CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: KNEEL, TOAST, AND APOLOGIZE

"What’s going on?" Zinnia asked anxiously.

Yara Fairchild had clearly been drinking. She looked disheveled and miserable, but her spirits lifted when she saw Zinnia. She angrily clenched her fists. "It’s all because of that damned phony! He deceives the public with that ’nation’s heartthrob’ persona, but in reality, his mind is smaller than the eye of a needle!"

Zinnia listened to Yara’s angry rant for a while before she understood what had happened.

It turned out that after Zinnia was taken away by Jenson Forrest, Finn Quinn had started tormenting Yara. He refused to let her leave and demanded she compensate him for his losses. Yara wasn’t one to back down, and Finn had the temper of a spoiled young master. The two got into a physical fight, which evolved from fisticuffs to a drinking competition at the bar. They both drank too much, and Yara ended up injuring Finn.

Now, Finn had reported her to the police for property damage and assault, getting Yara locked up.

"Zinnia, you don’t have to worry about me. If that Finn Quinn has the guts, he can lock me up for life! I’ll just go into seclusion in the holding cell and spend all night drawing circles to curse him."

Yara told Zinnia not to get involved, but Zinnia was racked with remorse and guilt. Yara had come with her tonight, and the conflict with Finn Quinn had started because of her. How could she just abandon Yara?

She contacted a lawyer, but the situation was grim. The Quincy family had provided surveillance footage of Yara leading people into the winery and smashing things. Furthermore, Finn’s face had been bruised in the fight, delaying his filming schedule. His attitude was unyielding, and he refused to settle. As he was a young master of the Quincy Family, the police were constrained by their influence. Since Yara was clearly in the wrong, they denied bail.

Zinnia called Finn Quinn and apologized calmly. "Young Master Quinn, it was my fault for disrupting your event tonight. You are a man of great magnanimity. I am calling to apologize on Yara’s behalf and will compensate you for the losses..."

Before she could finish, Finn Quinn interrupted her. "Why are you apologizing for her? Do you have any idea what she did?"

"What did she do?"

What did she do?

Zinnia was puzzled. From his tone, it sounded as if Yara had done something far worse.

"She..." Finn was furious but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He thought about the drinking competition with that woman earlier. They had both gotten drunk and somehow ended up tumbling onto a bed, nearly letting things get out of hand. Not only had she taken advantage of him, but at the critical moment, she had gone berserk for some reason and kicked him off the bed. His head spun from the fall. Before he could even react, the woman had leaped off the bed like a tigress, pinned him down, and turned the tables, accusing him of trying to sexually assault her. Without another word, she’d pummeled him with her fists and feet. He, the great Young Master Quinn, had almost lost his first kiss and his virginity, all while getting a beating. He had never suffered such a humiliation in his entire life!

Finn Quinn felt like he could spit blood. He said coldly, "Unless that woman, Yara Fairchild, kneels, admits she was wrong, and offers a toast of apology, any talk of a settlement is off the table! Hiss!"

The sharp pain from the cut on his lip made him wince, robbing his voice of some of its force. His expression darkened, and he hung up. When Zinnia called back, his phone was already off.

There was no way Zinnia could ask Yara to kneel and beg. Given Yara’s temperament, she wouldn’t kneel even if they broke her legs.

Zinnia had no choice but to call Jenson again, but his phone was unreachable. Since I left the hotel, he must have gone to see Crystal Sutton. The thought occurred to her, and she hailed a taxi to the Sutton residence.

And Jenson had indeed gone to the Sutton residence. When he arrived, Crystal was still making a fuss.

One of her teeth had been knocked out. Her face throbbed and her jaw ached. How could she possibly swallow this insult? When Jenson arrived, Crystal was crying in Mandy Lowe’s arms.

Mandy was tenderly applying an ice pack to her daughter’s face while angrily questioning Jenson. "Jenson, Crystal was perfectly fine when she left the house, but Zinnia Lawrence beat her like this! You have to give us an explanation today!"

Crystal’s eyes were red and swollen as she looked at Jenson mournfully.

Jenson’s expression was placid. "What kind of explanation do you want?"

Mandy retorted furiously, "Get Zinnia over here right now! Make her apologize to Crystal, and then let Crystal slap her back to make things even!"

A cold glint flashed in Jenson’s eyes. He let out a low sneer and looked down at Mandy. "She is my wife. Here in Veridia, no one dares to lay a finger on Mrs. Jenson Forrest!"

His gaze all but wrote ’dream on’ across his face.

Mandy choked, speechless. "You!"

Crystal’s tears flowed even harder. She spoke through the pain, "Right in front of you, she dared to drug me. Brother Jenson, you protect her without even knowing right from wrong. What’s next? Will she force an abortion pill down my throat? Boo hoo... I’m so scared..."

Crystal staggered to her feet. "Instead of waiting for her to harm me and suffering through it, I’d rather just go to the hospital and have an abortion myself. At least I won’t have to suffer any more than necessary. Mom, let’s go to the hospital."

Mandy supported Crystal and nodded. "Alright, to the hospital!"

Simon Sutton’s face was also livid. "If the baby has to suffer like this before it’s even born, what’s the point? I’ll contact an OB-GYN right now."

He took out his phone to make a call while Mandy called for the car to be prepared. As she was helped toward the door, Crystal was confident. She refused to believe that Jenson wouldn’t care about the child in her womb.

However, the man just stood there, his expression cold, showing absolutely no intention of stopping them. The three Suttons were now in an awkward predicament, unable to advance or retreat, and their faces turned ugly. They walked past Jenson, but the tall, imposing man remained silent and motionless, watching them with cold detachment.

With no other options, Crystal’s legs gave way, and she fainted, collapsing to the floor.

"Crystal!" Mandy shrieked.

Jenson frowned. Crystal was lying on the ground, and it looked as if she had truly fainted. He furrowed his brow and instructed Timothy Cohen to call a doctor before stepping forward, picking Crystal up, and carrying her back to her room.

He placed Crystal on the bed and started to straighten up.

But Crystal clutched the hem of his suit jacket. Jenson’s movements paused. In a deep voice, he said, "Let go."

Crystal opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face. "Brother Jenson, you can’t be so cruel to me. You promised to take care of and protect the baby I’m carrying..."

There was no emotion in Jenson’s eyes. "I also told you not to provoke Zinnia."

"I didn’t..."

Jenson cut her off coldly. "You cleaned up the hotel’s surveillance footage and Zinnia’s glass, yes. But sleeping pills would have to be bought from a nearby pharmacy on short notice. It wasn’t difficult to trace."

Crystal’s face instantly went pale. So he already knew everything.

Seeing the icy chill in his eyes, her hand that was gripping his jacket went limp. "I... I was just..."

Jenson straightened up, his expression impatient. A sharp light glinted in his eyes as he cut her off again. "I don’t want to hear explanations, and I don’t like being coerced. The child you’re carrying is not a tool to threaten me. You had better remember the taste of that slap today. Understand?"

A chill ran through Crystal. She bit her lip hard and nodded instinctively.

Jenson averted his gaze and walked out.

Mandy and Simon were still waiting at the door. Seeing Jenson leave just like that, they were about to protest but were stopped by Crystal.

Jenson left the Sutton residence, got into his car, and rubbed his temples before telling the driver to go.

Just as Zinnia arrived, she saw Jenson’s familiar Cullinan pulling out of the Suttons’ residential complex.

He really did come to see Crystal. At least I found him.

Zinnia quickly told the taxi driver to follow it, but she was shocked when Jenson returned to Sovereign Court.

Has he been living here this whole time? But this is our marital home. He refused to come back before. Is he only living here now because I’m gone? Or maybe...

Standing outside the entrance to Sovereign Court once again, Zinnia felt a complex wave of emotions. This was especially true when she recalled how, just over an hour ago in the hotel room, she had given Jenson the cold shoulder, wishing they would never have to see each other again. But in the blink of an eye, here she was, about to beg for his help. The thought left an even more complicated mix of feelings swirling inside her.

She hesitated at the door for a long time. Finally, the thought of Yara locked in a cell gave her the courage she needed. Gritting her teeth, she walked inside.