Their Villain, The Mogul's Beloved

374 Chapter 272

Chapter 272

“Yeah, | like staying with Grandma,” Zinnia replied with a blank face.

Zinnia’'s aloof demeanor left Maelis at a loss. She asked a few simple questions, but the conversation quickly

stalled. In the past, it was always Maelis who tried to keep the dialogue going, while Zinnia would only respond

with short answers.

Zinnia was nothing like Betty, who knew how to lift Maelis’ spirits with her cheerful chatter. Zinnia, with her cold

and distant nature, felt like a stranger Maelis didn’t know how to approach.

She wanted to show she cared, but she didn’t know how.

Besides, Zinnia and Betty were constantly at odds. Maelis felt a deep sense of guilt toward Zinnia, but her heart

also ached

for Betty, who often ended up hurt in these conflicts.

She couldn’t understand why Zinnia couldn’t accept Betty. The mix-up all those years ago wasn’t anyone's fault.

It was just a cruel twist of fate. Neither of them was to blame.

Both were her daughters-the only difference was that one she had raised since birth, and the other was the one

she had just gotten back. Seeing them fight and struggle to get along tore Maelis apart.

“Zinnia, I'm sorry for what happened between you and Betty last time. | misunderstood you. Can you forgive

me?” Maelis held Zinnia’s hand and stared at her with tearful eyes.

Sofia heard Maelis’ sincere apology and finally felt a bit relieved. She thought at least Maelis wasn't entirely

clueless.

“I forgive you,” Zinnia replied. She pulled her hand away because Maelis’ touch made her uncomfortable. She

even tucked

it behind her back, showing evident resistance.

“Really?” Maelis’ face lit up with surprise. She hadn't expected Zinnia to forgive her so quickly. Overwhelmed

with joy, she

didn’t even notice her reluctance.

She thought, ‘I know you're a kind girl, Zinnia. Thank you for forgiving me.”

Timothy, watching them, widened his eyes in disbelief. His gaze fixed on Zinnia, filled with confusion.

He thought, ‘How could she easily say forgive her, yet treatwith nothing but thorns, refusing to even speak

to me?”

“Yeah,” Zinnia nodded faintly. She hadn't taken Maelis’ or Betty's words to heart at all. She didn’t care about

them anymore, so whether she forgave them or not didn’t matter.

She figured if forgiving them meant they would finally leave her alone, she would be more than willing to do it.

Only Sofia felt speechless by how dumb Maelis was.

She thought, ‘Did Maelis really think Zinnia’s forgiveness was genuine? Couldn’t she see that she was just

humoring her? Zinnia had already let go of any attachment to her as a mother!

“Zinnia, you might have to stay with your grandma for a few more days, and I'll pick you up soon,” Maelis said,

her face lighting up with excitement. She seemed completely oblivious to Sofia’s pained expression.

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Chapter 272

Maelis had noticed Donald’s reluctance to let Zinnia return hlast night. She knew he was still upset, so she

planned to spend the next couple of days soothing him before bringing Zinnia back.

Zinnia stayed silent. Ever since she had chosen to leave the Shaw family, the idea of going back had never once

crossed

her mind.

“Are you bringing Zinnia back to the Shaw residence? Then what about Betty?” Sofia stared at Maelis seriously,

her question cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

Maelis hesitated. “Mom, what happened last twas just a misunderstanding. Betty didn’t mean any harm, and

everything's been cleared up now. Once Zinnia is back home, I'll make sure to guide her properly.

“They're close in age, and Betty has always been easygoing. I'm sure the two of them can get along just fine.”

Maelis glanced at Zinnia as if hoping for her agreement.

In her mind, the conflict between Zinnia and Betty was nothing serious. It was just a small misunderstanding that

could be

resolved with a little effort.

Since Betty had a good temper, Maelis planned to have her be more tolerant of Zinnia. She would guide Zinnia

well too. She truly believed they could get along peacefully.

Besides, she had raised Betty for over a decade. She wouldn’t give up on her so easily.

Even though Maelis had seen the truth of the situation yesterday, she couldn't bring herself to believe Betty was

truly at fault. She thought she was just scared..

She believed that as long as she talked to them nicely, they wouldn't reject Zinnia and that Betty would get

along with her

too.

“Didn’t | tell you not to cfor Zinnia until you'd made up your mind?” Sofia’s voice was firm, her

disappointment cutting through the room as she looked at the indecisive Maelis.

Sofia shook her head, thinking, ‘Someone almost got seriously hurt, and Maelis still thought this was just a little

squabble

between sisters.”

She and Henry spoiled Maelis too much, and Donald had always treated her well, so Maelis had never really

faced any major hardships in life.

However, just because of this, Maelis becindecisive, unable to tell right from wrong. When it ctto

make tough decisions, she always softened and couldn't bring herself to be firm.

“Zinnia and Betty don’t have to be at odds. They're both my daughters. How could | possibly choose between

them?” Maelis hadn't expected Sofia to push her so hard.

She turned to glance at Zinnia, then looked back at Sofia with a conflicted expression. Both Zinnia and Betty

were her treasures, and she couldn't give up on either of them.

“Grandma, Betty was just scared and made a mistake. She knew she was wrong and promised she wouldn't do it

again. If we handle this properly, I'm sure Zinnia and Betty can get along,” Timothy said, clearly taken aback by

Sofia’s stance.

Betty called him yesterday afternoon to explain. She said she had acted out of fear and made a mistake, but now

she

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12:59 Thu, 18 Sept

Chapter 272

understood she was wrong.

She even promised that she wouldn't repeat such behavior and would try her best to get along with Zinnia.

Having lived with Betty for over a decade, Timothy wouldn't give up on her.

00039%0

20

Even though Timothy knew the medicine had been given by Zinnia and not Betty, he still found himself inclined

to support Betty.

“No way. | won't let Zinnia go back to your house and be mistreated again. You're all blind to Betty's true

nature.” Sofia shook her head, sighing as she realized the Shaw family was instinctively defending Betty.

She thought, ‘How long would it take for them to finally wake up? Even with the evidence staring them in the

face, they still refused to believe it.”

Sofia couldn’t understand how an entire family could be so blind.

“Since you can’t decide, I'll do it for you. Betty needs to move out. Find her a place to live, hire someone to look

after her, and make sure she has enough to live on,” Sofia said firmly with her gaze fixed on Maelis.

The Shaw family’s blind loyalty to Betty left Sofia deeply worried about Zinnia’s future life with them. She had to

force Maelis to make a choice, while also giving her a chance to win back Zinnia’s trust.

As long as Betty stayed there, Zinnia and Maelis would never truly reconcile. If they waited any longer, it might

be too late to fix things.

“Mom! Donald won't agree to this. Besides, Betty grew up by my side. How could | trust someone else to take

care of her?” Maelis lowered her head hesitantly, unable to meet Sofia’s eyes.

“And you trust us to take care of Zinnia, huh? You can’t bear sending Betty away, but you had no problem

sending Zinnia off back then, right?” Sofia’s voice turned sharp.

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