Chapter 703 - Zoey's Death

August 5, 2020 - Zoey's Death

"Pray that we won't be living in the same timeline, my old friend. I will be your karma." Her eyes never left his. Although her vision got even more blurry, Zoey could see his figure running towards her, but to no avail. 

*BANG!*

The bullet passed through her temples. An instant death consumed her as her body collapsed down on the concrete ground.

"Zia!" Inigo yelled, trying to catch her figure, but failed. Upon reaching her lifeless body, Inigo ran his hair back in distress, pacing back and forth.

"I -- shit!" He choked, unable to articulate his thoughts. "I was just… joking! Ah! Sh*t…!"

Inigo squatted down, rubbing his palms against his face. When he took his hands away from his face, his eyes glinted bitterly.

He didn't mean it. All he had said, he didn't mean it. He was just trying to humor her, just like how acted when his last lover died.

So why… 

Inigo was certain she'd shot him. He didn't mind. But Zoey… how could she kill herself without a second hesitation?

"Zia… What the hell were you thinking? Ughh…" Inigo gritted his teeth in disbelief at the busted head right in front of him.

"Matt," He muttered under his breath. He had lost all words as his prank went wrong.

"Shit! That guy will haunt...me." Inigo added through his gritted teeth but trailed off as he raised his head.

Footsteps approached, his shadow slowly spread from his foot towards Inigo. The latter let out a scoff upon meeting the face of the man. He was playing with a pistol in his hand.

"You…" Inigo's eyes widened.

Enzo glanced at Zoey's busted head, but showed no emotion. He just sighed and shrugged his shoulders before shifting his gaze back to Inigo.

"You killed her?" Enzo asked, tilting his head a little to the side.

One year after Matthew's death, Enzo had surely changed to someone no one would even think. His lack of remorse seeing the gore ending of the girl he had loved had proved that.

"I killed her?" Inigo scoffed as he slowly stood on his feet. "Maybe."

Enzo smirked, raising his handgun that he aimed at Inigo.

"Man, I haven't met you in person, but you're nothing like my brother told me about." Inigo shook his head in disappointment.

Back in the day, although Matthew kept his personal life private, Inigo was a busybody. Hence, he often asked about the people around Matthew. 

Enzo was a superstar, after all. His relation to the Xi Family was known to the public. It was only in recent years that Enzo retired from the entertainment industry to pursue his business career.

He succeeded. With the XI Corporation's influence, Enzo Li became a successful businessman on his own. But, now, not only was he managing his own business, he had become the CEO of the entire XI Corporation.

How? Inigo didn't know the details and why Vivian agreed with it. But that didn't matter now.

"You're not close with Nikolai, Joker." Enzo chuckled. "By the way, he nearly survived. So, I had to put a hole in his head to make sure he goes to hell."

"I'm not talking about that stupid brother of mine. But, you got my attention. you know Niko, you're also here…" Not surprised at Nikolai's death, Inigo nodded in understanding. "So you and Niko conspired, huh? You're sneaky for not hitting my radar."

"I am not sneaky, Joker. You just underestimated me, just like her." Enzo cocked his head to Zoey's direction.

"I could give her the world. I've proven that I can be anyone she likes me to; be Matthew, be Nikolai, or be the demon Inigo. Too bad she died before she could see all this." Enzo sighed, disappointed that Zoey couldn't see that he was far more vicious than Nikolai and Inigo.

But there wasn't too much emotion involved. In Inigo's perspective, Enzo had already lost his sanity. 

"Let me ask you, cray." Inigo let out another sigh as something finally became clear to him. "Did you kill Matthew?"

Inigo already had his suspicions. It wasn't Nikolai's style to kill someone like that. At the very least, Nikolai would prepare it to be much more grand and terrifying. 

Nikolai's ways often wanted the crime to lead to him. Why? Because even if he did, the authorities wouldn't come to him speaking about justice. He was that confident. 

But Matthew's death was clean. There was a scapegoat who took all the blame and was now behind bars. They made it look like a pure accident -- a terrible accident. Which Inigo knew wasn't what it looked like.

"Maybe?" Enzo shrugged as a smirk resurfaced on his lips. "Nikolai and I agreed to make it my way since I'm the person who held a grudge against that arrogant man."

"Hah," In disbelief at what he heard, Inigo scoffed. Matthew had protected them all, and gave them a comfortable life by taking the XI Corporation to unreachable heights. Now, Enzo was saying Matthew was arrogant?

"What an ungrateful lad." Inigo spat out, shaking his head calmly.

Just as Inigo blinked, Enzo's gun suddenly went off, hitting Inigo's wrist accurately.

"Ah sh-!"

"Oh, damn." Enzo muttered as he unhesitatingly pulled the trigger again, and again, and again.

Each bullet hits Inigo randomly, not giving him the chance to fire back. Enzo's face remained unfazed. No mercy. There were no words uttered, just a series of loud bangs filled the air.

And then, they paused. Enzo stopped moving, even the bullet midair stopped.

"Enzo…" Zoey muttered under her breath, watching everything unfold before her eyes.

"Surprise, surprise!" Churu cheered on her side with pompoms in her hand. 

Zoey scoffed in disbelief. She didn't know this happened after she died. She didn't know about Inigo's distressed reaction after that. This was a scene which she didn't have the chance to see nor the conversation she would ever get to know.

"Inigo didn't want to kill you, chu! He is actually a good guy although craaaaazy~!" Churu flew in front of Zoey with a bright smile on her face.