Chapter 710 - My Heart Might Stop

"I'm back~!" Zoey announced sweetly as soon as she reached the parking space.

Matthew was already standing by the door of the passenger seat. He smiled as Zoey beamed a grin at him. He couldn't help but pat her head as he smiled.

"Paul hates delay in important business matters. But you two should stop torturing them." Matthew advised gently as if he wasn't really lecturing Zoey.

"It's their fault!" Zoey pouted. "They'd been here for the longest and still commit the same mistakes over and over. This company will die if you and Paul didn't manage it when I was in a coma."

A deep sigh escaped Zoey's lips. If she didn't really care about her employees, she'd have fired everyone like a massacre. However, for two lifetimes, those people in the meeting room had stayed in the company with her.

Therefore, even if they get on her nerves most of the time, Zoey still saw them as family. And she's their mother! How annoying.

"Go inside. Madam Xi will surely be there before the meeting time just to pick on me." Matthew let out a weary chuckle as he opened the door for her.

"You know, that's just Mom's way to say that she missed you." Zoey teased as she hitched inside. Matthew then jogged his way and entered on the other door.

When Zoey sat in the back passenger seat, Owen and Carter were already inside the car. Owen on the driver's seat, while Carter on the front passenger seat.

Last year, Matthew disbanded his not so small number of men under him. Most of the men had taken different paths. Meanwhile, Carter, Owen, and Ryan, the squad captains, chose to follow Matthew.

Even though Matthew refused, they sent their application to the Z Image Group. Thus, Zoey hired them. Their pay wasn't as huge as back when they were working for Matthew.

However, they were determined to serve Matthew and Zoey. So now, they're working as Zoey's bodyguards and driver. Ryan had a different job, though.

Paul, on the other hand, was working in the office since his experience working as Matthew's assistant qualified him to have a better position in the Z Image Group. It was safe to say that Zoey got a bargain with these skilled men working for her for half the salary they received before.

The thought of it made Zoey giggle. Matthew raised his brow as he turned to her.

"Hmm?" He hummed a questioning note.

"Nothing. I just wouldn't get used to this." Zoey cocked her head to Owen and Carter's direction.

Upon seeing her reaction, Matthew nodded in understanding. He was against it before, but he figured it was better to have strong and skilled people around them. Also, their range in skills had far surpassed the range of their job.

"By the way, our international branch has been doing great for the past six months." Matthew diverted the subject as Z Image Group had started to extend their business internationally.

With Zoey and Matthew's effort, supported by Paul, Ryan, and Ivan made this milestone for the company possible.

"Yes, I saw the graph. Gosh… I didn't know Ryan is good at business and Ivan too! That punk had a hidden talent but always acted like a fool." Zoey muttered as she recalled that their international branch had a steady growth.

"They said they will attend the wedding since the company has stabilized." Matthew informed her.

"Ohh…" Zoey nodded, blinking as she cast Matthew a look. "Ivan too?"

She asked, raising her brow. It had been a year since Ivan told her that he wanted to travel to cope with his heart break.

However, while he was abroad, Ivan opened about the market potential in the country he was in. Thus, this extension idea started. Zoey was a risk-taker and she would bite it. Plus with Matthew's approval and connections, they're there now.

"Ryan said they will go. But you know him. He might change his mind." Matthew shrugged as he checked Zoey's other schedule on his phone.

"Ivan…" Zoey muttered. "It's been a year since they broke up because of a silly misunderstanding."

"Do you want to play cupid again?" Slowly, Matthew retracted his eyes away from his phone as he set them on her side profile. His brows raised, waiting for her response.

"Nope." Zoey pursed her lips in a thin line and shook her head. "That is their life. Of course I root for them, but if I planned to meddle with their relationship, they would have gotten back together that day. But if I did that, how would the two of them learn?"

Matthew smiled, pleased at Zoey's response. "Good insight."

"Cora is now a popular web novelist after pouring all her pain in her romance stories. Ivan has found an area he excels in, except in fighting. Both of them have grown individually."

Zoey rubbed her chin mildly. In just one year, Cora and Ivan had grown because of their heartbreak. It may sound harsh, but the two of them molded that pain into something beautiful. Now, they're both doing great.

"What are you thinking?" Matthew asked, seeing that Zoey was wondering about something.

"Just wondering what could've happened if they didn't break up." Zoey uttered in all honesty. She was curious.

Matthew nodded as he returned his focus to his schedule. He then mumbled unconsciously.

"Cora was not successful in 2019. I don't know about Ivan, but I can say the same. So I guess, they wouldn't grow like this if they focus on each other first instead of themselves."

When Matthew realized what he just said, he blinked and turned to Zoey. She was staring at him in silence.

"I -- I mean,"

"That's right. They're still young in this lifetime, anyway." Instead of prying questions about Matthew's words, Zoey nodded in agreement. "Well, not that we can return in time to see what happens. Right, Darling?"

Zoey smiled at him while Matthew stared at her in stunned silence.

"We?"

"Shhh!" Zoey grinned mischievously with her finger in front of her lips. It had been two years since waking up from her coma, but ever since then, Matthew and Zoey didn't talk about this phenomena.

"My heart might stop." Zoey humored, raising her brows, giving Matthew a knowing look.

Matthew's lips parted but no words came out. Just looking at her and parsing her words, Matthew got the hint.

"You…" Slowly, the side of his lips curled into a smile. "My heart might stop as well."

"That annoying dumpling." Zoey roared meekly. "I will serve lots of dumplings at our wedding just to spite her!"

"Mhmm. She's a sassy one."

Questions of how she knows... Matthew might not get to know the answer. But, knowing that she had an idea all along brought relief in his heart.. The heavy burden he had been carrying for two years now had lightened.