CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52: CLEAR DIVIDE BETWEEN LOVE AND INDIFFERENCE

"Always together. How sweet."

The thought of Crystal’s social media post about her bandage change made Zinnia feel a wave of nausea.

When Jenson Forrest looked over, Zinnia Lawrence immediately lowered her eyes. She rinsed their utensils with hot water and placed them in front of Yara Fairchild and Alaric Hawthorne.

"Third Brother! Are you just going to stand there and watch them bully me?" Sienna Forrest had been whining for a while, and when Jenson didn’t respond, she pouted.

Jenson’s gaze remained on Zinnia. He watched her smile vanish the instant she saw him, only to then attentively care for another man.

The handsome man’s face darkened slightly as he finally looked away.

"How did they bully you?"

"I was so happy to see Alaric and Third Sister-in-law, so I went over to say hi. But Third Sister-in-law’s friend tried to splash water on me, and instead of helping, Third Sister-in-law just mocked me! She called me cheap for making the first move." She blurted out the fabricated story, her face a mask of grievance.

Zinnia stood up and walked over to their table. With an arrogant tilt of her chin, she looked mockingly at Jenson. "Jenson, why are you with these two women?"

Crystal’s eyes reddened. "Sister, are you angry?"

"I’m not," Zinnia replied, her face a mask of innocence.

"Then why would you speak to Jenson like that? You must have misunderstood. We were just..."

Sienna felt that Zinnia’s words sounded strangely familiar. When she realized why, she quickly tugged on Crystal’s sleeve. Crystal turned to see Sienna’s anxious expression and was puzzled. What a useless teammate. Sienna cursed inwardly.

Zinnia’s lips curled into a smirk. "You’ve misunderstood. I was just greeting you... in the exact same way Sixth Miss Forrest greeted us just now!"

Crystal’s face flushed with embarrassment, and Sienna looked like she was on the verge of real tears.

Jenson’s cold eyes fixed on Sienna. "And you call that ’happily going over to say hi’?"

Humiliated and aggrieved, Sienna couldn’t speak. Crystal opened her mouth to defend her, but since she was the one who had just criticized Zinnia’s attitude, the words wouldn’t come out.

"Apologize," Jenson commanded Sienna, his voice icy.

Sienna bit her lip, unwilling.

Zinnia sneered and waved a dismissive hand. "Forget it. I couldn’t possibly bear her apology. Just don’t disturb our meal."

She turned to leave, but Jenson grabbed her wrist.

"Sienna," the man repeated, his voice soft but clearly laced with displeasure.

Sienna lifted her reddened eyes. "I’m sorry."

"Sorry to whom?" Jenson’s patience was wearing thin.

Sienna’s tears finally fell. This time, her attitude was far more sincere—at least on the surface. "Third Sister-in-law, I’m sorry for disturbing your meal."

Zinnia gave a cold nod and struggled slightly, signaling for Jenson to release her.

Jenson ignored her and looked at Yara and Alaric. "Since we’ve run into each other, why don’t you join us in the private room?"

Zinnia pulled her hand free. "No need. We’ve already ordered."

Crystal smiled. "The waiter can bring the dishes to the room. Please join us, Sister. I just got back, and we haven’t even had a meal together yet."

She reached for Zinnia’s arm, but Zinnia recoiled, thoroughly annoyed. "No need."

Crystal bit her lip. "Sister, are you still angry with Sienna?"

Yara walked over and wrapped an arm around Zinnia’s shoulder. "Miss Sutton, you sure do have a lot of thoughts. The thing is, I have social anxiety. Eating with people I don’t know gives me indigestion, and Zinnia is just being considerate of me."

She guided Zinnia away. Jenson’s gaze lingered heavily on Alaric for a moment before he turned and led his group away.

Zinnia sat back down, and Yara gave her a thumbs-up. "Zinnia, your acting skills are incredible! Your impression of that little shrew, Sienna, was perfect!"

"A shrew?"

Alaric explained, "It’s an animal that resembles a rat, with upturned nostrils and a terrible stench."

Zinnia was speechless.

She looked at Alaric. "Senior, you know Sienna?"

Alaric simply replied, "We’ve met a few times. We’re not close."

"But Sixth Miss Forrest looked like she’s completely smitten with Dr. Hawthorne," Yara teased. Her eyes were like a romance scanner.

Alaric’s lips curved into a slow smile. "But I already have someone I like, and it’s not Sixth Miss Forrest."

His gaze drifted over to Zinnia. She met his incredibly gentle eyes behind his glasses for a moment, but her mind was already on something else.

Sienna is incredibly snobbish. Alaric must come from an extraordinary family. But I’ve never heard him mention it, nor have I ever seen him in high society. I always assumed he was just a regular doctor.

"Is Crystal planning to enter the entertainment industry? The people she was with earlier are all big names," Yara said. As a student at the film academy, she’d met quite a few people in the business by working as a martial arts replacement on film crews—though, of course, it was a one-way acquaintance.

Zinnia wasn’t surprised, remembering how Jenson had paid a fortune for a song for Crystal.

"Perhaps."

"Hah!" Yara scoffed with a click of her tongue. "Crystal’s violin skills are nowhere near good enough for her to have a career as a real musician. No wonder she’s paying so much for songs. She’s obviously planning to use ’violinist’ as a springboard into the entertainment industry."

Zinnia remained silent. Jenson was paving the way for Crystal, feeding her resources, even deigning to personally accompany her to dinners and drinks. He was truly putting in a lot of effort for her. The difference between being loved and not being loved was stark and clear.

Just then, the waiter began bringing their dishes to the table, and Yara dropped the subject so as not to upset Zinnia.

The food had just begun to arrive when Alaric’s phone rang. He answered it, and his brow furrowed slightly as he listened.

"What is it, Senior?"

"It’s an emergency. I have to get back to the hospital for a ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery. I’m sorry, I won’t be able to drive you back later..."

He stood up, and Zinnia quickly waved him off. "Go, don’t worry about it."

Alaric gave an apologetic smile and hurried away.

"Tsk, it’s not easy being a doctor. He doesn’t even get to enjoy his meal," Yara lamented. She looked down, ready to dig in, only to realize the item she was swishing in the hot pot was a piece of pig brain. Her chopsticks trembled, and the brain tissue broke apart in the broth.

Zinnia saw her startled expression and couldn’t help but chuckle.

The restaurant featured traditional architecture. As Alaric passed through the central courtyard, he paused and looked up at the second floor. The ginkgo leaves had already turned their autumn yellow. Through an open, ornate window on the east side, a man in a black suit stood watching. The midday sun dappled across his handsome brow through the leaves, doing little to warm his cold, solitary aura.

It was Jenson Forrest.

A jealous man.

When Alaric had received the call from the hospital, he knew it was no coincidence. It had to be Jenson’s doing.

Their eyes met across the courtyard. Alaric’s expression remained unchanged as he offered a placid smile, gave a slight nod, and then turned to leave.

I’m a doctor. It doesn’t matter if the surgery is real or a pretense; I can’t afford to be late.

Zinnia had a small appetite. Even though she was making a conscious effort to eat more due to her pregnancy, she was full long before Yara had even hit her stride. For a girl with such an appetite, it was a good thing she exercised so much.

Zinnia told Yara to take her time and went to the restroom. As she was washing her hands, she heard voices from the main area.

"Crystal, I’m so jealous of you! Third Brother loves you so much and has thought of everything. With him paving the way for you, you’ll definitely be an A-list star by this time next year!"

"You too! Let’s work hard together."

Sienna and Crystal walked in, arm in arm, showing no surprise at seeing Zinnia there. Sienna had hoped to see a jealous, pained look on Zinnia’s face, but it was completely devoid of emotion. Zinnia didn’t even give them a second glance as she moved to leave.

Crystal took a step forward, but Zinnia darted back two or three steps. Her sudden movement startled Crystal.

"What are you doing? Why are you so jumpy!" Sienna snapped.

Zinnia smirked. "I’m preventing a setup, of course. What if she suddenly falls to the ground and claims I harmed the precious little treasure in her belly? Who would believe my side of the story then?"

Zinnia took out her phone, opened the camera app, and started recording. She aimed it at Sienna and Crystal and then started walking forward again.

Crystal was speechless.

Sienna’s face darkened as she grabbed Zinnia’s arm. But remembering the recording, she changed her tone and her form of address. "Oh, Third Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry. We didn’t know you were here. You must have heard that Third Brother is starting an entertainment company just to make Crystal a big star. You don’t mind, do you? Oh, and he also spent two million just so Crystal could play a song by her favorite idol one time. You never would have imagined Third Brother had such a romantic side, would you?"

Zinnia raised a brow. Oh, I know all about it. That wasn’t romantic; it was just him being a rich idiot.

Crystal smiled brightly. "Sister, you’re so pretty, why not join the entertainment industry too? Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Jenson for you."

Sienna immediately jumped in. "Crystal, you’re too kind. To make it in the entertainment industry, you have to be lovable and popular. How could Third Sister-in-law possibly manage that?"

The implication was clear: Zinnia was universally despised.

Tired of their gloating, Zinnia simply nodded, her gaze falling to Crystal’s stomach. "Pardon my bluntness, but I’ve never seen anyone debut while heavily pregnant. Still, that would certainly make you unique. Maybe you really can land a center-stage debut with your baby bump. Go for it."

She shook Sienna’s hand off her arm and walked away, Sienna’s furious curses echoing behind her.

Zinnia was walking back toward the main dining hall when, just as she rounded a corner in the corridor, a strong arm snaked around her waist and pressed her firmly against the wall.