Chapter 413 - Flexing

"Ouchy…" Zoey rubbed her nose lightly. However, the next second she felt his hand wrap around her waist as his body inched closer.

That instant, Zoey froze on the spot. She then felt the light weight of his chin on her head, causing her eyes to widen. "What--!" The second she snapped upon realizing he was being too close and touchy, Zoey jolted back as she pushed him away.

"What -- what are you doing?" Zoey stood with her arms up in a defensive stance -- as if she was a kung fu master facing her enemy.

"Flexing." In a matter-of-fact tone, Matthew shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. His left hand was shoved inside his pocket while the other one started unbuttoning his blazer suit.

Upon seeing this, Zoey's already wide opened eyes widened even more. "What -- why are you stripping?" She asked, taking a step back cautiously.

His fingers stopped, raising his gaze back to the panicking lady whose makeup and expression encouraged him to tease her. "I've been working out… I want to show you." Without batting an eye, he humored bearing a poker face.

"Who said I'm interested to see?" Zoey immediately gasped, her facial features squeezed in the middle of her face in dismay. 

"Me." He blinked once, tilting his head to the side as if her question was a no brainer.

"Oh, Gosh, no!" Immediately, Zoey covered her eyes with both her hands as she screamed. Zoey spread her fingers that gave her access to see Matthew who was standing in front of her. "Why did you stop?" She asked out of habit. 

'Damn you, Zoey! Get a hold of yourself!' Unlike her initial reaction and actions, part of her was curious to see how fit he was in this lifetime. Not to mention, Zoey noticed that his body was firmer than ever, hence the reason she hurt her nose earlier when she bumped against his chest. 

No one could blame her if she was curious to see the heated pack beneath his shirt, right? She'll just take a peek, after all.

"Pfft--!" Witnessing how fast she changes her mind, a short chuckle slipped past his lips. "You want to see?" He inquired, biting his lower lip as his pair of russet eyes didn't leave hers that were peeking from behind the wide gap of her fingers.

"No!" Zoey denied, closing her fingers to cover her eyes. 'Why is he biting his lips?! Please don't seduce the vulnerable me!' Zoey pleaded in distress inside her mind. 

The corner of his lips curled into a smirk that was nearly a smile. Just moments ago, he had shown her a glimpse of him, thinking she might change afterward. However, Zoey might be surprised at first, but she reverted back to normal too soon than he expected.

Matthew expected that she would remain silent with her invisible walls raised higher. Surprisingly enough, she might still have these thick walls around her, but they weren't too high that would restrain him from climbing over. At the very least, Matthew didn't need a wrecking ball to break down her walls. He just needed to hop a little to climb it.

"How cute." Matthew whispered. 

At the same time, the sound of the elevator beeped indicating that they arrived at their destination.. Matthew glanced up to confirm that they were on the top floor before the door opened.

On the other hand, Zoey still had her hands covering her eyes. "Are we here?" She asked, taking a peek through her fingers. However, Matthew abruptly grabbed her other wrist and dragged her outside.

As they made their way towards his office, the employees on the floor stood up and bowed their heads. Obviously, their interest was piqued at the lady their big boss was dragging. Still, no one dared to make a sound as they kept their heads hung low.

"Hey!" Zoey nearly stumbled down. Fortunately, she was able to retain her footing, yet Matthew kept dragging her as if she was an excess baggage. "Ah, gosh!" Zoey ground her teeth, displeased at how she was being dragged without proper care.

For pete's sake! She was a fragile lady! He should handle her with care!

Matthew glanced back and reduced his speed. However, his abrupt reduction in speed was taken advantage of. The ever shameless Zoey suddenly lay flat on the floor of the corridor. "Go, drag me without care!" She sassed, glaring daggers at him who was staring down at her.

"Since you think I'm a luggage, I'll be one then." Zoey scoffed, having her wrist hanging up as he held it while she was laying flat on her back.

As Zoey made a scene, the employees that were bowing could not help but take a peek. As soon as they laid their eyes on the lady that was akin to a spoiled brat, they gasped in disbelief. Their shock wasn't just because of her actions, but also how blinding her blush on and red lipstick was -- not to mention, her thick brows!

'What was going on?' They all thought in unison. They then snuck a glance at Matthew who was staring down at the lady who was still throwing a tantrum.

"Get up." Matthew ordered, his tone was calm but flat. 

"No. Keep dragging me." Zoey argued, rolling her eyes. 'This arrogant young master, I'll discipline him.' Zoey affirmed internally, thinking of setting him straight to be the mature man who has a little care of others.

After all, one of the huge differences between the thirty year old Matthew and his younger version was that the younger version was a plain tyrant. He's arrogant, overbearing, a tyrant and has zero consideration of other people's emotions.

Meanwhile, the older version was mature, pure, and would acknowledge his mistakes. He's also gentle unlike this one. Zoey felt like dealing with two different people who shared the same face.

"I see…" Matthew nodded his head, slowly squatting down to her side. "I didn't know you're a little… excited." He paused, rubbing his chin as he stared down at her. "We haven't reached my office, yet, you're inviting me already." The side of his lips curled into a smirk, teasing her which made her eyes widen.

"Have you forgotten where you are?" He asked, casting her a knowing look as his fingers slowly reached her forehead.

"Oh!" Upon realizing what he meant, Zoey immediately sat upright, avoiding his head so she wouldn't bump against his. "What are you saying? I'm just resting! Now, I can walk again! Ha ha!" Zoey jolted up, laughing awkwardly. 

Meanwhile, Matthew raised his head, still in a squatting position. He then watched her trudge towards their original direction which made him knit his brows. "Hmm?" He hummed, his thought bubble was filled with question marks.

"What are you still doing? We're almost there -- let's go!" Zoey looked back, gesturing to him to follow her before she took large strides towards his office.

Without a word, Matthew stood up and followed her in silence. 'How does she know this is the way to my office?' He wondered internally.. However, Matthew didn't ask and let her lead the way as if she was the host of today's date.