Glasses clinked and lively chatter filled the air. The fancy crowd mingled. Heiresses in designer dresses, their faces lit up with charming smiles at they held champagne glasses. Among the shiny crowd, they even saw some classmates from Class 19.
Selene said, “Yvette, you’re here!” As the three of them came in, conversations stopped and everyone’s eyes turned surprised to them.
Selene, Wette’s close friend, came over with a warm smile. Yvette turned to Zinnia and said, “Zinnia, this is Selene
“Hello, Selene,” Zinnia said politely.
With a gentle smile, Selene looked Zinnia over, her eyes full of praise. “Where did you kidnap such a pretty girl from? She’s really stunning,” she said warmly, curious about which family Zinnia belonged to.
Yvette shot her a glare and said, “She’s my daughter now. She’s officially part of our family now.”
Selene looked confused. Zinnia had only recently come back to the Shaw family, but they never introduced her in social circles. Hardly anyone had seen Zinnia, except for her classmates from Class 19.
“Zinnia, it’s our first time meeting, and I didn’t have time to get you a proper gift. Here, take this,” Selene said warmly.
Selene still had some doubts, but she saw how much Yvette cared about Zinnia. She gently took Zinnia’s hand and slipped a pearl bracelet from her own wrist onto her. “Since you’re my dear friend’s daughter, that makes you almost like my own.”
“Thank you, Selene,” Zinnia said softly. She wanted to refuse, but Yvette signaled her not to, so she took it gracefully.
“Come visit my house with Yvette when you’re free,” Selene said warmly.
Selene looked at Zinnia with admiration, liking her more each time she looked. ‘How did Yvette get so lucky? The girl she brought into the family is this beautiful,‘ she thought.
“Okay,” Zinnia replied and followed Maisie.
“Maisie,” Yvette said with a smile, “why don’t you take Zinnia and go play? Selene and I need to catch up.” After introducing them and exchanging greetings, Yvette signaled for the girls to go off on their own.
“Got it!” Maisie grabbed Zinnia’s hand and led her away. Both girls gighed in relief. After all that talking, their faces hurt from all the smiling.
Maisie said, “Zinnia, let’s find a quiet place to rest. My cheeks are killing me from smiling so much.”
Zinnia softly rubbed her cheeks to loosen up the stiffness from all the smiling. As soon as she and Maisie left, a group of Class 19 classmates gathered around, chatting and laughing together.
“You’re a totally new person, Zinnia! Come here, let me hold you,” Rosalind called out, pulling up her dress as she hurried over.
Rosalind said, “I watched your video last night, and seeing you in that cosplay costume dress already made me drool. Zinnia, you are so gorgeous. Your face is like a piece of art. I just want to pinch those cute cheeks!”
Zinnia usually dressed simply, her delicate face not wearing makeup. Her natural beauty made her stand out easily. But with a little careful styling, she looked more stunning, the kind of beauty that made everyone turn to look.
“She is my little sis. Of course, she’s perfect,” Majsie said proudly, pulling Zinnia closer. Having such a pretty sister by her side made h
good too.
“You all look super gorgeous,” Zinnia smiled brightly at her classmates, her eyes crinkling happily.
For the baby shower, the Class 19 crew dressed up to impress–guys in sharp tuxedos, girls in stylish cocktail dresses, everyone turning heads.
“With your compliments, we’ll feel like we’re walking on air.” The Class 19 students laughed happily.
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08:31 Fri 13 Jun ()
Chapter 180
Rosalind looked at Zinnia with puppy dog eyes and teased, “I just want to kidnap you and take you home!”
“Not a chance! She’s mine,” Maisie said possessively, pulling Zinnia into a protective hug.
The group didn’t stay together long. Everyone was busy. These parties weren’t just about hanging out. Their families were busy introducing them to people when they took over the family business.
Through it all, Maisie stayed close to Zinnia, watching her carefully.
“Zinnia, you must be hungry. We skipped breakfast, remember? Let’s grab some fruit and pastries from the shack table,” Maisie said kindly, already leading her toward the food.
A nice spread of fancy pastries, fresh fruit, champagne, and red wine was set up neatly. Since Zinnia was watching her sugar, she only helped herself to some fruit, passing up the tempting desserts.
As they moved through the crowd, everyone kept looking at them, especially at Zinnia. She could feel all the eyes on her: some curious, some judging, some surprised or openly admiring.
After Yvette introduced her around, everyone soon knew that Zinnia was now part of the Jenkins family.
“The girl next to Maisie is actually the Shaw family’s real heiress.”
“How did she get connected with the Jenkins family? The Shaws never even introduced her to society–I thought she didn’t exist.”
“You’re out of the loop. She’s with the Jenkins now, even has her last name changed. The Shaws have nothing to do with her anymore. After all their crazy scandals, they don’t deserve a girl like her.”
“The Shaws raised Betty, a troublemaker. She’s super sneaky. You should tell your kids to stay away from her. Just look at Anne Carson. She was ruined by Betty.”
“Betty went to jail, and I hear she’s mentally unstable. She even dropped out of school. Can you imagine how Mrs. Shaw feels? She raised a girl to scheme and push out her real daughter.”
“Maelis is so clueless. I heard she even caused a scene with Zinnia recently.”
“Yep, after that big fight, Zinnia is completely out of the Shaw family.”
“How did Maelis’s smart parents make such a silly daughter?”
Everyone was talking about the Shaw family, looking at them with disgust.
“Hey, are the Shaws here?”
“They are. I just saw Yosef. I bet they feel terrible now, seeing the girl they looked down on so much being loved by the others.”
“Hey, look, there’s Maelis, sitting in that corner. Did the scandal make her look older? It’s like she’s full of regret.”
Someone signaled to the sofa where Maelis sat alone. She was staring at Zinnia with complicated feelings.
“Hey, where’s Betty? Isn’t Maelis usually stuck to her side?”
Betty was nowhere in sight–Maelis sat alone, looking lonely. She used to always bring Betty along, showing everyone how much**
aws liked her.
“After all she’s done, why parade her in public? It’s embarrassing. If I were the Shaws, when Zinnia was hurt, I’d kick Betty out for good. But they’re still keeping Betty at home. What fools!”
The Shaws were the hottest gossip. Everyone was talking about their recent scandals: the switched heiresses, Betty scheming against the family, and Betty pushing Anne down the stairs.
08:31 Fri, 13
Chapter 180
นก
The Shaw family had been the talk of the town for a while. Everyone was gossiping, shocked at how crazy they had become
People were thinking twice about doing business with the Shaws; with a family this reckless, one never knew when they might be betrayed.
Zinnia overheard the whispers. She felt all the stares burning into her, but she just ignored them all.
Finding a quiet corner, Zinnia sat down, feeling hungry, and nibbled on some fruit. Just then, a happy, excited voice called out,
“Zimmial”
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