After dinner, as it was getting late, the family went back to their rooms to wash up and get ready for bed. Raymond went to the study, with Yannis right behind him.
“Yannis, you know about Zinnia’s condition, right?” Raymond asked as he made coffee.
Yannis nodded and sat down, placing a piece on the chessboard.
Raymond put another piece on the board, looked up at him, and said, “Haven’t you and Jacksoni been looking for Nathan all along? Have you ever thought of asking Zinnia?”
Raymond knew Yannis had been searching for Nathan for years. The body of Nathan was never found, and Yannis never believed he was dead. Raymond had never checked Zinnia before, but this quick check showed her true condition.
By feeling her pulse, Raymond noticed the unique acupuncture marks specific to the Moore family, along with their flowing technique. As a top doctor, his skills were excellent, and with just this check, he saw something strange about Zinnia’s health.
She was almost dead, barely hanging on, when someone miraculously saved her. The damage to her heart was so bad that only a very skilled doctor
could have saved her.
A wave of sadness washed over Raymond. ‘Who knows how much she went through? he thought, feeling heartache for her. The deaths of Richard and
his wife had been confirmed, but they still didn’t know where Nathan was.
Raymond thought, ‘In this world, the only person who can do this needle technique is Nathan.‘
Yannis asked, his face calm and clear, “Roderick said Zinnia’s life was saved from death with a special needling technique. Was it the Moore family’s flowing technique?”
Raymond nodded. “Many have heard of it, but few really understand it. When I was young, I often talked about medical skills with Richard.”
Richard once tried to teach Raymond the flowing technique, but the technique was very complicated and deep. Even after years of practice, Raymond never learned it, a sign that this art is beyond normal doctors.
With Raymond’s confirmation, Zinnia’s master was definitely Nathan or someone very close to Nathan.
“Zinnia’s health needs close care. Since you’re so busy, maybe it’s best to let her stay here,” Raymond said, sipping his coffee.
Raymond thought to himself, ‘Yannis has always been so aloof and indifferent, not really the caring type. Zinnia’s health needs special attention. I worry he might not be able to handle it.
‘If Zinnia were healthy, Yannis could hire a housekeeper to take care of her. But since she’s fragile, it’s better to bring her here and have a nutritionist and staff take good care of her.’
Yannis took a sip of coffee, teasing, “Worried I’ll treat Zinnia badly?”
Raymond thought, ‘If it weren’t for Yannis’s health problems, how could I let Zinnia stay with him and suffer? Doesn’t he realize he can barely take care of
himself?
‘If he knew how to look after others, why would his/health be in such bad shape? Yannis might also mess up Zinnia’s health.‘
“Don’t worry, I won’t neglect your precious Zinnja,” Yannis said softly with a smile. “Didn’t you just check her pulse yourself? Isn’t she c
well with
me?”
Raymond thought, ‘Zinnia’s health doesn’t seem to have any problems. In fact, she looks healthier than before. And from what I saw today, she actually seems quite dependent on Yannis.
‘If Yannis treated her badly, she wouldn’t be so attached to him. From what I see, he’s actually been taking pretty good care of her–better than the Shaw
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Chapter 176
family ever did.
‘Alright, I’ll watch things for now. If Zinnia isn’t happy, I’ll just bring her back myself.
“Has your insomnia gotten better a
Raymond asked, looking at Yannis with concern.
Then he thought, ‘If Zinnia really learned from Nathan, Yannis has really been lucky. The Moore family is amazing at medicine. If Zinnia has been trained by Nathan for over ten years, she should be quite skilled now.‘
When it came to Yannis’s insomnia, Raymond had tried everything. He even thought about acupuncture to help him sleep. But Yannis never let anyone get close; his mind was too guarded.
It was not that Yannis didn’t trust Raymond, but if anyone even looked like they might hurt him, he would snap. He just couldn’t help it. Raymond could never get Yannis to sleep with acupuncture or massages.
When Yannis was a kid, after that bad incident, he stayed awake for three days, looking so worn out it broke his father’s heart. James called a doctor to give him sedatives, but Yannis, upset, almost killed the doctor.
Finally, when Yannis wasn’t paying attention, they knocked him out with a quick move and made him rest.
But they couldn’t keep knocking him out just to make him sleep–long–term use would hurt him badly. They used aromatherapy candles in his room, so he’d fall asleep without knowing.
With the aromatherapy candle, Yannis could get some sleep at night, instead of staying awake for days. This went on for years, but eventually, he built up a resistance.
No matter what kind of aromatherapy candle they tried, it didn’t work for Yannis. Even giving him more didn’t help.
By then, Yannis was grown up and more mature. He forced himself to sleep, and when he was really exhausted, he would close his eyes and rest.
But Yannis never slept well, and his health was always fragile. He was barely holding on. They were worried he might suddenly collapse from exhaustion someday.
That incident left deep scars–Yannis had never fully recovered.
“Yannis,” Raymond said softly, “it’s time to put the past behind us. If your mom knew you’d been suffering from what happened for over ten years, she wouldn’t want you to carry this guilt.”
Raymond looked at Yannis with gentle sadness, seeing how much he looked like Grace. Yannis gave a small, reassuring smile to Raymond, noticing the worry and pain in his eyes.
He said, “Grandpa, my health has gotten much better, so don’t worry. I won’t die soon. I have my little doctor Zinnia watching over me and making sure I take my medicine every day.”
“Don’t talk about dying–you’re going to live a long, healthy life,” Raymond said affectionately, changing the subject. “Now, give me your hand.”
“Come on,
would I lie to you?” Yannis said, holding out his hand.
Rayr
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