Their Villain, The Mogul's Beloved

Zinnia couldn’t accept it. ‘Nathan is such a kind person. Why does he have to suffer like this?‘ she wondered.

And worst of all, Zinnia made his condition worse. If he hadn’t been hiding this from Zinnia, he wouldn't have

resorted to medication. Now the backlash was consuming what little life he had left.

Zinnia was plagued by self-doubt. ‘Has meetingbeen a blessing or a curse for Nathan? Would Nathan be in

such bad shape if he hadn’t met me? Without me, he'd be so much better off, maybe even more than that, she

thought.

“I'm sorry. | was wrong,” Yannis said, apologizing very earnestly.

“It's not your fault. | was the foolish one; that’s how you all managed to deceiveso completely,” Zinnia said

calmly. Her voice was calm.

If only I'd been a bit sharper, they wouldn't have fooledfor so long, Zinnia thought bitterly.

She'd sensed something was wrong long ago, yet they kept deceiving her tand again. ‘It’s all because | was

too stupid,” she thought.

Zinnia always knew she could never outsmart them, but being kept completely in the dark like this was

unbearably painful.

Tand again, she had brushed past the truth, until it finally hit her like a thunderclap.

When she heard someone say that Nathan was done for and didn’t have long to live, Zinnia’s mind was buzzing.

Zinnia’s head was spinning. For a moment, she even doubted her own ears.

Yannis said, “I'm sorry, Zinnia. This is my fault. | shouldn't have kept this from you. You're far from foolish. You're

actually amazing.

“Nathan and | never meant to hide it from you. He planned to tell you after you got back to the small town.”

Hearing Zinnia start to doubt herself again, Yannis gently pulled her closer into his arms.

Ever since Nathan left her, Zinnia had been struggling with insecurity, and now this happened.

She was completely unprepared. When she learned about Nathan's illness, her mind simply refused to accept

i)

“I know you never meant to keep it fromforever, but you certainly didn’t plan to tellthis soon.” Zinnia’s

voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Zinnia looked pale and drained, her whole body limp with exhaustion.

Zinnia had spent the whole day in bed, crying herself hoarse. She hadn't eaten a single bite in over twenty- four

hours, and now her body felt completely drained.

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Chapter 517

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Deep down, Zinnia knew Yannis was telling the truth. They never meant to keep Zinnia in the dark forever, but

they definitely didn’t expect to tell her this soon.

They were probably just delaying the inevitable, putting it off day by day. Unless it was absolutely necessary,

they would never have toldat all.

Yannis coaxed softly, “How about ssoup? It's not good for your health to stay hungry. If you want to be

angry, let's at least do it on a full stomach, okay?”

Upon hearing her hoarse voice, his heart ached. He tilted his head, searching her eyes with concern. Zinnia’s

eyes were dull and lifeless, devoid of even a spark of anger.

“I don’t want any,” Zinnia murmured, shaking her head weakly. She had no appetite at all.

He continued, “Let's have something to eat, okay? You're worried about Nathan, right? None of us can do

anything about his illness, but maybe you can. He only listens to you.”

“So if you take care of yourself, you'll be able to look after him. Then you'll be the doctor, and he'll be the

patient. You'll be in charge. He'll do whatever you say. How's that sound?” Yannis coaxed her.

Zinnia couldn’t help but manage a faint smile at his words.

Seeing Zinnia smile, Yannis finally let out a sigh of relief. Having let it all out, now she could finally smile.

As long as she could still cry and laugh, it meant things weren't at their worst. What Yannis feared most was that

she bottled up all her feelings. That would be far worse for her health.

“Let's eat something and get you feeling better first, okay? Then we can team up and finally take care of that

stubborn patient.” Yannis gently released her and shifted his position, so she was nestled against his chest

instead of being fully embraced.

He turned to the nightstand and picked up the soup. It had been sitting for a while and was now just the right

temperature.

“Here.” Knowing how much she loved meat, Yannis scooped up a shrimp and fed it to her.

Zinnia stared at the shrimp in front of her. “This used to be my favorite, she thought, but right now, | just don’t

have any appetite.

Still, when she caught the worried look in Yannis’ eyes above her, she obediently lowered her head and took a

bite. Her cheeks moved slowly as she chewed, without any enthusiasm.

“How is it? Does it taste good?” Yannis asked softly, his eyes lowered to watch her reaction.

Zinnia gave a stiff nod. ‘I can’t even taste the shrimp, she thought numbly. Her mouth felt bitter.

“Have a little soup, dear. You haven't eaten all day. Tomorrow, I'll make you something really delicious.” Yannis

could tell from the way she ate that she wasn’t really tasting the food, just mechanically chewing a couple of

times before swallowing.

In the past, when Zinnia enjoyed something delicious, her eyes would instantly light up, and she'd tug softly

11:33 Tue, Oct 14

Chapter 317

at his sleeve, murmuring between bites, “I love you, Yannis.”

Yannis sighed but didn’t call her out. Instead, he simply kept spoon-feeding her the soup.

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Whether she could taste the food or not, she desperately needed nourishment now. Zinnia was already in poor

health. Prolonged starvation would only cause more damage.

“I don’t want to eat anymore,” Zinnia murmured, having barely managed half a bowl. She couldn't force down

another bite. Thinking about Nathan's condition, she just lost all her appetite.

“How about ssweet milk? | can have someone bring you a cup, okay?” Yannis asked gently.

Zinnia hadn't even finished half her soup, a far cry from her usual appetite. Upon looking at Zinnia’s pale,

exhausted face, Yannis’ heart ached with worry. But he knew that pushing her to eat would only make her feel

worse.

Yannis set the bowl aside, then tucked the blanket more snugly around her. Feeling just how light she was in his

arms, he instinctively held her a little tighter.

Zinnia had visibly lost weight. Her already sharp chin now looked even more pronounced. In just one day, she

appeared haggard, the exhaustion plain for all to see.

“No more,” Zinnia said, her voice weak but resolute. “I need to get up.”

) . q

She thought, I've been lying in bed all

day, my mind a complete messin

have op it that Vari was right.

fn , ang

Whéh it comes to Nathan's condition,

no one else can help him—only | can.

“Even if not for myself, | have to do this for Nathan. If there's a way, no matter how difficult, | have to figure it

out and make it work.”

“Okay,” Yannis said. He noticed her reaction had improved. A spark gradually replaced the confusion in her eyes.

He knew she was starting to pull herself together.

Someone trained by Nathan might be shaken and lost for a while after a heavy blow, but would never truly be

weak-willed. Though heartbroken, Zinnia would always find her strength again.

Zinnia had allowed herself one day to grieve, but now she refused to waste another moment wallowing in

SOIToW.

| have to pull myself together. | need to find a way to cure Nathan, no matter what it takes, Zinnia resolved

inwardly,

After sleeping for a whole day and night, Zinnia no longer felt like sleeping. After managing to eat half a bowl of

soup, she finally felt a bit of strength returning to her body.

Yannis took out her clothes and

gently helped Zinnia into her down

jacket. As she slipped (r feet out

fpriunderihe covers, he bent down

and carefully put a pair of white

socks on her feet. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Then, picking up the cute bunny slippers, he slid them onto her feet.

“Yannis, letbandage your hand,” Zinnia said softly, her gaze lingering on the deep bite marks she'd left on

11:33 Tue, Oct 14

Chapter 517

his palm.

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The bleeding had stopped at least. However, he hadn't even bothered to properly treat his own wound. He'd

been too busy taking care of her.

« ) . .

No need. It's nothing serious, already

» : :

scabbed over,” Yannis said casually,

glanang et the ite Yohrks Bn'the

; ‘ q

back\of'h Shand. ‘Such neat little

teeth marks. Kinda cute, actually, he

thought. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

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