Chapter 133
GMW
“You accessed the Shaw family’s surveillance footage today. Won’t you get in trouble with that?” Zinnia asked, looking at her worriedly.
“No,” Lydia replied, “the surveillance footage I retrieved had already been deleted by them. I recovered it from the recycle bin. it wasn’t hacked by the Shaw family’s system.”
Lydia wasn’t the type to implicate herself. She always made sure every angle was covered before acting.
“Wow, Lydia, you’re amazing!” Zinnia’s eyes sparkled with admiration. Her classmate really was something special
“If you’d like, I can teach you,” Lydia said to Zinnia, her voice softening with unusual tenderness.
The trio couldn’t help but notice Lydia’s double standards.
“Hey, Lydia, why do I get the feeling you like Zinnia way more than the rest of us?” Ethan tilted his head and asked teasingly.
Lydia calmly retorted, “Are you as adorable as she is?”
“Whoa, that’s a low blow! No personal attacks. Seriously, who could ever compete with a face like Zinnia’s?” Ethan sputtered, momentarily sturned.
He glanced at Zinnia’s exquisitely sculpted face, a beauty so perfect it seemed almost unreal.
Perhaps flattered by the compliment, Zinnia curved her lips. Ethan felt his ears grow hot and quickly averted his gaze.
“Zinnia!” That afternoon, just as Zinnia was about to enter her apartment complex after school, a voice suddenly called out to her.
Zinnia turned and saw Howard standing there. Instinctively, she took a step back.
نه
Even though it had only been a few days since their last meeting, Howard already seemed to have aged several years. A newly developed air of weariness and defeat clung to him.
Howard stood at a distance, his expression complex as he gazed at her.
“Zinnia,” as he watched her retreat, Howard’s chest tightened with remorse. ‘It was all a misunderstanding. She was the one truly wronged,‘ he realized.
Zinnia pressed her lips together tightly, refusing to speak to him, her fingers clutching her backpack straps.
“I heard
you
moved out of the Lynn residence,” Howard said as he stepped closer, his eyes filled with concern.
He was actually a bit at a loss as to how to approach her.
They had barely spent any time together, to begin with, and after that incident where Betty nearly got him killed, Howard hadn’t seen Zinnia.
By the time he took her to the hospital last time, they hadn’t seen each other for a whole week.
“Stay out of it,” Zinnia said flatly, visibly reluctant to engage with him.
“We know the truth about what happened at school now. We had no idea it was all Betty’s doing. We were wrong to blame you, Zinnia. I’m truly sorry.”
Howard could clearly sense her emotional distance and felt at a loss as to what to do.
Actually, Howard was the first in the family to meet Zinnia. He and Maelis were the ones who had gone to bring her home.
When it came to Zinnia, Howard had initially worried that her return would threaten Betty’s position in the family. But when he actually met her, he was struck by how powerful blood ties could bind people together.
His gaze kept drifting towards her.
1/2
Chapter 133
She was tiny and adorable, speaking in a soft, unhurried way, like a timid little snail slowly peeking out. When she called him Howard in that clear, sweet voice, it was utterly endearing.
Howard felt as if his heart had been gently stuck with cotton candy.
At that moment, Howard thought to himself, ‘Zinnia seems pretty sweet. Maybe looking out for her wouldn’t be so bad after all.
But after returning home, she unexpectedly told Betty to leave. This instantly made the whole family view Zinnia with displeasure.
‘No sooner had she returned than she tried to kick someone out. What a spoiled, headstrong girl,’ Howard thought.
AD
Comment
