CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: PRESIDENT FORREST, MADAM IS HAVING A PRENATAL EXAM

Zinnia didn’t need to look to know it was jewelry. A slap, then a sweet—he was a master at that game.

Is he training a dog?

Zinnia chuckled. The next second, she picked up the brocade box and hurled it at the scoundrel.

"HISS!"

Who would have thought she would hit the wound on his arm? The man’s brow furrowed slightly.

Zinnia’s expression flickered with panic, and she half-rose from her seat.

She quickly composed herself and sat back down. "Stop pretending! It’s a brocade box, not a brick!"

She served herself a bowl of porridge. The scumbag was infuriating, but she still had to eat.

The baby needs nutrition, after all. Baby, Mommy got revenge for you by hitting him.

Her satisfaction didn’t last long, however, as blood seeped through the sleeve of Jenson Forrest’s arm, staining his light gray wool sweater.

"Why is it bleeding again? Don’t move! I’ll get the first-aid kit."

Zinnia put down her bowl and chopsticks and hurried out.

She carefully unwrapped Jenson Forrest’s bandage. Fortunately, the wound hadn’t split open; it was only bleeding slightly.

As Zinnia reapplied the medicine and bandaged his arm, she couldn’t help but ask with concern, "What did the hospital say about your last blood test?"

The wound had lingered for half a month without fully healing, which wasn’t normal at all.

Jenson Forrest eyed her. "To think you actually care about me."

Zinnia retorted, "You’re mistaken. I’m just asking if you have some terminal illness so I can get ready to inherit your billions."

"Then you can forget about it. The blood test results were fine; there’s nothing wrong."

He said it so casually, which only made Zinnia feel more uneasy.

On her way to work, she called Timothy Cohen to ask about Jenson Forrest’s injury.

Timothy’s voice was heavy. "The preliminary results didn’t show anything, but the doctors said they need to send the blood sample abroad for a more detailed analysis. It will take a few days to get the results..."

Zinnia’s palms grew cold and sweaty. If there were no issues, why would they need to send the blood sample abroad for more tests?

"Ma’am, President Forrest doesn’t like people looking after him, and he isn’t taking the injury seriously. I’m a bit worried, so I’ll have to rely on you to make sure he properly applies his medication and changes the dressing."

Zinnia’s heart leaped into her throat. Even if she and Jenson Forrest no longer had love between them, he was still her brother. They had an unbreakable familial bond, and besides, his injury was partly her fault.

"I understand," she replied.

After Timothy hung up, his gaze fell on the central rearview mirror.

"President Forrest, Ma’am seems very worried; her voice even changed. If she finds out you deceived her, she’ll surely be even angrier..."

Jenson Forrest continued reading the document without looking up, but the corners of his thin lips curved slightly.

"If you don’t tell her, she won’t know. Just keep your mouth shut!"

Jenson Forrest’s arm had been injured while he was participating in a deep-sea rescue for an injured diver abroad. Prolonged exposure to seawater had caused it to become inflamed and infected. It was debrided again just before he returned to the country, but as for why the wound hadn’t healed in the past few days, Timothy truly didn’t know. However, he was sure his president was as strong as a bull.

Timothy hesitated for a moment before saying, "President Forrest, I think you should be honest with your woman..."

Jenson Forrest glanced up. "My wife just called to check on me. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been back for a few days, and your girlfriend still hasn’t contacted you, right?"

Timothy was speechless.

Jenson Forrest’s lips, however, curled into a faint smile. He was different.

My wife cares about me so much. She made me hangover soup last night. At night, she whimpered with pleasure beneath me like a little kitten. And this morning, when she saw my arm hadn’t healed, her eyes turned red with worry. Even though we had an argument this morning, she still called Timothy just now. She’s still thinking about me.

Timothy inadvertently glanced back and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Is the President turning into a lovesick fool? His expression is just like a lovestruck teenager’s.

He blinked hard. When Jenson Forrest lifted his cold gaze, Timothy nervously shrank back.

So scary. I must have seen it wrong.

* * *

Zinnia had just arrived at the Mermaid Restaurant when she came face-to-face with Young Master Donovan, the man who had pestered her before.

Today, he was dressed in a white suit, the words "contemporary Prince Charming" practically written all over his face. He was holding a bouquet as he walked toward Zinnia.

"This is for you. I’m not sure if Miss Lawrence will like it."

Behind him, several of the restaurant’s waitstaff squealed, cheering him on. Zinnia looked at the massive bouquet of roses made from cash being presented to her and almost rolled her eyes in speechlessness.

"For me?"

"Yes! If you like it, I can send one every day!"

Kane Donovan thought Zinnia was touched and pushed the bouquet a little closer.

Zinnia sidestepped it and nodded.

"Then how about I use this money to pay you to never appear in front of me again, okay?" she said curtly before quickly stepping into the restaurant.

Kane Donovan’s smile froze, and he was utterly humiliated. The waitress, Una Tate, dressed in a maid’s outfit, sidled up to him.

"Young Master Donovan, Zinnia Lawrence is just being aloof. If she doesn’t like these flowers, I certainly do. Why don’t you give them to me instead?"

Una Tate was quite attractive. Normally, Kane Donovan wouldn’t refuse a beauty who threw herself at him like this. But ever since he had met Zinnia, she was all he could think about. When a priceless gem was right in front of you, ordinary jewels started to look like common stones.

"Get lost!" he snarled.

Humiliated, Una Tate covered her face and ran away crying.

This entire scene was witnessed by Crystal Sutton from inside a car across the street.

This morning, Rose Lowell had stumbled upon a video on a short-form video platform titled "The Most Beautiful Mermaid Performance." After Rose showed it to her, she finally realized that Zinnia was performing as a mermaid here. She had come over to confirm it, but she didn’t expect to see such an interesting scene.

"Well, well. The grand lady of the Forrest Family, working as a mermaid to make a living. It seems Zinnia’s life in the Forrest Family isn’t so great after all."

She leaned back against the seat, smiling with satisfaction.

Rose Lowell, sitting beside her, said, "She’s a woman with no family to back her and a tarnished reputation. How could anyone respect her? Not like you, Crystal, born a pampered princess."

Crystal Sutton smirked, leaned over, and whispered a few instructions to Rose Lowell.

"Do it discreetly."

This time, she would make sure Zinnia’s reputation was utterly ruined.

* * *

After finishing her performance and leaving the restaurant, Zinnia discovered that Yara Fairchild had called her several times in the last half hour.

Zinnia called her back, and Yara answered quickly.

"Zinnia, head to the First General Hospital right away. I’ve arranged a prenatal checkup for you."

"Huh?" Zinnia was stunned.

"No time to explain! Just hurry over. We’re about to start filming, and the director is rushing me."

Zinnia had been feeling uneasy about not having had a prenatal checkup yet.

She agreed and immediately hailed a taxi to the hospital.

Despite Yara Fairchild’s carefree personality, she was very reliable. As expected, she had arranged everything perfectly, and it all went smoothly.

An hour later, Zinnia was seated in the obstetrics waiting room.

There weren’t many people. Zinnia was wringing her fingers nervously when she suddenly heard a surprised voice.

"Zinnia? What are you doing here?"

Zinnia looked up, shocked to see the pregnant woman standing before her.

"Ms. Levin? Are you here for a checkup?"

When Ms. Levin had resigned four or five months ago, her belly hadn’t been very big. Now, after just a short time, it had swelled up like a balloon.

Ms. Levin took hold of Zinnia. "Yes, I have a relative who works in the gynecology department here, so I registered for my checkups. Zinnia, are you..."

Ms. Levin was about to ask more when her number was called over the intercom.

"That’s me. I’ll go get my checkup first. We can chat later."

She hurried off, and Zinnia breathed a sigh of relief.

She had no idea that back in the president’s office, Brooke Carter, a junior secretary who was close with Ms. Levin, was examining a new photo Ms. Levin had just sent her.

It was a selfie Ms. Levin had taken in the obstetrics waiting room. She had used a wide shot to capture her growing belly. The photo included not only Ms. Levin herself but also the sign for the obstetrics department and half of the people in the waiting room.

Brooke Carter zoomed in on the photo to check Ms. Levin’s complexion, but her eyes were suddenly drawn to a figure in the corner. She exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, isn’t that Zinnia Lawrence? So she was just like Ms. Levin and left because she was pregnant. What was the point of hiding it? She even said her husband had infertility issues."

A junior clerk beside her leaned over for a look. "That really is her, huh."

Just then, a voice came from behind them.

"Who did you say is pregnant?"

Startled, the two women turned and saw Assistant Cohen. They immediately shot to their feet.

"Assistant Cohen, we didn’t mean to gossip..." Brooke Carter started to explain.

But Assistant Cohen reached out, took her phone, glanced at the photo, and handed it back before asking, "Which hospital is this?"

"The First General Hospital..."

"Send me the photo. Immediately."

His expression was grim. After speaking, he turned and quickly entered the president’s office.

Brooke Carter grimaced as she forwarded the photo.

Honestly? It was just a bit of harmless gossip. Does something so minor really need to be reported to the President?

Timothy hurried to the desk and pushed the phone forward. "President Forrest, Ma’am is currently at the First General Hospital for a prenatal checkup..."

The man signing documents maintained his usual expression, but his hand suddenly pressed down so hard that the pen tip punctured the contract.