Chapter 350 - Pinky

Light shone open her eyes as Zoey looked up, seeing shoes of people outside. Since the lift had dropped forcefully, there was only a palm-length gap that she could see on the surface outside from inside the elevator. 

Right after, a pair of blue eyes peeked down, looking back at her before Ivan spoke. "Sis, are you alright?" Just as Ivan asked, his eyes narrowed upon realizing what was happening inside.

By what it appeared, it seemed that the two were being chummy with each other while being stuck inside. Did they have any idea about what was currently happening outside? Chaos and panic had ensued outside because apparently, that detestable guy was an important person.

In other words, his men were already on standby as if they would burn the place down if something happened to him. But now, Ivan was seeing something he didn't expect to because he knew Zoey wouldn't panic.

On the other hand, Ivan should've expected this because apparently, Zoey was fond of the guy and wouldn't let any opportunity slip if the situation offered her the chance to close the gap between them. Little did Ivan know, that's exactly the opposite of what Zoey wanted now.

"Ivan, give me ten." Zoey, who figured that this door would open soon, suddenly spoke. Ivan stared at her for a minute before he sighed.

"Alright." Reluctantly, Ivan still agreed after nodding his head. Without further ado, Ivan turned around and then plopped down to block the open gap. He crossed his arms, glancing at the people staring at him in bafflement.

"My sister is having a breakdown. I can't let others see her in a mess." In a matter-of-fact tone, Ivan stated firmly, which filled the crowd's thought bubble with question marks. 

"Huh??" In unison, everyone who was standing in front of this foreigner created the same noise as they cocked their head to the side. 

"Break down. You can only open once she has calmed down." Unfazed by their confused reactions, Ivan uttered the keywords of what he meant. Since not everyone could understand what he was saying, they turned to Paul Qian's direction.

"He said the person with the young master is having a breakdown and we can't open the door until she calms down." Without looking away from Ivan's figure, Paul Qian translated his words for others to understand.

"Sir, I understand your request. However, my boss is also stuck inside. We can't just sit idly until your boss calms down. Moreover, shouldn't we hurry and rescue the two of them if that's the case?" Calm and collected, Paul Qian argued fluently using logic. 

"No," Despite the rational argument, Ivan shook his head as he refused to move away from his position. This obviously caused the people to frown in displeasure.

"Sir, I am asking you nicely to move aside and let us do our job." This time, Paul Qian's tone was laced with intimidation as he raised his chin, looking down at Ivan who lifted his head and their eyes met.

For a brief second, none of the two spoke, but one could feel that their aura was already taunting each other. "No." After a second, Ivan remained adamant as he didn't dare break his gaze away from Paul Qian's dignified glare.

"Ten minutes and I'll let you people open the door…" Since Paul Qian was the person that understood him and these people listened, Ivan gave his condition. "But if anyone tries to open the door before the timer is up, they must force their way past me…" He paused, moving his gaze slowly, and scanned everyone's confused faces, including some employees of Z Image Group.

"Let's not resort to that." As an ending note, Ivan's last straw of patience vanished as his words weighed heavier than ever. Although most of them didn't understand him, his expression and tone were enough for them to understand where he stood.

Meanwhile, Paul Qian gravitated to the situation and the capacity of the threat given. He studied Ivan���s physique and the unwavering resolve glinting across his eyes. 'What would Young Master do if he's in the same situation?' Paul Qian wondered internally.

Considering Matthew didn't give another call, maybe Zoey's situation was worse than they expected? Was that the reason? Paul Qian remained silent for another several seconds before he retracted his gaze away from Ivan and turned to his people.

"Make sure that the lift is safe. We'll start opening the door in ten minutes." Paul Qian gave his orders in one go, which made Ivan nod instinctively. He didn't understand, but by the looks of it, Paul Qian was smarter than he thought.

As they began to move, Ivan checked his wristwatch. "Eight minutes…" Ivan muttered before crossing his arms again and offered a languid smile to Paul Qian.

****

"Ivan, give me ten." Matthew heard her demand before he heard Ivan stopping others from opening the door. He expected a slanderous and humiliating reason from Ivan, but to his surprise, Ivan used Zoey as an excuse.

The three of them knew that it wasn't Zoey who looked pitiful right now — it was him, Matthew Xi. But Zoey and that rascal foreigner, who appeared to have some lack of manners, shielded him just to keep his image in front of his men.

"Are you okay? Don't worry, Ivan will guard the door for ten minutes. We'll be fine, okay?" Zoey continuously patted his back, reassuring him to take his time to calm down. 

'Get yourself together…' Matthew, although desperate to get it together, failed each second. The more he wanted to act tough and cool, the more his body shuddered as if he could feel the pain of the 'delusions' that suddenly surged inside his mind.

Crazy, indeed. Yet, Matthew wanted to believe that those images he saw were some kind of mental voodoo cooked up after the shocking ordeal. After all, it was his first time experiencing such a situation that's why his mind made up such a state of affairs.

But his body was naturally trembling, as if he had experienced it, or perhaps it was his mind that was sabotaging his nervous system. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and then repeated the cycle until he could finally get the grip to reality.

Slowly, Matthew slowly drew away from her. His eyes searched for her worried eyes, "Thank you." He said, offering a meek smile to her.

"Are you really okay now?" Zoey inquired, seeking for confirmation that he was fine. Earlier, Matthew truly worried her as it seemed like he was utterly traumatized. But as she stared at him now, Zoey heaved a sigh of relief as his complexion was now back to normal.

"I am." Unconsciously, Matthew's hand moved and before he knew it, he was already patting her head as the corner of his lips curled into a gentle smile. "I owe you again." He added, his russet orbs gleamed with inexplicable emotions which she couldn't decipher easily.

"Just don't kick us out from this building." Zoey pursed her lips, biting her lower lips as his eyes sent ripples in her heart, which caused it to beat louder.

"I won't, I promise." Since the situation calmed down, Matthew chuckled. His pinky finger hooked hers, guiding it up between them as his face colored with delight.. Zoey glanced at the pinky swear he initiated, moving her gaze up as this younger version of Matthew Xi was indeed childish but sweet in his own unique way — she's melting. <3