Chapter 542 - You… Nevermind.

"How can I find him?" Zoey muttered in distress as she tried calling Matthew. 

However, she couldn't reach him as he was on another call. She tried and tried until she gave up. It was probably important; she thought to herself.

While she was walking back to the event hall, Zoey heard a very familiar voice coming from behind her. 

"Looking for someone?"

Zoey almost stood frozen to the floor as she was momentarily stunned. After a loud beat of her heart, Zoey slowly turned her head to see the man standing behind her.

She gazed at him from his pair of shiny black shoes, slowly going up to his clothes that were similar to those waiters inside the event hall. It continued on to his playful smirk to his pair of hazel eyes.

"Niko?" Zoey called out under her breath. "You're here?" 

Zoey blinked her eyes many times, trying to confirm she wasn't seeing wrong. However, it was, indeed, the one and only Nikolai Silvestri.

"The one and only." Niko shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as his smug grin grew wider. "Miss me?"

He humored as he briefly raised his brows, casting Zoey a knowing look. Zoey scrutinized the man's front and she was rendered speechless.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, appalled at his presence knowing Niko should have his plate full.

"Crashing a party, obviously." In a matter-of-fact tone, Niko answered. "And why would I do that? Because I wanted to see you!"

He proudly added. Zoey could not believe her ears as she took a step back while waving lightly.

"This is important for me, Niko. You should go. If you wanted to see me, you should have come to my office." Zoey argued, trying to shoo him away as she knew this guy was a lunatic!

It was not new that Niko would disguise himself. However, whenever he was doing that, Zoey knew Niko would always have his own motive that often ended in disaster.

Niko was a smart guy --not anything worse than his biological brother Inigo. That's why Zoey was not surprised that Inigo took a long time to execute his plans to exterminate everyone in the Silva Clan.

"Pfft--" Niko bit her lower lip to resist from laughing out loud. "That's not fun!"

He exclaimed, shaking his head in disappointment. Niko's eyes skimmed her from head to toe and then gazed back to her eyes.

"I don't like your crappy place, office. But this one," Niko paused, raising his hand shoulder level and spreading his fingers. "This one is rather grande. A perfect place for our date!"

Zoey nearly choked upon hearing his last remarks. She should have expected such an absurd reasoning from him.

"Niko, don't." Zoey warned as she raised her finger up. "Don't try anything silly or I'll gouge your eyes out."

Zoey threatened as she took another step back. Her eyes didn't look away, bearing cautious at the frowning Nikolai. 

"Oh, come on!"

"Scram!" With that being said, Zoey turned around and took hurried steps away from him. "People in this party just keep popping out of nowhere to bother me."

Zoey mumbled through her gritted teeth as she stormed away from Niko. The latter chortled, watching her as she walked away from him with each step heavy and annoyed.

"I'll make sure no one bothers you beside me!" Niko shouted in delight, making her roll her eyes and shake her head sideways.

Zoey didn't dwell on what he meant by that. If only she did, she would have beaten him until he was battered enough to spend months in the hospital.

*****

"Why did he show up now? Of all time? Damn it!" Zoey cursed annoyingly as she returned back to the hall.

Her gaze shifted immediately to the long table near the stage. It was decorated with a mix of gold and silver; a very noble-like theme. Professor Meng, escorted by his lovely wife Gloria, was surrounded by well-established business personalities and politicians.

By the looks of it, they were sending their regards and greetings to him. It was one after another that they came to approach him, having all the spotlight that made her sigh in relief.

"Go on, people. Be busy." Zoey whispered as she moved her eyes around, searching for a particular individual named Matthew Xi.

Since everyone was preoccupied with greeting tonight's host with their flowery pleasantries, Zoey thought she shouldn't bother squeezing herself to the crowd. All she wanted now was to find her strayed darling.

"Miss Zhou?" Just as Zoey was discreetly looking around, Clara's voice reached her ear from behind.

Zoey stifled a sigh. 

'Great! Another bothersome!'

"Yes?" Zoey gracefully angled her body, facing the beautiful rising star: Clara. "Miss Wei? What an honor for me that you know my name!"

"Of course. Who wouldn't know you, Miss Zhou?" There was a tinge of mockery in Clara's tone, but Zoey ignored it with a smile on her lips. "Everyone is aware about how you somehow captivated two young masters, after all."

Clara arched her right brow. The corner of her lips curled into a smirk. Zoey could see the contempt beneath the woman's eyes.

"Oh," Zoey let out a brief snort. "Is that so?"

Zoey's brief response caused the pretentious smile on Clara's face to fade. The latter stared at her in silence, studying her from her head to toe as if criticising Zoey inside her head.

"Yes," Slowly, Clara walked closer while Zoey remained rooted on the floor. 

Clara stopped two steps away and narrowed her eyes as a faint scoff slipped past her lips. "Miss Zhou, I don't have time for the game you're playing. I know you've seduced Brother Zeke. Even so, I will turn a blind eye despite knowing your affair. However, stay far away from him. This is my first and last warning."

Zoey cocked her head to the side, blinking her eyes in puzzlement.The woman standing before her was gorgeous than ever. In their previous life, Zoey often thought Clara's beauty was… incomparable. 

Why was she so madly in love with that trash? Clara wasn't initially rotten. She just lost her mind due to her undying devotion to the wrong man.

After a brief contemplation, Zoey's lips parted.. "You… nevermind."