The faint scent of mint lingered around her nose, making Zinnia’s eyes.
with tears. “Yannis…” she whispered.
“Zinnia!” Maelis gasped in pain as she struggled to sit up. When she saw the bloody scratches on her arm, her anger flared up and her voice became
shrill.
Even though it was Yannis who had thrown her aside, she only dared to scream hoarsely at Zinnia. Deep down, she knew Zinnia was the only one she could lash out at, so she blamed everything on her.
Maelis’s cutting words pierced her heart, causing Zinnia’s chest to constrict. She clenched her teeth hard and swallowed the pain.
She shoved Yannis aside, revealing her slender frame. Her clear eyes burned with fury. “You hit me first; why shouldn’t I hit you back?”
Zinnia stood tall, her delicate frame showing no hint of fear. Her gaze was cold and detached as she looked at Maelis, who had fallen to the ground, eyes full of hatred and resentment.
A faint, mocking smile tugged at her lips. This woman, her so–called mother, truly hated her to the bone.
“Maelis, what are you doing?” Howard and Timothy rushed over and helped Maelis up from the ground.
Maelis didn’t respond to him. Her eyes were wild, filled with twisted hatred as she glared at Zinnia as if she could tear her apart piece by piece. “I’m your mother. Hitting you is my right. Who dares say otherwise?”
“Is it your right, Mrs. Shaw? And then isn’t it also my right to bankrupt the Shaw family?” Yannis’s eyes darkened menacingly, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips.
“How dare you!” Maelis’s face twisted in fury, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
“Mom, stop it,” Timothy and Yosef said in unison.
Yannis’s gaze turned glacial. “Who says I wouldn’t dare?”
“You” Maelis’s voice caught in her throat, rage twisting her features. Her eyes burned red as she stared at Yannis with venom. “She’s my daught right do you have to step in?”
at
A stream of curses welled up in her throat. She knew Yannis wasn’t bluffing. True to her bullying nature, Maelis only targeted the weak and always backed down in the face of the strong.
“Don’t kid yourself, Mrs. Shaw,” Yvette snapped. “Zinnia is my daughter. Just because you claim to be her mother, you think you can discipline her? You don’t have that right.”
Yvette walked over in heels, poised and radiant, every step brimming with power. She looked down at Maelis, who sat crumpled in disgrace. One shone with composure, the other drowned in defeat–the gap between them, stark and unforgiving.
Maelis sneered, “Your daughter? Did you give birth to her? Did you raise her? And yet you dare call her your daughter? Yvette, have you no shame at all?”
Maelis stared at Yvette with a distorted and venomous look. Her pent–up rage was boiling over, and her sharp eyes seemed as if they could skin Yvette alive. Any trace of her former elegance had disappeared; now Maelis looked every inch a spiteful shrew.
Yvette retorted, “Shameless? Not half as shameless as you. Acting like you ever raised Zinnia. The only one you raised is that ungrateful brat Betty, and now you keep hounding Zinnia like it’s your right.”
Yvette’s voice was ice–cold. “Don’t you ever dare use that so–called biological debt to control Zinnia. When she was born, your family’s negligence almost cost her life. If anything, that alone has repaid whatever you think she owes you
“We, Zinnia, owe you nothing. It’s not her fault she was switched at birth. Betty’s mistakes weren’t directed by Zinnia. You can’t tell right from wrong and just make a mess. Are you even fit to be Zinnia’s mother?”
08:18 Sat, 14 Jun
Chapter 188
Maelis’s face turned deathly pale. Her eyes were bloodshot with fury as she raised her hand to strike Yvette.
Jackson intercepted her raised hand. His handsome face was tinged with frost. “Enough, Maelis. Haven’t the Shaws endured enough because of you?”
Maelis shivered as a chill ran down her spine. Her eyes were bloodshot with anger. She hissed at Jackson, “Jackson, I’m your aunt.”
“Maelis, you don’t need to be my aunt anymore. Our family has done more than enough for you,” Jackson said coldly and indifferently.
Maelis, her voice quivering with rage, shouted, “You bastard. Do you really think you’re in charge of the Lynn family now? Henry and Sofia are still here.” His defiant words made her whole body tremble.
Maelis also resented Jackson deeply. She thought, ‘If he hadn’t pulled his investments from the Shaw family, would we have fallen into such a dire, besieged state?‘
Henry’s aged, stern voice cut through the crowd. “So what if Jackson heads the Lynn family? Maelis, you’re the outsider here.”
Everyone turned to see Henry and Sofia arriving, their expressions stern. Right behind them came Yosef and Donald, both wearing solemn looks.
They were at a business reception when, out of nowhere, someone rushed in to report a commotion in the back garden–Maelis Maisie from the Jenkins family. Donald couldn’t help but curse inwardly, ‘What an idiot.‘
making a scene with
“Zinnia, does it hurt? Let me put some ointment on you.” Maisie rushed to her side. Her heart ached at the sight of Zinnia’s red and swollen face.
Maelis, whose anger had been simmering for far too long, slapped Zinnia hard across the face. Immediately, Zinnia’s cheeks swelled up, turning red and already showing signs of bruising; a truly horrifying sight.
Maisie barely had time to unscrew the ointment cap before Yannis abruptly snatched it from her hands.
“Zinnia, this might sting a bit. Try to bear it,” Yannis said, his expression cold, his eyes frosted with suppressed emotion. He unscrewed the ointment tube and, as gently as he could, applied the ointment to her face.
As the cool ointment touched her burning cheek, Zinnia winced. She had never been hurt this badly in her life.
Seeing Zinnia frown, Yannis pressed his lips into a hard line. His fury towards Maelis burned white–hot. He crouched beside her and forced hims soften his voice. “Zinnia, let me call a doctor to check you out, okay?,”
He kept his tone extra gentle, remembering how she’d just been knocked to the ground.
“No need,” Zinnia murmured weakly, refusing to budge. She couldn’t possibly leave now–Jackson and the others had already seen the swelling on her face, their expressions darkening with shock and anger.
Yannis turned to Charlie as he approached, his voice tight with worry and guilt. “Charlie, check her over. She just had a bad fall.”
Charlie’s expression grew solemn as he listened. “Zinnia, where are you injured?”
Zinnia thought, I fell on my bottom. There’s no way I can say that out loud.‘ Her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“She fell and landed on her butt. I’m not sure if her coccyx is injured. Could you quickly give her a check? Later, I’ll take her for an X–ray just to be on the safe side,” Yannis said, his voice thick with worry.
As she walked, Yannis didn’t miss the pained look that flitted across her brow. Since it was obvious that she didn’t want to move at the moment, he had no option but to leave her alone.
“Zinnia, let me take a look,” Charlie said, his fingers gently pressing on her tailbone. “Does it hurt?”
Zinnia replied shyly, “It’s not hurt here.”
08:18 Sat, 14 Jun
14 Jun –
Chapter 188
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Yannis gently let down her hair to hide the swelling. As more people gathered to watch, Zinnia stole a glance at him and bit her lip, burying her injured cheek deeper into her hair. She thought, ‘This is so embarrassing.‘
“I’m sorry. I should have protected you.” Yannis murmured. As he gazed down at her, his eyes were so filled with emotion that they seemed bottomless. Veins stood out on his hand as he tightly gripped the ointment, hardly able to hold back his self–reproach.
“It’s not your fault,” Zinnia murmured, her head bowed. “None of this was your fault. You don’t need to apologize.”
“Mom, how could you hit her so hard?” Timothy stared at Maelis in disbelief, his eyes fixed on Zinnia’s badly swollen cheek. Just then, Sofia and the others walked over and happened to hear his accusatory words.
“What the hell kind of mother are you? If you’ve gone mad, go get yourself treated!” Sofia shaky and angry, was held up by Henry. Hearing about the fight and seeing Zinnia’s swollen face, she turned pale and yelled at Maelis, trembling with rage.
In her youth, Sofia was a force to be reckoned with. However, as she got older, her temper gradually became milder. Even so, today Maelis’s actions made her extremely angry–this daughter of hers was truly unrepentant and seemingly beyond redemption.
