CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74: HE PANICKED, FEELING SERIOUSLY OUT OF CONTROL

He had only helped her take her pants off to apply medicine, yet the way he spoke made it sound as if something scandalous had happened between them.

Zinnia Lawrence’s face flushed red, and she reached out to push him away.

The man, however, caught her hand, raised it to his lips for a light kiss, and said with a smile, "Do you like it when I kiss you like this?"

A tingling sensation spread from Zinnia’s fingertips throughout her entire body, like an electric shock.

She unconsciously leaned softly against his chest, too ashamed to speak.

Is this flirting?

Although they had been intimate before, they had never flirted like a couple. The Jenson Forrest of the past wasn’t like this; he was always silent and repressed in bed. Even in their moments of deepest passion, he had never said such racy things, asking her if she liked it or not...

Before, he had made their intimacy feel like a chore.

But now, he hadn’t even done anything—just kissed her fingers and nuzzled her ear and neck—and Zinnia already wanted to surrender to him.

This is terrifying. I shouldn’t let myself sink into this kind of indulgence.

Zinnia’s eyes snapped open, and she snatched her hand back.

"I don’t like it!"

She bit her tongue, forcing herself to look Jenson in the eye as she spoke, each word resolute and firm.

The charming smile on Jenson’s handsome face gradually froze. His thin lips twitched into a slight, mocking sneer.

"You contrary little thing."

The man raised his slender fingers and rubbed them together twice.

Zinnia met his teasing, mocking gaze. When she thought about where his fingers had just been, her mind buzzed, and her whole body turned red, like a shrimp thrown into boiling water.

"Pervert! Freak!"

Humiliated and furious, she spun around and quickly tried to pull on the other pant leg.

But her limbs felt weak, and in her panicked haste, she fumbled with it clumsily like a child, struggling to get it on.

Jenson leisurely pulled out a tissue to wipe his fingers. Then, with a sweep of his long arm, he scooped Zinnia onto his lap.

Zinnia scrambled to pull up the zipper, but her fingers trembled, and the zipper seemed to be stuck.

Jenson’s muffled laughter sounded from above her, making Zinnia so mortified she wanted to spontaneously combust. He reached down, his hand covering hers, and guided her to pull the zipper up, whispering teasingly in her ear.

"You’re welcome."

Zinnia didn’t want to be in the same space as him for another second.

Fortunately, they had arrived at the hospital.

Jenson got out of the car. Zinnia followed, pushing her door open, but she had barely jumped out when her body went light and she was swept into his arms again.

"I can walk on my own."

"Feeling so capable now? Your legs aren’t weak anymore?"

Zinnia was speechless.

Afraid he would say something even more outrageous, she decided to just shut up and accept her fate.

Jenson carried her to the ophthalmology clinic. After an examination, the doctor said it was nothing serious, just a minor infection. He prescribed some eye drops and told her to use them for two days.

Leaving the hospital, however, Zinnia refused to get back into Jenson’s car.

Jenson’s face turned cold. "You’re injured, and you need someone to take care of you! Come back to Sovereign Court with me."

Zinnia stood her ground. Her eyes were still red, but she could open them now. She looked at him.

"This little injury is nothing. There’s no need to trouble yourself, President Forrest."

She was as cold as ice, a far cry from the delicate, flustered woman in the car just moments ago. Jenson was so exasperated he almost laughed.

"So you’re not blind anymore? You don’t need me, so it’s back to ’President Forrest’?"

For some reason, his gaze made Zinnia feel a pang of guilt.

She forced herself to ignore it. She hadn’t forgotten that Crystal Sutton was still in his bed at Aria Villa.

She nodded. "Yes. I’m leaving."

She turned, but Jenson suddenly strode forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

Zinnia froze. What is he doing? For someone as proud as Jenson to repeatedly block her path and pester her like this... it was completely out of character.

"Jenson, let go..."

Zinnia instinctively glanced around. A hospital was a place bustling with people. What on earth had gotten into him?

The man, however, seemed oblivious to everyone else. He lowered his head, resting his chin heavily on Zinnia’s shoulder.

"Wouldn’t staying by my side make you happier than struggling to scrape together enough money to leave me? Zinnia, is it so hard to admit that you can’t leave me?"

His embrace was warm and broad—something Zinnia secretly craved.

His voice was bewitching, his tone gentle and coaxing. Zinnia’s breathing grew ragged.

Sensing her emotional shift, Jenson’s thin lips slowly curved into a contented smile.

However, in the next second—

Zinnia reached up, grasped the arms wrapped around her waist, and firmly pulled them away.

She turned back to face him, a bright smile on her face.

"No, that’s not it. I want to go see the world outside. As for the thirty million, I’ll gather it as soon as I can. I only hope that when the time comes, Third Brother will honor our agreement and let me go."

With that, she turned and walked away without a backward glance.

Could she not leave him? Perhaps. To Zinnia, Jenson was like a drug. But she was already trying to break the addiction, and she was determined to succeed. And Jenson thought she couldn’t leave him simply because he was certain she was incapable of scraping together thirty million and surviving on her own, which would force her to depend on him.

Behind her, Jenson’s figure stood frozen. His deep eyes watched her shrink into the distance and disappear, a deep furrow forming between his brows.

Even during this recent period of turmoil, Jenson had always felt that she was still within his reach, still the same obedient little girl who would listen to him.

But now, for the first time, he felt a profound sense of losing control.

It was a terrible feeling.

* * *

After leaving Aria Villa, Crystal Sutton’s car hadn’t gone far before she saw Gloria Grant waiting by the side of the road.

The car stopped, and Gloria quickly hopped in.

Crystal handed her a card, which Gloria stuffed into her pocket with a grin.

"Crystal, you’ve always been the most filial."

She was filthy and soaking wet, shivering from the cold as she reached for Crystal Sutton’s cashmere shawl.

"I’m freezing to death! That damn Zinnia! I should have beaten her more when she was a child. If I’d beaten some fear into her, she wouldn’t be so disobedient now!"

A flash of disgust crossed Crystal’s eyes as she tossed the cashmere shawl at her.

"My sister has gone too far. How could she treat you so harshly? Don’t you worry. You raised me until I was six. As long as you do what I say, I won’t abandon you."

"Of course Mom trusts you. But... has this month’s money been sent yet? We had an agreement back then. I get a payment every month."

Years ago, when Crystal was six, she had promised to give Gloria 20,000 a month from her allowance in exchange for a certain favor.

After Crystal came of age, Gloria was no longer satisfied. Holding the secret from that year over her head, she had the monthly sum increased to 50,000.

Although Crystal wasn’t short on 50,000, it had amounted to a considerable sum over the years.

She felt the sting of the expense.

Lately, she had been overwhelmed by the online scandals, spending a great deal of money to remove negative press and hire shills. Her finances were tight, so she hadn’t made the payment on time.

Gloria had just taken her card but was already bringing up the monthly payment. Even Crystal couldn’t maintain her composure and frowned.

Gloria immediately grew displeased. "Crystal, you’re a rich young lady, and you’re about to become the young mistress of the Forrest family, your status secured by the child you’re carrying. You can’t shortchange me! Mom doesn’t have any other skills. Your big brother ended up like that, and Zinnia is no daughter of mine. Mom can only rely on you..."

A sharp light glinted in Crystal’s eyes. "Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting? How is my sister not your daughter? Even if you didn’t raise her until she was six yourself, she is still your daughter!"