<b>55 </b>vouchan


    Yannis replied, “It’s no trouble at all. Zinnia’s so adorable. How could she ever be a bother? Besides, <b>she’s </b>the one treating me. Honestly, I’m the one taking advantage here, having a private doctor always around to look


    after me.”


    Yannis nced at Zinnia, a gentle smile curling at his lips. His voice was warm and teasing, especially when he lingered on the words “private doctor.” His tone brimmed with unmistakable tenderness.


    Zinnia looked at Yannis. She bit her lips, realizing Yannis was helping her out of a difficult situation.


    Jackson was surprised by how readily Yannis epted Zinnia. He thought, ‘Why does it feel like Yannis likes Zinnia even more than I expected? It doesn’t seem to be just because I asked him to, <b>it’s </b>for who she is.


    Yannis continued, “Come on, I may have a job too, but let’s be honest, I’m way less swamped than you are<b>. </b><b>Just </b>let Zinnia stay with me. You go do what you need to do. Don’t worry, I’ll take great care of her.”


    Yannis slid the ss of milk over to Jackson before sitting down. Yannis knew that the entire burden of the Lynn family rested on Jackson’s shoulders; Jackson wasn’t having it easy. <fn9f35> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? FindN0vel</fn9f35>


    What the Shaw family did this time crossed Jackson’s bottom line. He might look calm andposed now, but the moment he heard what had happened to Zinnia, he rushed back in a fury. That alone showed how much he cared about her.


    Yannis thought, ‘The more Jackson cares for Zinnia, the deeper his anger toward the Shaw family burns. There’s no way things will stay peaceful for them now.


    ‘With the Shaw family to deal with, Lynn Corporation to manage, and Zinnia to look after, Jackson is running ragged. As his friend, I shall help shoulder some of the burden.


    *****


    After breakfast, Jackson and Yannis sent Zinnia to school. They waited until she had safely entered before finally leaving.


    As they walked toward the car, Jackson said, “I’ll cover all of Zinnia’s expenses.”


    Jackson was swamped. After dropping Zinnia off, he still had to head to the office. The way the Shen family treated Zinnia made Jackson seethe with anger.


    He thought, “They need to be taught a lesson. They ride on the Lynn family’s coattails, yet treat someone I care about like this? Didn’t they tell Zinnia not to rely on our influence? Fine, let’s see how the Shaw family


    fares without it.


    ‘Maelis was at fault, but the Shaw brothers were even worse. Not one of them had the guts to stand up for Zinnia. They just stood by indifferently, making a few sarcastic remarks. I will make them regret what they


    have done to Zinnia.


    Knowing Jackson wouldn’t feel at ease unless he could do something, Yannis nodded and agreed.


    <b>***** </b>


    (86


    <b>55 </b>vouchers


    Zinnia entered the ssroom and immediately overheard her ssmates gossiping about the Shaw family.


    “Did you hear? The Shaw family’s in trouble. Theirpany got hackedst night. A ton of data got leaked, and their stock price went haywire,” one ssmate whispered.


    Another chimed in, “That’s not all. My dad said the Lynn family just pulled out of a bunch of projects with the Shaw family. Something must have gone down between the two families.”


    One added, “The Shaw family is just no match for the Lynn family. The moment the Lynns pulled out, the Shaws couldn’t weather the storm.”


    Someone else jumped in, “And get this, the contract the Shaws signed with MZ Group just two months ago? They got a termination notice first thing this morning. MZ Group would rather pay a fortune in penalties than keep working with them.”


    One said, “Who on earth did the Shaw family piss off? First hackers, then the Lynns pulling out, and now even MZ Group is bailing on them.”


    The students in Zinnia’s ss were all wealthy kids, with their fingers on the pulse of every shift in high society.


    There were many old–money families in Jinston, and every student admitted to ss 19 came from an influential background. The Shaw family had only been rich for a little over twenty years.


    Without the Lynn family’s backing, those students wouldn’t give the Shaws the time of day.


    As Zinnia listened to their chatter, she recalled what Jackson had told her that morning: “Don’t worry, Zinnia. I won’t let them get away with hurting you.” A swirl ofplicated emotions rose in her chest.


    Ethan said, “What did the Shaws do to piss someone offtely? So much drama all at once. The Lynns are rted to them by marriage, but they just pulled out all their investments. Something big must’ve happened between those two families.


    “Maisie, do you know what’s going on? You live close to the Lynns. Have you heard any gossip?”


    Maisie replied, “What else? The Shaws are up to no good. They deserve it.” She yawned sleepily. She’d gotten hometest night, and after washing up and rushing through her homework, it was nearly midnight.


    Only a few families knew what had happened to the Shaw family. Maisie had heard about it from Raymond that morning. She learned that the other Lynns supported Jackson’s decision.


    Maisie thought, “Thinking about what the Shaws did yesterday, it was just absurd. In all my years, I’ve never seen parents treat their daughter so harshly.


    ‘The Shaws went too far this time; they couldn’t even tell right from


    wrong.


    ‘Do they ever consider that if the Lynns hadn’t protected Zinnia, or if my family hadn’t walked in to help Zinnia, Zinnia would have been left all alone? Just thinking about that kind of situation is suffocating.


    Zinnia didn’t care much about what was happening to the Shaw family anymore. Since she had cut ties with the Shaws, their fate, good or bad, was none of her business.


    <b>9:06 </b><b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>27


    870


    #59 voucher)


    Now that someone was standing up for Zinnia, she wasn’t about to pretend she was some saint. Seeing those who bullied her get theireuppance, Zinnia couldn’t say she was happy about it, but she certainly wasn’t upset either.


    Zinnia thought, ‘If I hadn’t managed toe up with the money yesterday, I couldn’t even imagine how humiliating it would have been and how harshly they would have tried to shame me.


    Zinnia understood that Maelis was pushing her so hard just to make her break and beg, to force her to yield because she supposedly couldn’t pay.


    They wanted Zinnia to be as unsettled and miserable as they were, to suffer the same daily mental torment. But Zinnia was stubborn to the core; the more they pushed, the more she dug in her heels.


    She remembered what her master had always told her: “Never let anyone walk all over you. If someone has to be wronged, let it be them, not you.”


    Ethan knew the Lynns had their reasons, but the hacker thing was just puzzling. He finally asked, “Hey, what’s the deal with that hacker, anyway? What do you think, Brian?”


    “No idea,” Brian replied coolly, his eyes drifting to Lydia behind him, who was reading a book.


    Maisie shrugged and said, “Who knows? Probably just too many people out there who can’t stand the Shaws.”


    Just hearing about the Shaw family’s troubles gives Maisie a headache. She thought, ‘Thank goodness we got Zinnia out of there. Who knows how long she might have been stuck in that toxic mess otherwise.‘


    Maisie turned to Zinnia and said, “Zinnia, did you have breakfast? I brought some, want a bite? You must have had a hard time staying with Yannis. Come on, why note home with me? Look at your little face, you know you’ve gotten thinner.”


    Even after just one night apart, Maisie couldn’t help but worry that Yannis hadn’t taken good care of Zinnia. She kept staring at Zinnia<b>, </b>convinced she looked a bit thinner.


    Zinnia replied, “I’ve already eaten, and I haven’t lost weight. If anything, my cheeks are getting fuller.”


    AD


    Comment