Chapter 660 - Why Me?

Zoey stared at Nikolai. To be fair, Nikolai wasn't an entirely bad and tyrant person. There's this side of him which could make someone question their judgments.

However, Zoey couldn't forget that Nikolai was akin to a ticking time bomb. No one knew when he would explode. And whenever he did, it was just destruction everywhere. Still, this innocent part of him was somehow what kept Zoey close to him in the past.

"I'll put this back in the fridge. Have you eaten?" Pleased at the simple ice cream he had received, Nikolai inquired.

"Did you?" Instead of answering, Zoey returned the question. "Of course you haven't. Do you want me to cook for you?"

"You will?" Nikolai raised his brow, shooting her a look of suspicion.

Zoey just shrugged as an answer. She watched his smirk grow into a grin. 

Hence, with that, the two of them headed to the kitchen. Nikolai was so busy with his scheme that he hadn't eaten anything yet.

Meanwhile, Zoey was just doing what she thought she would. If he acted like before and treated him like usual, she didn't have to worry about other things first. 

After all, he had gotten what he wanted. She just needed to humor her for a while.

When they reached the kitchen, Nikolai carefully placed the melted ice cream inside the fridge. The kitchen was small and simple with a touch of modern appliances. 

Once Nikolai closed the fridge, he trudged towards the kitchen counter and watched Zoey. She checked the fridge, looking for ingredients she could make. But to no avail.

They practically filled the fridge with booze. Well, there were eggs.

"How do you even eat?" Zoey inquired as she shifted her gaze back to Nikolai.

"Out." He replied, keeping it short.

"Then, you should just order unless you want me to eat eggs --"

"So be it." Before she could complete her sentence, Nikolai cupped his cheek and smiled.

'He's always like this. Acting like a kid but kills like a psycho.' Zoey thought internally but kept her thoughts to herself.

She let out a sigh and took out two eggs before closing the refrigerator. With the eggs in her hand, Zoey started moving around the kitchen.

One of the many reasons Zoey was confident in cooking was because Nikolai enjoyed it. Even though everyone in the Silva Family condemned her cooking, Nikolai still ate whatever she made.

Now that she thought about it, Nikolai was kind. But only to her. It was a rather complicated relationship which was suffocating at some point.

Nikolai being kind and could also be the worst man she would have in her life. That's why she never considered him romantically. He's just someone Zoey would never fall in love with.

While Zoey fried the eggs and Nikolai watched her, Patrizio's voice came in.

"Well, well, well, guess you invited Zia back to poison you, huh?" He humored as he entered the kitchen and leaned at the end of the counter.

"Ask him. Your boss is a masochist." Zoey shrugged as she flipped the eggs.

"How am I a masochist? You people just don't understand the arts." Nikolai chuckled, obviously in a better mood than an hour ago.

"This is food, boss. Not a painting, although it's hard to say which is which by its taste." Patrizio chuckled as he shook his head.

"No matter what you say, Pat. Niko will be the one eating it, not you." Zoey cast Patrizio a glance, sporting a playful smirk.

In the past, in the house of the Silva Family, there were peaceful times like this one. Earlier, whenever Zoey cooked, Nikolai would often watch her.

And then, one after another, Ivan, Inigo, Patrizio, would come. Ivan and Patrizio dissed her like usual. Inigo, sometimes, coached her on how to do it properly. Nikolai would just sit just like right now and wait until it's time to eat.

Seeing that it was just them, Zoey smiled bitterly. Before, she often thought that it was just what she needed. But in a world they lived in, those peaceful times were all superficial and they were all temporary.

She understood that fact after facing the real world outside the chaotic underground world. This was not peace. Nor was it the world where one could find real happiness.

"See? She's burning it!" Patrizio clapped his hand, turning to Nikolai who didn't mind seeing the eggs produce a burning scent.

"Oh!" Zoey snapped, immediately turning off the stove and transferred the burnt eggs to an empty plate.

When she was done, she grabbed a fork and then served it to Nikolai. As soon as she did, Zoey rested her palm on the edge of the table, raising her gaze to Patrizio.

"Do you want to have a taste?" Zoey humored which made him look at her in disdain.

"No, thanks, girl." Patrizio rejected as he gazed down at Nikolai.

Nikolai had started eating. It had been a while since NIkolai had eaten something without being forced to eat. If only Zoey could be a better chef, Nikolai would be a lot healthier, physically and mentally.

The thought of it made him sigh. Alas, Zoey was a terrible chef. Even with a cookbook, she'd mess it up. 

"Here." Nikolai forked out a piece and offered it to Zoey.

Zoey bit her inner lips momentarily. Again, with his old habit which she never had a problem with before. But now…

Zoey opened her mouth and ate the piece of egg he gave her. Pleased, Nikolai winked at her while she chewed the crisp side of the eggs mixed with the softness of the yolk.

She felt bad for playing this role. Because in her mind, Matthew was all she needed. That no matter how Nikolai imposed kindness, it would always be Matthew.

"It's good." Nikolai commented in a low tone.

Patrizio scoffed. "Whatever, lovebirds." He said as he waved and started walking away.

Zoey watched Patrizio walk away before shifting her gaze to Nikolai. 

"Nik."

"Hmm?"

Zoey remained silent for a while until he slowly shifted his attention to her. Once their eyes met, she opened her mouth.

"Why me?"

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Author's Note:

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