Wild Young Miss: Mister, Let's Kiss!

Dead silence enveloped the line as neither of the three talked. Ivan blinked his eyes in disbelief. He wondered if he heard Nikolai's news right. Did he say that Inigo's grave was left empty? Wait, what? What's going on?

His gaze slowly traveled from Zoey's solemn side profile as she was deep in her thoughts. So that ridiculous wild guess was right, after all? How was that possible?

"We buried an empty coffin, huh…" After a long silence, Nikolai scoffed faintly as his tongue touched his inner cheek. "An empty f*cking coffin…" He muttered slowly, stressing every word Ivan and Zoey sensed the dreary mood from miles away by the tone of his voice.

"That motherf*cker cheated death…" Nikolai chuckled, yet his tone could make someone shudder as it was laced with killing intent. "Zia, how did you know?" He suddenly asked, diverting the subject before he lost his mind thinking how he was deceived for five years thinking Inigo was dead.

"Wild guess." Zoey stuck with her excuse earlier, her voice bore zero hilarity as she rubbed her chin lightly. "No, it's instinct." After a second, Zoey changed her excuse as this would be more convenient to use in the future.

"I see…" Nikolai nodded his head in understanding despite that the person on the other end of the line wouldn't see his gesture. "He would come for you for sure. Come back to Europe." He ordered out of sincere concern to protect Zoey if she was under his wing.

After all, Nikolai had limited power in the country she was in. He wouldn't be able to stretch his power unless he would move his plans to attempt to expand his influence to oriental countries. For now, it was just smart that Zoey would stay close to him because Inigo would surely come to her before he aimed Nikolai's head.

"No, Niko." Zoey shook her head sideways which caused Ivan and Nikolai frown. "By this time, he must've come to know that we already know that he faked his death." Zoey informed in full certainty which made the two crease their brows together.

"What are you saying, Zia?" Confused, Nikolai inquired. This kind of conversation was not what he planned after years of not talking to Zoey. However, this bore their attention because the fact that Inigo was alive carried a grave threat. Moreover, once he started taking actions, his threat would multiply five times.

God knows how cunning and capable Inigo was. Even Nikolai could not match how that guy's brain. Perhaps, only Zoey, a mere foot-soldier was the only one who was on par with Inigo in terms of wits. Not to mention, Inigo and Zoey ended on a seriously bad note. He would certainly get the debt she owed him. That's just the kind of person Inigo was; a very hateful character that even angels would hate him.

"Niko, are you dumb? No wonder Inigo was bitter when you became the family don." Instead of answering him in a serious note, Zoey scoffed in disdain as she rolled her eyes on the phone. "You think Inigo was dilly dallying for five years?" In a matter-of-fact tone, Zoey inquired which silenced Nikolai.

"Thought so." His silence nodded in satisfaction as she glanced at Ivan. "I won't be surprised if half of your men were his spies." Zoey added, her gaze fixated to Ivan who was silently wondering why she was staring at him.

"Angelo, for example. Do you trust him, Ivan?" Soon, Zoey shifted her attention to the conversation as she mentioned the person who was with Ivan last night. "It's fine if you do, but I don't." Without his answer, Zoey affirmed her thoughts about it.

"Once I confirmed he was a foe, I'll blow his head off." Zoey didn't pause nor did he hesitate upon dropping her plan on exterminating someone. 

Of course, both Ivan and Nikolai share the same stifling silence. The silence was not about respect or in awe, but rather surprised. Zoey would never use her hand to take away someone's life. She had the brawn to fight with fist, the precision in marksmanship, but she was the most merciful among everyone they knew.

That trait of hers was the reason she cut ties with the Silva Family. It was not a completely bad trait per se, but it could be a disadvantage in the long run. But now, she was speaking these heavy words without a second hesitation.

Between Nikolai and Ivan, Ivan was more shocked because Zoey's countenance told him she was being utterly serious at her words. This wasn't just a threat, but a heads up tof what could possibly happen in the future.

Who was this person? This wasn't the Zoey they knew. Ivan had noticed it last night, but Zoey indeed changed overnight. Whatever reason that was, he had a mixed emotion about this drastic change and he needed time to grasp her pace.

"Niko, since we are now on the same page, don't argue with me about coming back home. Let him come to me…"Zoey paused and dropped the phone, looking away from Ivan as she stared at the beautiful sky through the window and the towering buildings that seemed to reach it. "... I'll welcome him with open arms. We still have a score to settle." A menacing glint flashed across her pair of eyes, as the side of her lips crooked.

Although Niko and Ivan couldn't see her expression, her voice emanated a strong sense of deep grudge and blood lust. They never heard her sound so dangerous in a literal sense, but now was different. 

By the sound of her voice, the two discerned that Zoey had a mutual grudge against Inigo. The reason? They don't know. But what was they're certain about was Zoey had chosen a path she kept on avoiding for years.

In the end, she had become someone she swore not to be. Inigo… What did he do to her? This wasn't just a simple defense to safeguard her life.. It was more like a revenge she had been dreading to deliver for a long time.