CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 90: SHE’S THE ONE WHO DEBASED HERSELF

Zinnia bit her lip. "I just wanted to save Yara, I thought..."

"You thought what? That I’d go soft on you? That you could just ask, put on a little show, and I’d give you whatever you want?"

Jenson easily interpreted Zinnia’s unfinished sentence. But his insight only made him seem more despicable. He saw right through her and was deliberately humiliating her. More tears seeped from her tightly closed eyes.

Jenson found the sight irritating, and his words grew sharper. "I only have a soft spot for my sister and my wife. Do you think you deserve that? You come here offering yourself up like a plaything, and now you’re crying your pathetic little heart out? How pathetic!"

This was the girl he had raised. Four years ago, she had made the foolish mistake of drugging him, and now she still hadn’t learned her lesson. The thought that she would rather debase herself like this than come back as Mrs. Forrest made Jenson want to crush every rebellious bone in her body.

Zinnia, thoroughly wounded by his humiliating words, opened her eyes, which were burning red. "Yes, I was wrong! I’m cheap, and I’ve learned my lesson. So, esteemed Young Master Forrest, can you let me go now? And stop acting like some lecher who’s enjoying being seduced by me!"

A vein twitched on Jenson’s forehead, and the hand on her waist clenched into a fist. He got up from her and stood straight.

"Rest assured," he said coolly, "I have very little interest in women who throw themselves at me."

Zinnia scrambled to pick up her clothes and get dressed. Her phone, still on the table, continued to ring. Fearing there was news from the police station, she quickly snatched it up. When she saw "Joy Kramer" on the caller ID, her expression faltered.

She had used Joy’s identity for her prenatal check-up and had given Joy’s name. Feeling uneasy after taking sleeping pills earlier, she had asked Joy to consult the doctor for her. She hadn’t expected Joy to call back right now.

Zinnia quickly hung up.

"Why aren’t you answering?"

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, Jenson’s deep voice inquired from above her.

Zinnia flinched, and the clothes she was holding fell to the ground in a panic. Jenson wasn’t a nosy person; for him to ask meant he was suspicious.

Zinnia suppressed her guilt and glared at him, her eyes still red. "Do I look like I’m in any state to answer the phone right now?"

Her voice trembled slightly, but Jenson didn’t withdraw his scrutinizing gaze. "Joy Kramer... Isn’t that the friend you accompanied to a prenatal check-up? Why is she calling you?"

Zinnia picked her clothes up again and answered casually, "I don’t know."

She didn’t bother fabricating a lengthy explanation, which surprisingly seemed to dispel Jenson’s suspicion. The man turned and walked toward the staircase.

Only when his figure disappeared from the living room did Zinnia collapse onto the sofa, utterly exhausted. Yara is still at the police station, and I accomplished nothing by coming here. She cursed Jenson with every fiber of her being.

She finished dressing, left the villa with her head down, and began scrolling through her phone contacts. Maybe I should ask Winston for help...

A Cullinan pulled up in front of her. The driver, Uncle Cohen, rolled down the window.

"Ma’am, Mr. Forrest asked me to take you to the police station."

The police station? That means he’s letting me go get Yara.

Zinnia stood stunned. She only hurried forward to open the car door when Uncle Cohen urged her again. As she bent to get in, she paused and looked back toward the second-floor bedroom.

A tall figure seemed to turn and disappear from the window. For some reason, Zinnia felt her nose tingle as tears threatened to fall.

After all, he did have a soft spot for me.

In the car, Zinnia messaged Joy Kramer back on WeChat, and Joy replied quickly.

[Dr. Cohen said that taking a sleeping pill once isn’t a huge deal. Based on how long you were out, the dose likely wasn’t very large and shouldn’t have a major effect on the fetus. He said you should relax and just continue with your regular prenatal check-ups. If you feel unwell at all, you should see a doctor right away.]

Zinnia thanked her and finally let out a breath of relief. She mulled things over for a moment, holding her phone, before opening Jenson’s WeChat and sending a single message.

[Thank you.]

Jenson didn’t reply.

When she arrived at the police station, she was able to get Yara Fairchild out with little trouble.

It was two in the morning by the time they got back to their apartment. The moment they were inside, Yara threw her arms around Zinnia, her voice muffled as she said, "I’m sorry, Zinnia. I lost control and caused you trouble. Did you go beg That dog Forrest? Did he give you a hard time?"

She wasn’t stupid. Seeing Jenson’s car when she left the station, she knew Zinnia must have gone to him for help.

"No, he didn’t give me a hard time. Don’t overthink it. Just go wash up and get some sleep."

Zinnia patted Yara’s head. Yara gave her one more squeeze before heading to her room.

There’s no way that bastard Jenson didn’t make things difficult for her, not with his personality. Zinnia’s eyes are still red. If I had known Finn Quinn could be this despicable, I would have just put up with it.

Once in the bathroom, Yara looked in the mirror and gave her own cheek a light slap as a warning. I can’t get drunk so easily again. And there are some people I just can’t afford to provoke. Next time I see that phony Finn Quinn, I’ll be sure to give him a wide berth!

「The next day」

Zinnia was awakened by her ringing phone. She drowsily answered it, and an unfamiliar male voice came from the other end.

"Is this Adverse? Hello, I’m Manager Walsh from the Francesco flagship store. We were in contact before."

Zinnia was wide awake in an instant. She hurriedly sat up. "Yes, Manager Walsh, I remember you. Is this about signing the advertising contract?"

"Yes, about that. We need to reconsider the contract. We can’t sign it at the moment, I’m sorry."

Zinnia frowned. "Is there a problem?"

She had selected several companies to advertise with on Weibo, and the cooperation with Francesco violins was supposed to be finalized today. For them to back out so suddenly meant something must have happened.

"You don’t know yet, Adverse? You should probably take a look at the public opinion online."

"One moment."

Zinnia quickly opened Weibo, only for the app to immediately start lagging. By the time she finished reading the whole story, she almost laughed with anger.

"I will handle this immediately. As for the contract, can we still reconsider signing?"

"Of course. If you can resolve the situation online, Adverse, we’re still very keen to cooperate."

Having come to an agreement, Zinnia hung up.

[To be honest, the piece isn’t that great. "Adverse" is clearly just chasing clout.]

[Two million for the premiere of a piece like this? Crystal Sutton must be crying her eyes out in the bathroom.]

[A violin solo should feature a classic. Performing such a mismatched piece is just an insult to the ears.]

...

These were the kinds of mocking and derisive comments flooding Zinnia’s Weibo page. The whole affair, it turned out, was related to Crystal Sutton.

The opening piece of Crystal’s solo concert had been recorded and posted online. The fact that she had previously spent two million for the premiere rights to Zinnia’s piece had already become a trending topic, causing quite a stir. As a result, the video garnered immediate attention as soon as it was posted.

Out of curiosity, netizens clicked on the video, hoping to enjoy the music. However, Crystal Sutton’s performance was dreadful, and she was roundly mocked online. In response, she posted the sheet music this morning, claiming she had played it exactly as written and personally thought it sounded quite nice.

With that move, followed by a wave of hired online commentators to steer the narrative, Zinnia, the composer, became the scapegoat for Crystal’s mediocre skills.

"Zinnia, did you see all the hate online?" Yara Fairchild burst in, furious. "I didn’t hold back yesterday, so how can Crystal still be stirring up trouble? What is she, a cockroach?"

If I’d known, I would have hit her harder. I should have knocked her out for a week or two!

"It wouldn’t be her style to take a beating and not stir up some trouble in return," Zinnia said with a faint smile.

Seeing Zinnia’s relaxed expression, Yara blinked. "Zinnia, you’ve already figured out how to fight back, haven’t you?"