d never had a sleepover with a close friend before.
“Zinnia, come on! Let’s try this cake from Sugar Rush. It’s delicious, you have to order it days in advance. I can’t believe the stone-faced Yannis actually bought you one!
“Just picture that a tough guy carrying an adorable pink bag into a cute bakery. It’s hilarious!”
Maisie, not treating herself as an outsider at all, tugged Zinnia down beside her on the sofa, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she stared at the little cake in Zinnia’s hands.
“Do you like it? It’s all yours–no need to share,” Zinnia said, as she took the cake out of the bag. It was a chocolate cake, encircled with strawberries and topped with a tiny flower.
The deep, velvety aroma of chocolate was mouthwatering. Zinnia stared at it longingly, and thought wistfully. ‘It smells so good and looks so delicious. What a pity I can’t eat it.’
“Zinnia, aren’t you going to have some?” Maisie asked, placing the cake in front of her and handing her a fork.
“I can’t eat cream,” Zinnia said, shaking her head. “I’m allergic to it.”
“Oh no. You’re allergic to cream? Doesn’t that mean you can’t even have a birthday cake? What a shame. You’re missing out on so many delicious treats,” Maisie exclaimed, genuinely surprised and a little disappointed.
“That’s just how it is,” Zinnia sighed, disappointed, too.
“Zinnia, let me scoop out just the sponge part for you–we’ll avoid the cream,” Maisie said, her heart softening at Zinnia’s longing gaze. Maisie stared at the small cake in her hand as if she could see the fluffy sponge core inside.
“Really? Can we do that?” Zinnia looked up at her with hopeful eyes. She’d never thought of eating cake this way before. ‘I can’t have cream, but the sponge part should be fine, right?’
The cake looked incredibly soft and fluffy, layered with cookie crumbs and oozing with rich chocolate sauce. The more she looked, the more irresistible it became.
“I’m not sure if this will work, but let’s give it a shot,” Maisie said. “We’ll just try a tiny bit first and see if you react. I don’t know if the cream might’ve soaked into the cake sponge.
“If you can’t even eat the sponge, that would be awful.” Maisie wasn’t sure if just the sponge would be safe for someone allergic to cream, but figured it should be fine as long as it didn’t touch any cream.
“Okay,” Zinnia’s eyes lit up with hope.
Maisie couldn’t help but laugh at Zinnia’s eager look. Carefully putting aside the cream with her spoon, she scooped out the fluffy center of the cake and offered it to Zinnia.
“So yummy!” Zinnia exclaimed as the sweet sponge cake melted in her mouth. She couldn’t help but bob her head in delight. ‘So this is what cake sponge tastes like,’ she thought, her heart brimming with happiness.
Even just eating the sponge without any cream made her feel content. Because she was allergic to cream, Zinnia had never tasted cake before.
Every time she could only watch longingly as others enjoyed their cake, wishing she could have some too–but never daring to touch it.
“How are you feeling, Zinnia? Any discomfort?” Maisie asked anxiously, her eyes fixed on Zinnia–a stark contrast to Zinnia’s excitement.
“No,” Zinnia shook her head. This new way to eat cake was like discovering a whole new world. This cake was really delicious.
The chocolate sauce is silky smooth with a hint of bitterness, but the aftertaste is rich and sweet. And those buttery, crispy wafers inside are fragrant and crunchy. She loved it.
“Alright, you take the sponge and I’ll have the cream!” Maisie said cheerfully, relieved to see Zinnia wasn’t having an allergic reaction. She handed Zinnia another fork.
So that’s how they split the cake–Maisie happily took the cream, while Zinnia enjoyed the sponge.
After they’d eaten their fill, Maisie leaned back against the sofa, let out a satisfied sigh, and said, “No wonder Sugar Rush is so famous for being hard to get–this is seriously delicious.”
“Delicious,” Zinnia echoed, feeling as if she’d discovered a whole new world today. Completely satisfied, she leaned back on the sofa just like Maisie, her face still glowing with joy.
“Hey, Zinnia, that two-faced Betty is such a liar,” Maisie said indignantly. “You’re allergic to cream, but she claimed you were mad just because she didn’t get you a cake. What a complete joke.”
As they chatted, Maisie suddenly brought up that birthday party. On that day, Betty went around telling everyone Zinnia got mad just because of that, and that Zinnia tried to push her into the water out of spite.
Maisie exclaimed indignantly. “But you’re allergic to cream. You’d never even had cake before–why would you do something like that over a cake? Not a single word Betty says can be trusted.”
“Zinnia, check out our class group chat. Ethan just posted a photo–Betty’s face is all swollen and covered in rashes. Everyone’s saying it’s karma for all the bad things she’s done,” Maisie laughed as she pulled out her phone and saw tons of new messages.
Everyone was mocking. Scrolling up, she found the photo that showed Betty’s face was covered in crazy red bumps. “Oh my god, that rash all over her face is terrifying,” Maisie said, handing her phone to Zinnia.
Someone had posted a photo on the forum–no one knew who took it. Even with a mask on, the red rash covering Betty’s face was impossible to hide. Tiny bumps clustered across her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and her eyelids.
Maybe it was itching so badly that she scratched her forehead raw, leaving it red and inflamed. It looked horrifying, and there was no way she could get rid of them anytime soon.
Zinnia looked at the photo on her phone, then at the nearly faded marks on Maisie’s face. She stayed silent, thinking, ‘Evildoers always get their due.’
Chapter 95 ```