Chapter 206
Chapter 206
Laurie and Zinnia spent half the morning exploring, yet only managed to cover half the estate. When they finally sat down in the dining more, paryarts began presenting dish after dish of all styles.
Since it was Zinnia’s first visit, the chef truly pulled out all the stops to impress her.
Zinnia thought, ‘No wonder the heroines in those novels could never escape the estate, no matter how hard they tried—it’s enormous.
‘I spent two hours riding around in a shuttle and only managed to cover a third of the outer area. I haven’t even started on the inside yet.”
The daily cleaning of the estate was mostly done by robotic vacuums. If the staff had to do it, after one round, they’d just collapse in bed and not move a
muscle.
Laurie said, “Lady Zinnia, since we weren’t sure of your preferences, we’ve prepared a selection of dishes from various cuisines. I hope you’ll find. something you enjoy.”
Laurie stood beside Zinnia as she took her seat at the long dining table, which was completely covered with dishes. Behind her, a line of attentive servants waited.
Whenever Zinnia glanced at a dish, an observant servant would immediately place it on her plate. Zinnia thought, ‘Wow, I feel like an emperor.
Fortunately, Laurie assured her that any leftovers would be eaten by the servants, so nothing would go to waste. This put Zinnia at ease, and she said no
more.
After a light lunch, Laurie dutifully led Zinnia on a tour of the estate’s inner grounds. Since this had been Master’s former home, Zinnia didn’t turn down his offer to show her around.
After spending the entire afternoon, Zinnia barely managed to get a general overview of the estate’s interior.
The surrounding orchards, stables, and sports fields were simply too vast to explore in a single visit. Eventually, she returned to the main manor, where her Master and his family had once lived.
She stood alone in the vast, empty living room. The towering ceiling seemed to touch the clouds, with intricate openwork and spiral staircase winding its way up, floor after floor, in this main building that stood twenty stories tall.
As she looked around, museum–worthy wall paintings adorned the walls, and even the most ordinary decorative pieces could fetch a fortune.
Laurie maintained the estate impeccably–spotless and breathtakingly beautiful, like a fairy–tale castle. Yet as Zinnia stood there, she couldn’t feel a trace of human warmth. ‘It’s stunning, sure,‘ she thought, ‘but all this beauty feels so empty without its true master present.‘
It was getting late, and Zinnia had to return to Cloud Harbor.
“Lady Zinnia, won’t you live here?” Laurie gazed at Zinnia with pleading eyes. “You’ve only just arrived–haven’t stayed even one day yet. Surely you won’t abandon everyone at the estate so soon?”
Zinnia couldn’t bear to meet Laurie’s pleading gaze. “I’ll come back in a while,” she answered. Though already in his sixties, the well–preserved man looked barely over fifty.
“Great. We’ll always be waiting for you, Ms. Zinnia. Just drop me a text whenever you’re coming, and I’ll personally come pick you up,” Laurie said, grinning from ear to ear. He then arranged for a driver to take Zinnia back.
As the car pulled away, Zinnia turned to look back at the estate. ‘I’ll definitely come again,‘ she thought. ‘After all, this is Ma
home.‘
As soon as Zinnia left the estate, Yelena Lynton, in the Mealinia, immediately received word. She got up from her desk and knocked on the tightly shut
office door.
With a cool, deep voice resonating through the door, a man said, “Come in.”
Chapter 206
Yelena paused her breathing as she gently pushed open the door, Behind the wide desk sat a suave figure of soot elegans. The office maintained a constant temperature. Nathan sat with his head slightly bowed, his chiseled profile resembling fine porcelain.
A pale, nearly translucent hand was pressed to his lips, from which occasional soft coughs escaped. His slender frame was slightly hunched shoulders draped in a camel colored shawl.
“What is it?” Noticing her enter, Nathan lifted his gaze–his eyes, both gentle but cold, clear as crystal. His voice was like jade clicking.
Though she’d seen that godlike face countless times, Yelena still found herself in awe every single time. “The Creator really played favorites, she thought.
She replied, “Boss, the estate just reported that Ms. Zinnia Shaw had arrived at the Moore manor.”
“I hope the estate staff served her right,” Nathan said.
Only upon hearing news of Zinnia did his expression soften, a faint smile touching his lips as he thought of her. My little princess has gone to the estate he mused. ‘I wonder if Zinnia likes it there.‘
“Don’t worry, Sir, I make sure to keep the staff on their toes every month–they wouldn’t dare neglect Ms. Zinnia Shaw. Laurie said she’ll probably comme to stay soon,” Yelena said.
Seeing his eyes light up at the mention of Zinnia, Yelena felt a little jealous. ‘Only Ms. Zinnia Shaw, she thought, ‘could bring any happiness to him.
“Speed up wrapping up the Moores‘ affairs. They thought sending their youngest son back home would keep him out of trouble, but the fool ran headfirst into disaster the moment he returned.
Now he’s finished, and all they care about is getting him out of jail. They’re distracted–this is the perfect time to strike. No more delays. Try to wrap everything up before the end of the year,” Nathan ordered coldly.
He thought, ‘Zinnia is smart and helped by Yannis. She might have guessed who I am.
Just as Zinnia stepped out of the car, another vehicle pulled up behind her. The window rolled down, revealing Yannis sitting inside.
Yannis opened the car door, motioned for her to come over, and said, “Hop in.”
Zinnia got into the car, which headed down to the underground garage. The car from the Moore manor wasn’t registered, so it couldn’t gain access.
“Where have you been?” Yannis asked, his smiling eyes resting on her.
Zinnia said frankly, “I went to the Moore manor.”
“Missing your Master?” Yannis glanced sideways at her downcast face. He had never known who bought the Moore manor, but now it was clear–it was
Nathan.
“A little,” Zinnia admitted and couldn’t help but think, ‘I don’t even know where Master is now. There’s still so much candy left in the jar he gave me, but l have no idea when he’ll come back.‘
Yannis shifted closer to Zinnia and said softly, “Here, you can lean on me.”
“I’m not crying.” Zinnia shot him a sidelong glance as a faint minty fragrance enveloped her. She instinctively scooted away, sniffed, and asked, “What cologne is that? I want it–it smells amazing.”
After spending so much time with Yannis, Zinnia had grown bold around him, speaking her mind without a second thought.
“I’m not sure–my assistant picked it for me. I’ll have him get you a women’s version,” Yannis said, readily agreeing as he always did.
He shifted closer, gently cradled her head, and guided it to rest on his shoulder. “If you’re feeling down, you can lean on me. And if you want to cry your eyes out, I promise I won’t laugh at you,”
Chapter 206
“I’m not going to cry,” Zinnia murmured, little sad.
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her head resting on his shoulder. She didn’t actually feel like crying, but she admitted to herself that she was
‘Master was born into such extreme wealth, yet in the end, he lived with me in that small town, doing everything by hand, taking care of me the little burden I was.‘ She pictured that young man, supporting the even smaller her.
“Yannis, how’s your investigation into the Moore family going?” She asked.
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