Chapter 107: He Realized His Feelings for Tina
Zackary finally came back to his senses, his vacant gaze sharpening as it fell upon Tina's beautiful face. With a loud cry, he lunged toward the comfort of her embrace.
"Tina! Grandma is so bad! Uncle Pinewood and Uncle Talon are bad guys too! They scared me and locked me up! I never want to see them again!"
"Alright," Tina said firmly as she took Zackary into her arms. "I promise you, you won't have to see them again."
Holding the sobbing Zackary, she walked shoulder to shoulder with Jared towards the exit. At the door, they noticed Orchid hadn't moved.
"Aunt Orchid?" Tina turned back to her. "Aren't you coming back with us?"
"No," Orchid said with a tearful smile. "How could I face Hugo and Jennie after what happened?" The guilt was clear-had she not been swayed by her naive sentiment, Zackary would have been spared this ordeal, and Tina and Jared wouldn't have been cornered by Amber, nearly tarnishing their reputations.
After a pause, Orchid continued, "Tina, I've decided to return to Australia today and never come back. The affairs of the Reed family are yours to handle. Whatever you do, I won't blame you."
Tina lowered her eyes in silent contemplation before nodding gently at Orchid. "Take care, Aunt Orchid."
Orchid covered her mouth, stifling her sobs, and nodded back at Tina. After watching Tina and Jared leave, she collapsed to the ground, letting her tears flow freely.
Why had the Reed family ended up like this? Fractured, with kin turned against each other. After her tears had dried, Orchid didn't visit Elizabeth; she went straight to her hotel and booked a flight to Australia for that evening.
She turned off her phone, ignoring any calls from Elizabeth and the others. If Elizabeth ever needed her support, she would send money. But she was done with the Reed family's affairs-she wanted to hear no more of them.
Her flight was scheduled for five in the evening. Just before boarding, she heard her name being called. Turning around, she saw Hugo and Jennie rushing toward her, their faces etched with urgency.
Hugo, panting, grabbed her hand. "Even if you're leaving, you could have said goodbye, couldn't you? You turned off your phone! If Jared hadn't found your flight, we would have missed the chance to see you." "Aren't you angry with me?" Orchid's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Angry? Of course, I'm angry," Hugo said with exasperation. "But you're still my beloved sister."
Jennie took Orchid's hand. "Let the bad things pass. We will all be fine from now on. Take good care of yourself in Australia."
With tears in her eyes, Orchid nodded. She had not expected that, despite Zackary's suffering, Hugo and Jennie would come to see her off. She watched Tina holding Zackary and Jared standing in the distance, looking in their direction. Overwhelmed with a mix of shame and gratitude, she covered her face as her tears flowed anew.
In the evening, at the residence of the Fanning family, Tina was giving Shonna the last acupuncture session. She had greatly recovered and was no longer as frail as before.
"You seem happy today?" Tina asked while inserting the needles. She had noticed Shonna's uplifted mood the moment she walked in.
"Of course, I'm happy. That Amber finally got what she deserved-she's been taken by the police!" Shonna replied, somewhat puzzled by Tina's lack of reaction. "Aren't you happy? She slandered you and hired thugs to cause all the trouble at your house."
The events that happened to the Fanning family had infuriated Shonna, especially Amber's audacity to smear Tina on social media. However, now the truth was out.
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By noon, the events that had unfolded in the hospital had spread across the internet, thanks to the journalists Amber and Elizabeth had brought along. Their plan to blackmail Tina had backfired, turning into a spectacle that vindicated her family and Tina.
Now, the whole of Ensford knew exactly what kind of person their Miss Ensford was. Moreover, the videos captured by the reporters had gone viral and countless memes had been made with these videos.
Shonna showed some of the memes to Tina, laughing so hard she almost dropped the needles. "Look, look, these people are just genius!"
"Stop moving," Tina said, unfazed. Small-time players like Amber never caught her eye.
In the video, the footage of her kicking Amber was now remixed to a DJ beat. Her leg moved rhythmically as Amber bounced off the wall to the music's tempo. Upon seeing this, Tina almost turned ash with anger. Without a word, she pulled out her phone, forwarded the video to Cole, and messaged, "In three minutes, I don't want to see any videos like this on the internet."
There was a long silence from Cole, likely watching the video in full, before he responded, "Actually... it's kind of funny."
"Get lost."
Three minutes later, as Shonna wondered why the videos of Tina kicking Amber were no longer accessible, Tina casually speculated, "Probably got blocked for violent content."
"Huh? I should have downloaded it," Shonna said with regret.
Tina remained silent, knowing even if the videos were downloaded, Cole's hackers would ensure they were deleted.
As time ticked away, Tina began to remove the needles from Shonna. "After today, you'll just take the medicine I've prepared for you twice daily; no more acupuncture needed. You were too weak before, which is why I didn't prescribe any medicine. Starting tomorrow, you can use it."
After the needles were out, she presented Shonna with a bottle and a box, instructing, "Pour a bottle cap of this into your bathtub with hot water for a bath, soak for at least half an hour. After the bath, apply the medicine from this box to your scars once a day. When you've used it all, come and see me for more."
Shonna's spirits lifted, but she was also anxious. "How long before my scars can be gone?"
She quickly added, "I want to go back to school."
"You can go now if you're brave enough," Tina said as she packed away her needles. "I told you there's a chance your scars could heal. I never promised complete healing. So, if they don't, will you never go to school again?"
Tina could heal Shonna completely in a month. Shonna's situation differed from Sophia's, whose facial scars were superficial and caused by poisoning. But Shonna's deep tissue damage required more time for cellular regeneration. Tina kept this to herself, however, hoping to encourage Shonna to face the world with courage, undaunted by the stares of others.
After gathering her things, Tina left Shonna alone to think about it.