Chapter 304 - Iñigo

Soon, Zoey reached an isolated place near the river. She stopped a few meters away from the two riders who were standing near the bank. 

She watched the two remove their helmets, making her eyes roll as she stepped on the motorcycle's stand before hopping out. Zoey strode towards them while removing her helmet. 

"Zia," Ivan watched her approach, calling her name before his brows knitted. Zoey kept walking without a pause. 

Even if she had completely removed her helmet and was holding it, she didn't stop walking. Soon, Zoey reached Ivan and spread her arms open, embracing Ivan tightly. 

"Uh," Ivan blinked his eyes many times, evidently confused by this sudden affection from Zoey. He couldn't even move, as his hands froze while his head was filled with question marks. 

"I'm glad to see you again..." Zoey's embrace grew tighter as the smile on her lips turned gentler. 

In her previous life, Zoey had received the horrible news that Ivan had died. What made it worse was that she only came to know about his death months later. 

Ivan died the night of Alice's birthday. The night that Nikolai Silvestri kept calling her, but didn't pick up when she called back. She was clueless that the night she had deemed to be perfect, she lost a good friend and a reliable ally, the same night. 

Therefore, Zoey was relieved and overjoyed that Ivan was still alive in this lifetime. In the previous life, Ivan died protecting her. But now, Zoey wouldn't turn her back on them again. 

She would fight for them, protect every single one of them, and would selflessly make sure they would not meet the same ending in their previous life. Be it Matthew Xi, Cora Ma, Zion Kwan, Patrizio Moretti, or Ivan, Zoey wouldn't let them face the same end.

"Z, if you're doing this on purpose to get Niko's attention... I'll be in trouble." Ivan snapped from his trance as he patted Zoey's back. 

Although, deep down, he felt the sincerity of this embrace, Ivan could not rationalize the reason. Hence, to save himself from thinking why she was acting strangely, Ivan had thought the most plausible excuse; Zoey was teasing Nikolai Silvestri by using Ivan. 

"Jeez..." Upon hearing his honest remarks, Zoey could not help but chuckle. As she drew back, Zoey shook her head sideways and rolled her eyes. 

"Tell Niko he should back off." Zoey clicked her tongue, humoring Ivan before she hopped and flicked her finger on his forehead. 

"Hmm? What was that for?" Ivan rubbed his forehead, frowning in dismay. Her action inflicted a slight pain on his forehead, but he was more curious as to why Zoey was acting like that. 

After all, Ivan had visited Zoey a month ago and he could barely recognize her. She had pretended not to know him and even threatened him to go away. 

Ivan had studied Zoey's activities after that. To his surprise, Zoey had stopped everything: like racing, gambling, and other extreme activities she used to do in the past. 

However, now, Ivan heard from Rem — his clueless accomplice — that Zoey would race today. The news came as a surprise for Ivan. Thus, he arrived here to confirm. 

Little did he know, not only did he confirm that Zoey returned to illegal racing, she was more alert than ever. It was as if the Zoey whom Ivan knew had returned like magic. 

But... why?

"That's for meddling in my business." Zoey pressed her lips together, stretching them into a forced smile as she peered at him in disdain. 

"I didn't." At a loss, Ivan denied because it was the truth. Zoey was the first one who had assumed that he was an enemy in the beginning, when in fact, Ivan just wanted to race with her.

"I'm not talking about now... in the future." Zoey could not help but roll her eyes as no one would understand her frustration, grudges, and longing. 

She darted her gaze from Ivan to the other person with golden hair and blue eyes. "Gosh... I surely lost in my bet. I thought you were after my life. Who is this?" Zoey then settled her gaze to Ivan as she couldn't recognize this man's face ever. 

"This is Angelo — my partner." Without batting an eye, Ivan gestured his hand towards the man near him and introduced him to Zoey. "What do you mean coming for your life? Did you somehow offend some big shot?" Ivan inquired, not willing to let those keywords slide that easily. 

His eyes flickered with intrigue, somehow anticipating some thrilling story before they returned to Europe in a few days. The keywords Zoey used were too obvious for someone like Ivan to not catch. 

For a minute, Zoey just stared at the curious eyes that were on her. If Ivan didn't die in her previous lifetime, she wouldn't trust him and give him the slightest clue of the dilemma in the future.

However, Ivan, and the rest of the Silva Family had proved their intentions to her eight years later. Hence, Zoey would want to return the favor although they failed in the end. To be precise, everyone failed because none of them saw the omen coming. 

Like any ordinary day, he came slowly, letting everyone think that their peace would last forever. Like a thief in the night, he took everything away from Zoey and from the Silva Family. 

It just happened, and none of them were prepared for it. Precisely, one by one, everyone had met their doom. The reason Zoey had decided to end her life was because she was the only one he didn't want dead. 

He wanted her to witness everything unfold before her eyes so she would wish she was never born. A cruel, cruel man in a cruel world. 

"Ivan, I'll be going to Europe in five months." Zoey paused, staring at Ivan's eyes as she stressed each word. Ivan witnessed how her eyes sharpened as she kept her silence and when she broke her silence. 

"Iñigo is alive.��� When Zoey opened her lips once again, her jaw tightened as the man's name slipped past her lip. 

Ivan's eyes grew wider as that man's name was almost cursed. It's been years since he heard the name especially from Zoey. But now, not only she mentioned his name, but was saying something ridiculous. 

"Yes, he is. Knowing him, he will surely bring us all down even if that means selling himself to the devil." Zoey didn't break her gaze away from Ivan as she carefully chose her words. 

This might sound ridiculous, but Zoey had confirmed his existence in her previous life.. Those crazy hazel orbs that shared the same color with Nikolai Silvestri, Zoey could never forget those eyes as they were the last eyes that were staring at her before she died.