Chapter 399 - Public Execution? That’s Brazen.

The next day...

"She's fine... she's my friend." Kenneth reassured, glancing at Zoey who had this huge sweet smile on her lips that appeared to be extra sketchy. 

The police on-duty guarding the patient scrutinized her from head to toe. Without a word, he nodded his head before stepping aside. "Thank you," Kenneth expressed, and then turned to Zoey. "Let's go." He said, sliding the door open when she nodded silently. 

Upon opening the door, Zoey and Kenneth entered the private ward. Zoey swept her gaze around the room. Unlike the grand hospital rooms she had been, Angelo's was pretty mediocre with one hospital bed, a chair and lounge seat that was attached to the wall, and a small television that was turned off. 

Her eyes then turned to the window. Zoey could not help but sigh seeing how wide it was. Although it was closed at the moment, it was an easy escape route as the room was on the first floor. 

"Uhh... he's still asleep." Upon closer look, Kenneth turned to Zoey who was busy studying the plain white room. 

"Is he?" Zoey moved her eyes around for several more seconds before she turned to Kenneth. She tilted her head to the side, pivoting her heel along with her upper body to the person lying on the bed. 

"Mhmm. They said he only woke up once last night. However, he passed out. He's really in bad shape." Kenneth briefly summarized, sighing deeply while shoving his hands inside his pockets. 

He watched Zoey trudge towards the side of the bed. Her head hovered over the man. "Why did you insist on seeing him today? You won't be able to talk to him, anyway." Kenneth muttered, bearing a confused front while his eyes fixated on her figure. However, Zoey ignored him as she kept examining the patient. 

"Wake up." Zoey uttered in a low tone.

"As if he will," In a matter-of-fact tone, Kenneth rolled his eyes as he shook his head lightly. 

Just as he dissed her way of waking a patient up, Kenneth's eyes widened upon witnessing her wrap her hands around the patient's neck. "Oy!" He panicked, yet, Zoey tightened her grip and pinned the patient's neck down — strangling it to sleep. 

"Hey!" Kenneth called out once again; his eyes darted towards the patient's vital monitors as it showed abnormal variables. Out of instinct, he sprinted towards the door and without a second's hesitation, Kenneth locked it. 

"What the...!" He gasped, turning back in her direction. But his words trailed off when he heard a person coughing in great difficulty while Zoey removed her hands from around the man's neck. 

'She's crazy!' Kenneth remarked internally, his heart beating so fast that he was panting heavily.

Kenneth's hand on the door handle went cold. It trembled as his eyes were focused on her languid back as she straightened her poise. "What is she thinking...?" He murmured under his breath. 

*cough! cough! cough!*

Angelo let out a series of coughs, dragging his body to the side while assisting his upper body by his elbow. He gasped for air to make up for the lack of air for several seconds. 

Meanwhile, Zoey gazed down at him. Her eyes bore nothing but coldness and lack of remorse. She watched him cough and gasp for air until he recovered. 

"Hey," Cold and meek, Zoey called out. Slowly, Angelo raised his head. Upon laying his eyes on her emotionless visage, a heavy sigh slipped past his lips as he dragged his body back on the bed. His head on the pillow but his eyes were fixated on her. 

"Did he tell you to finish me off?" Every word that he uttered, scratched his throat but his tone still carried utter ridicule towards the person he was pertaining to. 

By the looks of it, Angelo was indeed tired from all the beatings he received. Even after being strangled to wake up, he couldn't retaliate as he could barely move without his insides contracting. 

"Who's He?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side. Her eyes gleamed not in puzzlement, but in an inexplicable manner that Angelo couldn't decipher. 

"Huh," Yet, her question was perceived as feigning ignorance. Hence, Angelo scoffed faintly despite that little breath out in the air which caused pain in his lungs. 

"If you mean Niko, no." Zoey shrugged, slowly perching on the side of the bed. "Your partner is dead along with the rest of those men that were on standby to rescue you." When she cocked her head to him, Zoey informed in a matter-of-fact tone. 

"..." Angelo was speechless, knitting his brows as he couldn't get the grasp of what she was talking about. 

"It's on you whether to believe my words or not, but you have to get out of here and pay respect to your brothers." Zoey rested her palms on the little empty space on the surface of the bed, propping her upper body as she leaned her body while her head still turned to him. 

A minute had passed since she dropped her remarks before Angelo opened his mouth and words slowly escaped his lips. "What... are you saying?" 

Why would his partner in the mission die? Not that he felt bad for him as he didn't develop deep emotions with him. After all, they were partners but they were akin to strangers forced to work together. 

Moreover, he was the one who was suddenly caught up in a situation that left him in such a state. Not that Angelo didn't have the means to fight. It was just that Cecil's men were one step ahead of him. 

Therefore, Angelo had assumed he was set up. In his understanding, Nikolai might have ordered someone to snitch on him and catch him off guard.

So, what was she talking about? 'Did Iñigo send someone to save me?' He wondered, thinking that Iñigo was the person who ordered someone to save him from Nikolai's scheme. 

"Huh," Angelo scoffed, ending up on the last conclusion in his mind. "Why would I pay respect to the people who wanted to kill me? Don't you think *cough* that's karma?" Despite his blazing dry throat, Angelo mocked. He didn't find the need to conceal his disdain towards the fallen men of Nikolai as they 'deserved' it anyway. 

"Uhh..." Zoey pursed her lips, her feet shook sideways playfully with her heel on the floor. "Maybe." She nodded in agreement. "That's karma for being bad people, maybe." She added, staring at Angelo's pale and bruised front. 

"But, don't you think karma, herself, is now sitting in front of you?" Her right brow arched, shrugging her shoulders lightly. 

"So, you're here to kill me?" As blunt as it may sound, Angelo didn't beat around the bush before he caught another person's figure standing not far away. 

Slowly, Angelo turned to Kenneth's direction. Upon recognizing the man, Angelo scoffed before returning his gaze back to Zoey. "In front of him? Brazen, indeed." 

"Do you want me to make an execution platform for a public execution? That's brazen." In a matter-of-fact tone, Zoey rebutted having the same attitude as him. "Sadly, I don't think I have the need to take my revenge from you... Ivan will dig for my grave." She sighed, shaking her head as she imagined Ivan's hateful eyes if she killed Angelo for a reason they wouldn't understand. 

Meanwhile, as the two had these disturbing talks calmly, Kenneth gulped a mouthful of saliva. 'What is going on...? And what kind of people are they....?' He muttered internally, his shoulders frozen as his eyes focused on Zoey's figure whose permeating restrained deadly aura since the man woke up.