Chapter 4
The Shaw family stiffened at Zinnia’s blunt accusation.
“I’m not apologizing for something I didn’t do,” Zinnia said flatly. They never believed her, and she wasn’t about to start hoping now.
Suddenly, a bitter ache spread through her chest–she missed her master terribly. ‘Why did he dump me back with these awful people? I hate him now anyway.’ she thought, her vision blurring.
Howard’s heart sank when he saw Zinnia’s eyes. They were red and looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
The other Shaws shifted uncomfortably. ‘No one’s even scolded her yet. Why the sudden tears?‘
Zinnia had no clue they thought she was on the verge of tears. If she knew, she’d definitely snap back; even if she did cry, it sure wouldn’t be over them.
But she didn’t realize she looked tearful. She just felt her eyes burning, her nose stuffy, and her head all fuzzy.
She wanted to get this over with and leave. She couldn’t stand being around the Shaws; it felt like she was being suffocated.
Zinnia fished out a candy from her bag and popped it into her mouth- sugar always helped her shake off the bad mood. She decided that when her master returned, she’d give him a piece of her mind for ditching her.
“Yosef, if there’s surveillance footage, have the butler check it now,” Howard turned to his brother, his voice tinged with a hint of urgency. “We’ll see exactly what happened. No more baseless accusations.”
“That brat’s already on the verge of tears. If we don’t clear this up, guess who’ll have to comfort Ms. Waterworks here?‘ Howard thought.
“Mom, Dad, Zinnia didn’t push me,” Betty said quickly. “We were talking by the pool yesterday when I slipped in. Let’s not trouble the butler with checking cameras. He’s already swamped with household duties.”
Betty hadn’t expected Zinnia to fight back. She also hadn’t expected Zinnia to bring up the surveillance by the pool. Her expression shifted- Zinnia was actually using her head.
“Check it, so they can’t claim I pushed you,” Zinnia said, her voice light and calm.
Yosef looked from the nervous Betty to the calm Zinnia. Years in business had taught him to read people, and Betty was definitely hiding something.
He rubbed his forehead and said quietly, “Enough. Let’s just drop this. It could be a simple misunderstanding.”
Betty, sitting on the hospital bed, let out a small sigh of relief. She realized she’d have to be more careful next time she tried to scheme against Zinnia -Zinnia was a lot sharper than she’d thought.
“So when you guys thought I messed up, you hauled me here to apologize. But when it’s Betty, suddenly everyone’s cool?” Zinnia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
She stared at Yosef with a bitter smile that didn’t touch her lips. She knew better than to expect anything from this family.
Timothy tried to argue, but Yosef quickly grabbed his arm. When he followed Yosef’s look, he caught Betty’s nervous expression. His brow furrowed, and an odd discomfort settled in his chest.
Then he caught Zinnia’s calm, disappointed look and felt his anger rising. ‘What’s with her attitude? We’re the ones who should be pissed off. She’s been wreaking havoc in our family since she came back.’
“Zinnia, even if there was a misunderstanding, you’re responsible for Betty’s falling in. After all, you were the one who invited her to the pool,”
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