Their Villain, The Mogul's Beloved

“Excuse me, where's the restroom?” she asked a passing clerk, her fingers digging into her handbag. She bit her

lip, trying to hold back the nausea.

“Down that hallway,” the clerk replied, pointing.

Betty hurried to the restroom. Timothy stood there, watching as Jackson led Zinnia upstairs. Zinnia walked

beside him, looking up at him with a smile. From a distance, Jackson's voice echoed softly. “Con, Zinnia.

Let's get sdinner.”

Timothy just stuck there for a long while, silent and lost in thought.

sok

“Jackson, aren't we going hfor dinner with Grandma and everyone else?” Zinnia asked.

“Not tonight. | thought we'd grab something different. I've got a table upstairs,” Jackson said, steering her

toward the elevator. Zinnia just nodded and stayed close.

“Mr. Lynn, your table is this way,” the waiter said, guiding them through the quiet private dining area on the 17th

floor. Jackson had booked a table by the window instead of a private

room.

The tables were separated by curtains, each with its own distinct style: elegant and

traditional, sleek and modern, sweet and charming, bold and flashy, and even cool industrial

vibes.

Each table had its own custom menu. The owner of this place definitely had a knack for making every spot feel

special.

Jackson's eyes scanned the room, and he couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the over-the-top

decorations. Perry had really gone wild with the design. He started to wonder if bringing Zinnia here was such a

great idea after all. It felt a bit too much.

“Zinnia, maybe we should-" he began, thinking about suggesting they go somewhere else, but he was

interrupted before he could finish.

“Hey, Jackson, who's this beautiful lady beside you?” a man said.

Jackson turned and saw his friend Perry Stark standing a few steps away.

Zinnia also turned to look at Perry. He was wearing a yellow-and-white flashy shirt, had pink hair, a pale face,

silver earrings, and a charming smirk. He stood with one hand in his pocket,

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11:11 Wed, 17 Sept C

Chapter 239

looking both rebellious and charming. But Zinnia quickly looked away.

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“Hey, Jackson, what a cute girl, huh? She’s a bit young for you, though,” Perry checked Zinnia out and teased

with a smile.

“Cut it out. This is my cousin, Zinnia,” Jackson said, giving him a warning glance.

“Zinnia, this is my friend Perry Stark,” Jackson gently introduced him to Zinnia.

“Hey, Perry,” Zinnia said obediently. Her voice was naturally sweet, and even though she kept a straight face, it

was hard not to like her.

“Hey, Zinnia,” Perry replied, instantly straightening up when he heard she was Jackson's cousin.

“Glad to see you here. Wanna grab a bite with me? Oh, and what do you guys feel like eating? My treat today,”

Perry said with a grin, stepping forward. He tried to clap Jackson on the shoulder, but Jackson's cold stare made

him think twice.

“Zinnia?” Jackson looked over to Zinnia instead of replying to Perry right away.

“It's up to you, Jackson,” Zinnia said without any fuss.

“If you're eating with us, keep it cool and drop the act,” Jackson said, glancing at Perry.

It had been a while since they last hung out, and it was about tfor a meal together. Besides, with how things

had been with the Shaw family just now, he thought Perry’s easygoing nature could lighten the mood and make

Zinnia smile.

“Con, Jackson, don’t mess this up for me,” Perry said, rolling his eyes. He turned to Zinnia and pulled out his

phone. “Hey Zinnia, ignore him. If you need anything, just hitup. Let's add each other on WhatsApp.”

Zinnia had been quietly observing them, but she never expected to suddenly becthe center of attention.

She glanced at Jackson, puzzled, and couldn't figure out why. After all, since coming here and joining the Shaw

family, she had felt almost invisible, with everyone's eyes always on Betty.

“Zinnia? Is it not okay? I'll be super hurt if you don’t.” Perry still held his phone out to Zinnia, his tone full of

mock grievance.

“Yeah, go ahead, Zinnia. You can always hit Perry up if you need anything,” Jackson chimed in

with a smile.

Jackson knew his friends would look out for Zinnia once she joined their circle. He'd planned to introduce her to a

few of them soon, even if Perry hadn't shown up today.

There would be times when he couldn't be there for her, and it was good to know his friends

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Chapter 239

55 vouchers

would have her back. He didn’t trust the Shaw family, and his own friends were far more dependable.

Zinnia took out her phone-a new gift from Charlie after she moved in with the Lynn family, When she was out

one day, she found its box hanging on the door. Before that, all she had was a call-only smartwatch given to her

by her master.

Thinking of Charlie, Zinnia couldn’t say no. The phone cwith a neatly handwritten instruction sheet

explaining how to use all its features. Zinnia appreciated Charlie's thoughtful gesture and followed the

instructions step by step, downloading all the necessary

apps.

Charlie had suspected Zinnia didn’t have a phone since she'd never mentioned needing one. He figured the

Shaw family probably hadn't bothered to get her one. Keeping their attitude. toward Zinnia in mind, he wrote out

an instruction guide just in case.

As it turned out, Zinnia really needed it now.

Thankfully, Zinnia wasn’t a stranger to technology. After a few days of playing with her phone, she picked up the

basics pretty quickly.

“Awesome, Zinnia,” Perry said, grinning as he added her as a friend and jotted down a note in his contacts.

“Remember to hitup if you need anything. I'm here for you.”

Perry and Jackson had been thick as thieves for over ten years. Perry could tell from the way Jackson spoke that

he had a soft spot for Zinnia. So he was being nice to her.

“Sure.” Zinnia nodded.

“Con, let's get sfood. I've been dragging Zinnia around all afternoon. We don’t want her starving,”

Jackson said, tugging Zinnia along. Perry fell into step behind them, eager to keep up.

They found themselves in a cozy little nook. The walls were adorned with limited-edition plushies-treasures that

most people would dive for, yet here they were, casually hanging around as mere decorations.

Perry noticed Zinnia’s eyes lingering on one of the plushies. He quickly took it down and handed it to her “Hou

Zinnia, do you like this one? It’e a hit worn out but you can play with it f

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