CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: ZINNIA LAWRENCE AMAZES EVERYONE

Winston Forrest overheard their conversation and turned to address Zinnia Lawrence.

"Play with them. If you lose, I’ll drink for you."

With his assurance, what did Zinnia have to fear? Besides, she hadn’t been afraid to begin with.

She smiled, raised an eyebrow at Winston, and then looked at Crystal Sutton.

"Let’s do it."

Crystal smiled back. "I’m so envious of you, Zinnia. Even without Jenson to look after you, you still have Winston to dote on you."

Zinnia met her eyes. "Did you grow up drinking the northwest wind or something?"

Crystal, "???"

"Otherwise, how is every sentence you say so passive-aggressive?" Zinnia said as she shook the dice and slammed the cup down on the table. "Your turn."

She lifted the lid, revealing a six and a five.

Crystal’s expression soured. She shook the dice cup for a long time before Lucy Lucas leaned over.

"Let me open it for Miss Sutton, I have great luck..."

As Lucy spoke, she lifted the lid. Two fours. It wasn’t a small roll, but compared to Zinnia’s, it was still a loss.

Lucy awkwardly handed a glass of alcohol to Crystal. Crystal took the glass and turned to look at Jenson. The man was still leaning back lazily in the leather chair, puffing on a cigarette with his long legs crossed on the coffee table, looking completely unconcerned.

Crystal bit her lip. "You can ask your question."

Zinnia smiled faintly. "There’s something I’ve always been curious about. When I was six, my aunt and uncle brought me to the Sutton Family home for a visit. That very night, you came down with a high fever and had terrible nightmares. The maid, Ms. Chambers, said I had jinxed you, and I was sent away the very next day. In the middle of the night, I heard splashing coming from your room. Were you taking a cold shower?"

As soon as Zinnia confronted Crystal, many people in the room started paying attention. Now, Zinnia’s question made Crystal’s expression freeze. She could feel probing eyes on her from all directions.

Of course, she had done it on purpose back then. Zinnia had been beaten black and blue by York Lawrence and kicked out of the house barefoot in the dead of winter to buy him cigarettes when she happened to run into the Sutton family’s car. Her parents brought Zinnia home, and Crystal overheard Mandy Lowe crying about how pitiful Zinnia was, saying she wanted to keep her so the two girls could be raised as sisters.

How could that be allowed?!

That night, she deliberately took a cold shower to give herself a fever. She cried and fussed, clinging to Mandy Lowe and claiming that the sight of Zinnia reminded her of the living hell she’d endured at the Lawrence family home. She feigned terrifying nightmares and even bribed Ms. Chambers to back up her story. Just as she’d planned, her parents sent Zinnia away early the next morning.

"What are you talking about, Zinnia? How could I have done something like that? You must have misheard," Crystal denied instantly, but the fleeting stiffness in her expression seemed to reveal the truth.

Zinnia didn’t expect someone like Crystal to have any sense of sportsmanship, so she didn’t press the issue and moved on to playing with Lucy.

Crystal, however, sat there feeling as if she were on pins and needles. She felt like everyone was still secretly watching her, judging her, seeing right through her.

Lucy also lost to Zinnia and coquettishly asked Ethan Colby to drink for her.

Ethan caressed her face and said, "Baby, I like independent women."

With a twisted expression, Lucy downed the drink. She refused to believe Zinnia could be lucky enough to keep winning.

And yet, Zinnia did, in fact, keep winning.

She rolled two sixes and looked leisurely at Crystal, who had lost again. "Truth?"

Remembering Zinnia’s pointed questions, Crystal flinched. She picked up her glass. "I’ll drink."

She steeled herself and tilted her head back, but then a hand reached out and took the glass from her.

It was Jenson.

He held the glass and looked at Zinnia, his expression cold and detached.

"She can’t drink. I’ll take it for her."

Crystal had almost had a miscarriage recently and had been on bed rest for days to recover, so drinking was out of the question.

A smile bloomed on Crystal’s face, and she deliberately leaned into Jenson’s side. "Zinnia, Winston already said he’d drink for you, and now Jenson is drinking for me. You don’t mind, do you?"

Zinnia didn’t want to mind, but just moments ago Jenson had watched Finn Quinn force a drink on her, and now he was stepping in to protect Crystal. Love, and the lack of it, was the ultimate double standard.

Zinnia felt a bitterness rise in her throat, as if she’d swallowed medicine. She forced her expression to remain calm and serene. "Fine. Let’s hope President Forrest doesn’t regret this."

Jenson tipped his head back, the alcohol sliding down his throat. His sexy Adam’s apple bobbed as his deep eyes remained fixed on Zinnia.

He was the one who had personally taught her how to handle a dice cup. The girl had a knack for it, and the student had surpassed the master. No one knew her skills better than he did. Crystal could play against this little vixen until she coughed up blood, and she’d still lose.

Jenson set the empty glass down, giving Zinnia nothing more than a noncommittal raise of his eyebrows.

Zinnia lowered her gaze and sneered inwardly. That bastard wanted to shield his lover. Why should she feel any pity?

After that, Crystal and Lucy did nothing but lose. Lucy was on the verge of crying from all the drinking, but her tolerance was impressive, and she was still hanging on.

Meanwhile, Jenson drank one glass, then another...

A seventh glass, an eighth...

"Jenson, stop drinking," Crystal said, her voice laced with concern. "I don’t want to play anymore."

But Jenson just smiled at her. "It’s fine."

The man was slightly drunk, giving him a touch of rakish charm that his usual cold, noble demeanor lacked. He had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. His clavicles were half-hidden in the dim light, shimmering with a rosy hue that was unbearably sexy.

Amidst the playful catcalls from the crowd, Crystal looked at him shyly, her eyes overflowing with a melting tenderness.

Suddenly, Zinnia felt that her victory was meaningless. A burning sensation pricked her eyes.

"Fighting with your third brother? Come on, your fifth brother will help you get back at him," Winston said, leaning close. He stood and pulled Zinnia to her feet, announcing loudly, "We’re done playing. I’m taking Zinnia downstairs to dance."

Zinnia followed him, and they quickly left the private room.

The moment Zinnia was gone, Lucy perked up. She hadn’t won a single round, and her pride was on the line. She slapped her thigh, shook the dice cup, and rolled two fours, urging Crystal on.

"Quick, Miss Sutton, it’s your turn!"

Beside her, Jenson had been radiating an icy aura ever since Zinnia left. Crystal, distracted, tossed the dice carelessly.

"Haha! I won! I finally won! Drink!" Lucy cheered, shoving a glass into Crystal’s hand.

Crystal turned to pass it to Jenson. "Jenson..."

Jenson didn’t even glance at her, his voice cold. "Heh. You really think I’m your hired drinking buddy?"

He only drank what his wife poured for him. What did this trash have to do with him?

The man stood up and strode out of the room.

Crystal froze as Jenson’s tall figure disappeared in a few steps.

Just as she was about to chase after him, Lucy lunged forward and grabbed her legs, wailing drunkenly. "You can’t leave! Miss Sutton, you can’t just skip out on your loss! You have to drink the alcohol!"

"Let go!" Crystal snapped, trying to shake her off.

"You... you’re so shameless! I knew it! You were being dishonest when you answered the question earlier too, I just knew it!"

Everyone else in the room watched with varying expressions. Crystal felt as if she’d been stripped bare. She wanted nothing more than to kick Lucy away and slap her face twice. She was trapped, unable to back down but also unable to drink. With reddened eyes, she shot a helpless, pleading look at Finn Quinn.

The Quincy and Sutton families had been friends for generations, and Finn’s expression was conflicted. He had always thought Crystal was innocent and pitiful. Her life had been stolen as a child, she had suffered so much, and then as an adult, she’d even had her marriage snatched away. But today, Zinnia’s question seemed to have revealed a different side of Crystal.

Nevertheless, he walked over, picked up the glass, and drank it for her.

Ethan Colby walked over, his expression grim. He yanked Lucy off and tossed her onto the sofa before turning to Crystal with concern. "Are you alright?"

Crystal ignored him and hurried out of the room.

With Jenson and the others gone, the lively atmosphere in the room dissipated, and everyone else soon began to follow them out. Just as they exited, someone leaning on the second-floor railing stared at the dance floor below with wide eyes, shouting in shock.

"Holy shit! That’s fucking incredible!"

Miles Chase and Finn Quinn followed his gaze. On the elliptical stage in the center of the dance floor, a space usually filled with chaotic dancing, a solo performance had stolen the show.

The woman wore a long T-shirt and jeans, dressed like a typical college student without revealing a bit of skin. But on that stage, her graceful waist twisted and her elegant figure swayed. Every movement was both nimble and bewitching, every strand of her hair seeming to dance. With every turn, her backward glance held a coquettish charm that was utterly captivating. She lifted a leg, sent her hips swaying, bent low, and whipped her hair back. Her movements were as fluid as water, yet carried a powerful rhythm—an intoxicating mix of sultry and pure.

No wonder the moment she stepped onto the stage, it became hers alone; anyone else would have retreated in shame.

It was Zinnia.

Five minutes earlier, Winston had pulled her onto the dance floor and led her to the edge of the stage. He had suddenly leaned in and shouted in her ear, "Remember what Ms. Young said? As long as you’re on the stage, the stage is yours! Go on!"

Before Zinnia could even react, Winston had gripped her waist and lifted her onto the stage.

Zinnia loved the stage; she found her rhythm in an instant. She danced with complete abandon, totally unaware that the stage had become her personal showcase, mesmerizing the entire crowd.

The bar’s pounding music suddenly stopped. The dizzying lights flickered a few more times, and then the entire dance floor fell silent, only to be followed by a wave of frenzied passion.

Zinnia stood stunned on the stage, gaping as couples on the dance floor below simultaneously embraced and began kissing passionately.

The lights flickered again. In that flash, she thought she saw Crystal grab hold of a tall male figure and rise on her tiptoes to kiss him. And the man embraced her, lowering his head.

BANG!

With a loud crack, the lights went out completely.

The club was plunged into darkness. The surrounding sounds of kissing and swallowing were enough to make one’s skin crawl. But the image she had just seen kept flashing before her eyes. She stood rigidly, her face deathly pale, as if trapped in an endless night.

At that moment, someone grabbed her ankle. The touch was plump and greasy, and it began to drag her off the stage.