CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 19: FIVE MILLION TO BUY HER SEAT

It was Crystal Sutton’s mother, Mandy Lowe.

Zinnia stabilized her breathing, slowly stood up, and called out, "Auntie."

Mandy nodded at her, walked over to pick up a towel from a front-row seat, and handed it to Zinnia.

"Thank you."

Zinnia took it and wiped the sweat and tears from her face. She turned slightly to the side, not wanting Mandy to see her in such a disheveled state.

"Zinnia, I’d like to talk to you," Mandy said.

Zinnia turned back, having already guessed the purpose of her visit. She nodded and said, "I’ll just go change and be right back."

"Go ahead," Mandy nodded.

Zinnia took a quick shower, changed her clothes, and returned to the venue. Mandy was still standing before the stage, and Zinnia walked over to her.

Mandy didn’t turn around. Staring at the stage, she said, "You remember, don’t you? You won your first gold medal in a dance competition on this very stage when you were five. You were so little, yet your stage presence was so steady. You stunned the entire audience. I was so proud of you."

Back then, Zinnia was still the little princess of the Sutton Family. Everyone praised her brilliance, saying Mandy had a worthy successor, and Mandy herself had been moved to tears of joy. In her childhood, Zinnia had received Mandy and Simon Sutton’s complete love and devoted nurturing.

If she were their biological daughter, she would have been the happiest little princess in the world, growing up without a single worry. But sadly...

Zinnia knew Mandy wasn’t bringing this up to rekindle their long-broken mother-daughter bond. She asked, "Is there something you need, Auntie?"

"Zinnia, you are a born dancer. The Forrest Family will only clip your wings and imprison your soul. Besides, Jenson doesn’t love you. Auntie hopes you can pursue further studies and continue to shine on stage."

Mandy took a check out of her bag. "This is five million. It’s more than enough for you to study abroad without any worries. Leave Veridia."

Zinnia looked at the check being handed to her, feeling not gratitude but humiliation and a chilling disappointment. She knew Mandy was trying to get her to leave to clear the path for Crystal Sutton.

Though she knew she shouldn’t feel sad or care about the people who had abandoned her, she had received so little love in her life that she had always remembered the affection her parents showed her in childhood. Sometimes, she would wake from nightmares, calling out for her mother.

Gloria Grant had been selfish and neglectful. After being abused by York Lawrence, she would vent her anger by pricking Zinnia with needles. Zinnia had never considered Gloria her mother; the one she called ’Mom’ in her dreams was Mandy. But Mandy had long since cast her aside. She was a child without a mother.

Crystal was their biological daughter. Zinnia held no resentment for being abandoned all those years ago. But for them to trample on her now for their daughter’s sake—and expect her to be grateful for it—was simply too much.

Zinnia raised her eyes. "Crystal Sutton is pregnant out of wedlock. Instead of worrying about my future, Auntie should spend more time educating her own daughter."

Mandy’s face turned cold, a flash of embarrassment in her eyes.

"Zinnia, it takes two to tango. For Crystal to get pregnant, a man had to be willing to get her pregnant! Four years ago, the Sutton and Forrest families were discussing marriage, and Jenson had already agreed. If you hadn’t interfered, Crystal’s child would have been born into the couple’s loving anticipation!"

Zinnia’s fists clenched. She had only known that four years ago, everyone had assumed Crystal and Jenson were a couple. She didn’t know Jenson had actually agreed to the marriage alliance.

"You owed Crystal from childhood. Four years ago, you stole her marriage. Now that Crystal is pregnant, it’s time for you to give up your position!"

Looking at Zinnia’s pale face, Mandy frowned but felt no pity. She tried to shove the check into Zinnia’s hand.

Zinnia took a step back, her spine so straight it seemed it might snap.

"Even if I am to step aside, Jenson should be the one to tell me so himself."

Mandy sighed. "Zinnia, just think of it as repaying the six years of care your uncle and I gave you. Auntie is begging you, please, let Crystal have her way."

Her face was filled with love for Crystal, a mother planning meticulously for her daughter’s future, while ruthlessly plunging a knife into Zinnia’s heart.

Let Crystal have her way... but who would let *her* have her way?

A lump formed in Zinnia’s throat. Mandy placed the check on a chair and left quickly.

Zinnia stared at her retreating back, and the last flicker of warmth and daughterly affection in her eyes vanished completely.

Mandy was wrong. She didn’t owe the Suttons anything. Their six years of love had been for their daughter, not for her, Zinnia. What right did they have to guilt-trip her now?

Mandy walked out of the building. The sky had already grown dark, and the Sutton family’s car was parked under a nearby tree.

Just as she was about to step forward, a voice called from above.

"Mrs. Sutton."

Mandy looked up. A window on the second floor had been pushed open, and Zinnia’s beautiful, clear face seemed to glow in the dim light. She raised a delicate hand.

"Your generosity is more than I can accept. Please, take it back."

The check fluttered down, landing at Mandy’s feet as the window was shut.

Mandy’s expression turned utterly foul. Amidst the shame and anger, she felt an indescribable sense of dejection and sorrow.

Waiting impatiently in the car, Crystal pushed the door open and ran over.

"Mom, how did it go? Did my sister agree?"

Zinnia was planning to divorce anyway, so being offered money should have been a deal she couldn’t refuse. As long as Zinnia took the money, regardless of whether she divorced or not, it would be a thorn in Jenson’s side. He couldn’t tolerate such things.

Mandy shook her head. "Let’s talk in the car."

Crystal’s heart sank. She had thought that Zinnia’s affection for Mandy and her gratitude for being raised by her would make it impossible for her to refuse.

That bitch really is an ungrateful wolf!

As the car started, tears streamed down Crystal’s face, and she threw herself into Mandy’s arms.

"Mom, my sister slapped me because she misunderstood and got angry. I don’t care about that. But my belly is getting bigger by the day, and Brother Jenson won’t divorce because of Old Madam Forrest. Sob, sob... how can I bear for my child to be gossiped about along with me? I had such an unfortunate childhood; I don’t want my baby to be born into the darkness of this world..."

Mandy’s heart shattered. She patted her daughter’s back comfortingly.

"Don’t worry. Mom will make sure you get everything you wish for."

She took Crystal back to her hospital room, soothed her to sleep, and then left the hospital. Taking out her phone, she made a call and said with a smile, "Are you free for a cup of coffee?"

「Night.」

After her shower, Zinnia counted her personal savings again, her brow furrowed. Despite her efforts, an ordinary person’s ability to save money was truly tortoise-paced; she always spent more than she saved. All her hard work had only netted her less than three hundred thousand. Who would have thought the young mistress of the Forrest family could be so poor?

Actually, exchanging that scoundrel for five million doesn’t seem like such a bad deal, Zinnia pondered wistfully.

After tidying up her things, Zinnia was about to sleep when her phone rang. Yara Fairchild was already asleep next to her, so Zinnia, worried about waking her, quickly answered and got out of bed, walking toward the balcony.

"Ma’am, it seems the President’s wound has become inflamed, and he has a fever. I’ve been sent on a business trip and can’t get back. Could you please hurry to Sovereign Court and check on him?" It was Timothy Cohen.

Zinnia knitted her brows. "What about Aunt Kramer? She can take care of him."

"Aunt Kramer isn’t answering her phone. Please, Ma’am, hurry over and take a look. The President isn’t answering his phone either. I don’t know if he’s passed out from the fever."

Timothy sounded extremely anxious, and his worry was contagious. Zinnia began to feel concerned as well. She hung up and tried calling Aunt Kramer and Jenson, but just as Timothy had said, no one answered.

Not daring to delay, Zinnia quickly changed her clothes and rushed to Sovereign Court.

When she walked into the entryway, she found the entire villa dark and lifeless, as if it were uninhabited. Zinnia began to suspect that Timothy had given her the wrong address and that Jenson wasn’t there at all.

She went upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door. The small bedside lamp was on, and Jenson was leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Seeing him there, Zinnia breathed a sigh of relief and walked over quickly.

Just as she placed her hand on his forehead, Jenson’s hand shot up and clasped her wrist. His palm was burning hot. He definitely had a fever.

Zinnia thought he was awake, but when she leaned closer, she saw his eyes were still tightly shut. His handsome face was faintly flushed, and his breathing was somewhat labored. He was clearly still asleep.

He won’t let anyone touch him even in his sleep. Unbelievable.

Zinnia scoffed and tried to pull her hand away, but Jenson’s grip was surprisingly tight.

"Let go." Zinnia used her other hand to touch his face.

Perhaps feeling the coolness of her touch, Jenson pressed his face into her palm and mumbled, "Who?"

Zinnia found a sick Jenson to be a little adorable. But then she recalled Mandy’s remark about it taking two to tango, and the urge to slap him returned.

She leaned closer and softened her voice into a teasing whisper. "It’s Mommy, Jenson dear. Call me ’Mommy’, and Mommy will go get you some medicine..."

Before she could finish, the man’s eyes snapped open.

Those deep, dark eyes were sharp and clear, showing no sign of feverish disorientation.

Zinnia panicked, her first instinct to run.

The next second, the man gave a powerful tug, and she lost her balance, tumbling on top of him. He held her fast, his hand pressing firmly against the small of her back. The man’s high body temperature seared her, and she froze instantly.

"If I call you ’Mommy’, would you dare to answer?!" Jenson’s voice was hoarse from his illness, his tone vicious as he spoke right next to her ear.

He should try it and see what happens, Zinnia thought, though she didn’t dare say it out loud. She squirmed a little and said, "You have a fever. Let me go first, I’ll get you some medicine."

But Jenson didn’t release her. He pressed his forehead against the nape of her neck, rubbing against her gently as he said, "So you still know how to come back!"

His tone was laced with anger, but Zinnia oddly detected a hint of grievance as well.

Her heart softened slightly. She pursed her lips and said, "Weren’t you the one who took a knife for Crystal? It would be better to have her take care of you... Mmph!"

Her words were cut short as the man bit her ear. The scorching, wet heat enveloped her cool earlobe. Zinnia couldn’t tell if it was the heat or the pain that made her let out a soft groan and tremble slightly.

Jenson’s lips parted, and he let out a hoarse, derisive laugh beside her ear.

"Are you an idiot? You believe whatever anyone tells you?"