Chapter 24: Match Up

She sneered and, seeing that Zachary had regained consciousness, didn't bother to argue with him. "Choose someone reliable," she said.

"Well, there's someone right here," Zachary replied, rolling up his sleeves and taking the tool from Maisie's hand to crack the walnuts.

To Maisie, the walnuts were hard to crack, but in Zachary's hands, they seemed to have a thin shell that broke easily with a gentle squeeze.

Maisie couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? Am I doing it wrong?"

"It's not you," Zachary said without hesitation. "It's the person."

"You-" Maisie glared at Zachary in frustration, but he just raised his eyebrows nonchalantly. Unbeknownst to him, a small smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Johnson Stunder happened to witness this scene as she returned from the garden.