Wild Young Miss: Mister, Let's Kiss!

A minute had passed in silence with Zoey staring at Ivan as her eyes grew solemn. "Is that an order?" She inquired, sighing as she crossed her arms under her chest. 

"Of course, it's not. Unless he doesn't want to see you again." Taking his silence as the answer she was looking for, Zoey nodded her head as she shrugged her shoulders. 

"Tell him I won't meet him tonight nor I plan on marrying him, ever. Understand? Take this back and return it to him... I don't need it." Sounding more threatening despite her calm tone, Zoey pointed her chin towards the small box Ivan delivered that came from Nikolai Silvestri. 

"Sis, why do you always defy him? If not for him, your birth father would have erased you in this world." Out of curiosity, Ivan remained standing to where he was at as he stared at Zoey with eyes full of question marks. 

Once again, the entire office went into silence as Zoey pursed her lips into a thin line. "Ivan, are you afraid of me?" When Zoey opened her lips, she questioned back without answering the man standing near her desk. 

"No," shaking his head, Ivan raised his gaze once again and met the pair of chocolate eyes that felt familiar and not at the same time. "But I feel threatened." He added, clearing his feelings towards Zoey. 

"You feel threatened knowing what I'm capable of... and whose fault is that?" Agreeing on the term he used, Zoey didn't break her gaze with Ivan and her solemn expression didn't change. 

"Ivan, as much as I want to treat you to dinner and grab a couple of drinks to catch up, you have to let Niko know to never cross the line." This time, Ivan was the one who went into a complete silence while Zoey did the talking. He listened carefully, engraving each of her words inside her mind.

"And that line are my friends... and Matthew Xi." She added, specifying clearly who were the off-limits because Nikolai Silvestri would use his classic excuse of not knowing what line she was talking about. 

"Okay." Nodding his head, Ivan slowly reached for the small gift Nikolai Silvestri prepared for Zoey and placed it inside his suit. "I just want to let you know the Silva Family needs any of their resources because back home has been chaotic." As he put the small back inside his pocket suit, Ivan remarked while Zoey watched and listened. 

"Sis might find herself picking up her guns once again for the family." After he straightened his posture, Ivan stared at her dead in the eye as if he was giving her a heads up. "After all, you still keep your guns even with the new lease of life." Glancing at her desk, specifically at the direction of the drawer she had her hand earlier, Ivan uttered as he was reminded of Zoey's habits in the past. 

"It's nice seeing you again, sis." With that being said, Ivan turned around and left her alone without glancing at her for the last time. 

Meanwhile, Zoey turned completely silent as she sighed heavily. She knew Ivan noticed as he glanced to where her hand rested after knowing who came for her unannounced. 

"Problems, huh?" Plopping back down on the swivel chair, Zoey murmured as she tilted her head back. "All resources... I have money now, I can just hire anyone who can do the dirty job for me." Thinking that the situation before and now changed, it still didn't give Zoey the comfort she needed as she was bothered. 

"Just when things with my darling are going smoothly... f*ck my life." Slowly, Zoey closed her eyes as her mind wandered on the good things that happened recently with her. 

Zoey could not help but curse life as it wouldn't give her a break. Why must life cause trouble and make things complicated for her after making her experience the beauty in life? Now, Zoey got more scared that being too happy for a day would cause her tragedy the next day. 

*****

Thirty minutes later, Zoey remained in her position with her eyes still closed but her mind was still active. Although she didn't want to think or just hoped she would just fall asleep to forget even for a while, she just couldn't. 

Slowly, she heard familiar light footsteps coming inside the office. Matthew Xi's faint scent reached her that soon wafted her nose as he came closer.

He wasn't waking her up, nor was he trying to disturb her as he leaned against the desk while staring at her exhausted yet divine front. "Darling, I've been waiting for you." Before Zoey opened her eyes, her words already escaped her lips. 

"Traffic." Despite his sharp expressions and heightened emotions earlier, Matthew Xi's mood was suddenly soothed upon laying his eyes on her. 

"Can you buy a private road from XI Corporation to Z Image, so I can see you quicker?" Pouting, Zoey leaned her head to the side as her gaze locked with his pair of gentle eyes. 

"I wish." His lips hooked up a little, reaching for her hands as she was languidly perching on the swivel chair. "Bad day?" He asked, sensing the unusual mood Zoey carried around her. 

For a minute, Zoey pursed her lips on a thin line as her gaze didn't break away with him. "Nikolai Silvestri... I know him." Without further ado, Zoey confessed as she didn't think keeping this a secret from Matthew Xi would help them in any way. 

After all, Zoey would keep the truth if she thought it was necessary. However, she was also aware that she shouldn't keep Matthew Xi in the dark in this kind of truth. 

Upon hearing her words, Matthew Xi's eyes softened as he hummed and nodded. "I figured." He said, playing with her soft, slender hands. 

"I promised him years ago that if I reached 30 or he turned 30 while being unmarried, we will marry each other." Not surprised that he figured it out, Zoey sighed as she summarized her deal with Nikolai Silvestri. 

For a moment, Matthew Xi remained silent before he grabbed something in his pocket. Zoey knitted her brows as she watched him guide her hands up and slowly place a ring around her finger. 

"Let's get married.." As soon as Matthew Xi saw how the simple yet elegant ring suit her finger, his gaze slowly returned to her slightly widened eyes.