1.Chapter 1 Zinnia Is So Cruel

Howard burst into the villa, tearing off his helmet and gripping it against his chest. His furious gaze swept across the empty living room before locking onto the servant, Lucy Lewis.

"Where's Zinnia?" he demanded, his voice sharp. "Betty's in the hospital, and she's just hanging at home like nothing happened? Get her here now!"

"Mr. Shaw," Lucy said carefully, trying to defend Zinnia, "Ms. Zinnia Shaw is resting upstairs. What happened last night was an accident, and she was scared out of her mind."

Lucy figured Zinnia was the kindest soul. She treated servants like equals—she'd even given Lucy special cream after knowing her leg was sore. If anyone had done the pushing, Lucy suspected it was Betty who'd tried first and wound up in the water instead.

But she kept these thoughts to herself. After all, Howard was all in for Betty and already had it in for Zinnia.

She figured if she spoke up, Howard would just brush her off—and worse, he might think Zinnia had paid her off. That would just make Zinnia's life even more miserable in this household.

"She pushed Betty into the water! We haven't even talked to her yet, and she's playing the victim? And now she's even sleeping peacefully?" Howard exploded, storming up the stairs.

Lucy watched anxiously from downstairs. But as a servant, she had no say in the Shaw family's affairs.

"Zinnia, get out here!" Howard's fist hammered against the bedroom door. "How can you sleep after what you did to Betty?"

Zinnia lay curled in bed, her flushed face half-buried in the blankets. Each breath came heavy and hot against the rumpled sheets.

The violent pounding jerked her from sleep. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she wriggled under the covers, slowly rolling over. Her hair was a mess from sleep, and she poked her head out, looking groggy.

Her eyes opened, heavy and warm, with thin red veins spreading across her pupils. She rubbed them with slender fingers, the delicate skin turning pink from irritation. Her eyes, now watery and flushed, made her look unexpectedly pitiful.

Last night, the window broke, and she had spent forever fixing it. She had barely been asleep when this commotion woke her up. Her mind was still foggy.

The door kept banging like crazy. Zinnia exhaled sharply through her nose, fingers curling into the sheets. Every muscle ached as she dragged herself out of bed and shuffled toward the door.

'Why are these people so clueless? Can't they see right through Betty at all?' Zinnia thought bitterly.

She figured her master had been right—she couldn't stay with people this stupid. She was sick of being treated unfairly by the Shaws, and it was draining her energy.

She was done with the Shaw residence. She couldn't even get a decent night's sleep here. She missed the little house where she used to stay with her master.

With those thoughts in mind, Zinnia opened the door and sighed, "What do you want?"

Howard had been knocking on the door for what felt like forever. His anger was rising, and his knocks got louder and more aggressive. When Zinnia suddenly yanked the door open, he barely pulled his hand back in time.

It was a close call, just a few inches away from hitting her face. He looked at her tiny face, smaller than his hand, and figured if he had hit her, she'd definitely be bruised and miserable.

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