Chapter 117.
Chapter 117
Yosef frowned. “How is that possible? We give you pocket money every month. If we didn’t, where would you get the money to eat here today? Zinnia, I can’t believe you’d lie.”
She grew up in a small town and brought almost nothing with her when she was taken back–2 a clear sign of her impoverished life before.
The food at Cloudy Moon wasn’t cheap by any means, so it was impossible for her to have gotten the money to pay for it herself.
Zinnia looked at Yosef with impatience. “I’ve never received any pocket money from you,” she said, her eyes full of confusion. She was shocked that each of the three Shaw brothers could be so shameless in his own way.
Yosef shook his head firmly. “No way. Mom would never withhold your pocket money,” he insisted, refusing to believe a word Zinnia said.
“Believe it or not. The fact is, you never gave me a single cent,” Zinnia said wearily. After just a couple of exchanges with Yosef, she already felt emotionally drained and had no energy left to argue.
Yosef stared into her eyes. She spoke earnestly, her gaze sincere, give you pocket money every month,” he said.
without a
trace
of deceit. “There must be some misunderstanding Mom is supposed to
He believed his mother, yet Zinnia didn’t seem to be lying. There had
to be
some explanation for this.
Zinnia looked up at Yosef, her eyes calm and sincere. “This has nothing to do with me. I owe your family nothing.
“If you’re bothered by the two months I stayed at your house and the scraps I ate, I can pay you back for every meal.” She couldn’t care less about any misunderstanding–she’d long since given up on the Shaws.
‘Honestly, it’s almost an insult to my money to pay for something so worthless,’ she thought wryly, ‘but if that’s what you want, I can certainly afford it.’
“Zinnia, that’s not what I meant,” Yosef said, rubbing his temples. “I just want to have a proper conversation with you. Can we talk this through?” It felt like Zinnia was truly determined to sever all connections with them.
Zinnia shook her head. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about. We’re practically strangers–I’ve only met you a few times, and there’s no sibling bond between us. There’s just nothing to discuss.”
Yosef sighed. “Zinnia, if you truly didn’t care about us, then why did you make food for me and Charlie? We only just found you, and before we even had the chance to really get to know you, so much has already happened.
“There are misunderstandings between us. Let’s talk this through, okay? We’re family, bound by blood.” He studied Zinnia’s face–so like their mother’s- and wondered how people who share the same blood could end up as strangers.
Yosef honestly didn’t know how to get along with Zinnia, as they’d never really spent time together before. Swamped with work at the company, he had no energy left for family matters.
He knew his real–born sister had been found, but she was timid and soft–spoken, never speaking unless spoken to. Most of the time, she seemed to be nonexistent–only when she caused trouble did they remember there was another sister in the house.
That was when Zinnia would show her naughty, bossy, and petty side, always seeming to pick on Betty.
Yosef still remembered how furious he’d been when Zinnia tore up his bidding documents, causing him to lose the contract. Though he eventually let it go, an invisible barrier had formed between them.
At first, the Shaw family felt guilty about Zinnia and genuinely wanted to make amends, but she never gave them the chance. She obsessively tried to drive Betty out, constantly putting the whole family in a difficult position and leaving Maelis heartbroken.
