CHAPTER 8: CHAPTER 8: SLEEPLESS WITHOUT HER

Jenson drove away. By the time he came to his senses, he was already inside Sovereign Court.

The Sovereign Court villa was pitch-black, without a single light on.

He somewhat regretted coming back here, but since he’d already arrived, he got out of the car and entered the foyer.

After they married, he rarely came back. But whenever he did, the house would be brightly lit, and a small woman would run toward him with a smile, asking if he was hungry or cold. He used to think he wasn’t accustomed to having a wife waiting for him like that. Now, he realized he was even less accustomed to this cold solitude.

The chill seeped right into his heart, freezing it through.

"Sir? I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming back tonight..."

SNAP.

The lights flickered on. It was Aunt Kramer, who had heard the car and hurried over from the annex. Aunt Kramer wondered why Jenson hadn’t turned on any lights on such a pitch-black night, so she asked cautiously, "Have you eaten, sir? I can prepare something for you."

The man walked up the spiral staircase, tossing a reply over his shoulder without turning his head. "No need. You can go back and rest."

Jenson pushed open the master bedroom door. The room was tidy, no different from usual. And yet, without that slender figure, it felt strangely empty. Jenson’s gaze swept across the room and landed on the dressing table.

On the rosewood surface, two pieces of jewelry lay quietly: a pair of earrings and a wedding ring. They glittered brightly, with no one to admire them.

Jenson scoffed, a rare curse leaving his lips. "Easy to coax, my ass!"

He hadn’t even managed to pacify her, and she’d still scratched him. Now, he truly believed that woman was dead set on a divorce.

Just then, Jenson’s phone rang. It was Timothy Cohen.

"Boss, Eighth’s condition isn’t good. The entire team of attending physicians has been called in. You should come over to get the details from them directly."

Jenson rushed to the hospital and spoke with the treatment team late into the night, not finishing until past midnight.

The man stood alone by the window, his expression heavy. He hadn’t expected his brother’s illness to be so intractable. As he recalled the doctors’ words, his brow furrowed with gloom. He must have misunderstood Zinnia about the condoms. Thinking of the woman who had run away from home, Jenson raised a hand to knead the bridge of his nose.

「In the still of the night.」

Zinnia was sleeping groggily when her phone began to vibrate continuously. She turned over, took her phone, and saw to her surprise that Jenson had sent her a picture.

Zinnia opened WeChat. In the photo, a man’s long, elegant fingers were toying with a pair of diamond earrings. The earrings and the wedding ring on his knuckle complemented each other, creating an inexplicably intimate and ambiguous mood.

[I’ll hold onto them for you.]

[Let me know when you’re coming back. I’ll pick you up.]

Zinnia stared at the message, somewhat surprised. She had thought Jenson would be furious after she slapped him and would, at the very least, stop bothering her.

A moment later, she sneered. She used to wait for him at Sovereign Court every day, but he would only come back a few times a year. Now that she had left, he had gone back on his own.

He can’t sleep at night without me? Who is he putting on a show for?

She hurriedly closed WeChat, as if afraid of being infected by some vile disease. Just then, the news story about Jenson and Crystal Sutton returning from the airport together popped up on her screen again. Crystal Sutton wasn’t a big celebrity, yet the topic was still trending. It was obvious they had paid to keep the story hot.

But that would require Jenson’s cooperation, wouldn’t it?

A wave of frustration washed over Zinnia. She tossed her phone onto the nightstand with a clatter, rolled over, pulled the covers over her head, and went back to sleep.

「The next day.」

After finishing her morning tutoring session, Zinnia returned to her small apartment, prepared a few simple dishes, and went to see Julia Forrest. She had a servant help Julia with her meal while she went to find the attending physician.

Because Old Madam Forrest’s health wasn’t good, the family was afraid she would be too distressed by the news. Thus, the doctor remained very tight-lipped, telling Zinnia only that it was a common cold. The doctor only revealed the specific details after Zinnia pressed him on it.

As she was coming out of the doctor’s office, she ran right into Katherine Rhodes, who had rushed over. Katherine gave Zinnia a rare nod of acknowledgement and instructed, "Come with me. We’ll sit at the coffee shop across the street."

Zinnia followed her mother-in-law to the coffee shop. Once they were seated across from each other, Katherine got straight to the point.

"You know about Julia’s illness now, don’t you? I know you overheard my conversation with Granny Ward that night."

Zinnia nodded. She was just about to offer Katherine a few words of comfort when her mother-in-law continued, "You and Jenson need to hurry up and have a child."

Zinnia was speechless. Her mother-in-law had clearly already made the decision for her. Whether or not to have a child was never something she could decide for herself.

Thank god she’d had enough of this kind of life!

"It’s impossible for Jenson and me to have a child. I just spoke with the doctor, and he said Julia’s condition..."

Julia’s illness hadn’t progressed to the point of needing a bone marrow transplant. Furthermore, if it were a true emergency, there wouldn’t be enough time to conceive and give birth to a baby. Even if Zinnia did have a child, the chances of a successful match wouldn’t be very high. Medical technology is advancing rapidly, and leukemia is no longer an incurable disease, especially for a family as powerful and well-connected as the Forrests.

Katherine was simply beside herself with worry and had become fixated on this one idea. If having a baby were truly the only way to save little Julia, Zinnia’s affection for the girl was such that she would have been willing to have the child and cut ties with the father. There was no need for Katherine to resort to all these schemes.

"Shut up! You must have this baby!" Katherine interrupted.

Seeing Zinnia frown, she softened her tone. "Rest assured, I won’t let you do this for nothing. When the child is born, I will reward you with one hundred million. If it’s a successful match, I’ll give you three hundred million, and we can settle the accounts for each transfusion separately. As soon as you are pregnant, I can advance you twenty million."

Katherine stirred her coffee with an elegant air, seemingly certain that Zinnia couldn’t refuse such a generous temptation.

Zinnia’s fingers turned cold. The way Katherine spoke, her child didn’t sound like a grandchild but rather an emotionless tool to be used at will—just like Zinnia herself. She clutched the fabric of her dress, the memory of Katherine’s disdainful expression resurfacing—the look she’d had when Gloria Grant came to the Forrest estate asking for money before she left.

"A family of vampires! How could Jenson, as shrewd as he is, be manipulated by a woman like that!"

"Madam, please don’t be angry. It was only twenty thousand. Just think of it as giving alms to a beggar."

The unbearable memory spurred Zinnia to her feet.

"To tell you the truth, my relationship with your son is broken. We are in the process of divorcing, so having another child is impossible. You’re 52 this year. You shouldn’t be menopausal yet, right? If you feel so strongly that a new baby is needed to save your child, why not try having one yourself? It’s better to rely on yourself for these things, don’t you think?"

She picked up her bag and walked out, leaving Katherine sitting there, dumbfounded and unable to believe what she had just heard.

Granny Ward quickly approached from another table. "Madam, what’s wrong? Did the Third Young Mistress upset you again?"

"That ungrateful wretch! The Forrest Family raised her for nothing! Even a dog knows to be loyal to its master! She’s completely out of control, even spouting nonsense about getting a divorce just to avoid having a child!"

Zinnia’s steps faltered for a moment before she walked away with even greater resolve.

She returned to the hospital and pushed open the door to Julia’s ward. Sounds of laughter and cheerful voices spilled out. Old Madam Forrest and Jenson were both there.

Seeing Zinnia, Old Madam Forrest immediately waved her over. "Seventh, come here! Why did you only make a special meal for Eighth? Isn’t Grandma your favorite old baby anymore?"

The old woman pointed at the dishes and pouted theatrically. Though over eighty years old, the matriarch acted like a child squabbling over candy.

Zinnia smiled, sitting beside her and taking her arm. "Whatever Grandma wants to eat, I’ll make it for you."

"I know! Seventh Sister made sweet and sour pork today. Grandma’s been craving this," little Julia piped up. She picked up a piece of meat to offer it, but before Old Madam Forrest could take it, Zinnia caught a whiff of the aroma. She suddenly turned her head and dry-heaved.

Old Madam Forrest’s eyes lit up, and she slapped the arm of Jenson, who was sitting beside her. "Well done, young man! Zinnia’s expecting, isn’t she? How could you keep such wonderful news from your grandma!"

Zinnia took a deep breath to steady herself, then turned to meet Jenson’s deep, dark gaze.