Their Villain, The Mogul's Beloved

Chapter 411

Chapter 411

13

As dusk fell, Zinnia didn’t linger. Lydia walked her downstairs.

“Lydia, you don’t need to walkout. Bonnie needs you. Yannis is coming to pickup,” Zinnia said as she

walked ahead, stepping in the shadows with a sunflower in her hand. Lydia followed close beside her.

“Letwalk you to the gate,” Lydia insisted, staying close by her side.

Zinnia didn’t refuse, and the two walked out of the apartment complex to find Yannis already waiting outside. He

had asked about her whereabouts and cto pick her up on the way back. His eye-catching Koenigsegg One:1

was parked by the curb.

His slender hand rested on the window frame, wrist exposed, a faint crimson ember glowing at the cigarette. The

half-lowered car window revealed a breathtakingly handsface, features carved with cool indifference.

Sensing the person he'd been waiting for, Yannis tilted his head slightly. Their eyes met across the distance-

Zinnia holding his gaze—as he lowered the window.

The cold expression faded from Yannis’s face, his eyes softening with a gentle warmth, like snow thawing in

spring. In that moment, Zinnia felt a strange flutter in her chest-like a tiny ant tap-dancing across her heart.

She'd never seen Yannis like this before. He was always gentle and mild-mannered around her, his eyes often

smiling. But she saw an inexplicable air of wild, untamed allure about him before their eyes met.

“Yannis,” Zinnia walked over, catching a faint whiff of cigarette smoke. She subtly frowned.

Yannis’s expression softened upon seeing Zinnia.

“Hi, Mr. Perkins,” Lydia greeted politely.

“Hello, thank you for taking care of Zinnia at school,” Yannis replied politely, nodding at Lydia. His gaze lingered

on her face, especially her eyes, for a few extra seconds. He thought to himself, ‘Why do | think I have seen her

before?”

“No, it’s Zinnia who's helpedmore,” Lydia replied with quiet dignity, showing no trace of inferiority. But when

she mentioned Zinnia, a gentle warmth welled up in her eyes.

After exchanging a few words, Zinnia slid into the car.

Noticing that Zinnia kept furrowing her brows from tto time, Yannis asked gently, “What's wrong? Are you

upset?”

“It’s nothing,” Zinnia said, shaking her head.

“Zinnia, tellwhat's wrong—are you feeling unwell somewhere?” Yannis pressed gently, not buying her

evasion.

“Yannis, I've never known that you smoke.” Zinnia turned to look at him. After living together for so long, she

was only just finding this out now.

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Chapter 411

“Zinnia,” Yannis said seriously, “Smoking is a bad habit. Don’t pick it up from me.”

Zinnia looked at him with concern. “How many have you smoked?”

65 vouchers

“Just a couple of cigarettes-I'm not a heavy smoker,” Yannis replied casually. “I only light up when I'm feeling

down.”

“You should smoke and drink less for your health,” Zinnia reminded him gently. She knew that in his circle, social

drinking was inevitable, so she never pushed him to quit entirely.

After all, everyone needs a way to vent-speople do it with a drink or a cigarette. She rarely smelled alcohol

on him, and if she hadn’t seen him smoking today, she wouldn't even have known he did.

“Alright, | promise,” Yannis said, his worried gaze fixed on her. “But | have a feeling it's not really my smoking

that’s bothering you, is it?”

Zinnia kept covering her nose with her sleeve, trying to block out the lingering smell of smoke.

Zinnia averted her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze-she knew he'd probably get mad. Her fingers tightened

imperceptibly around the seatbelt as she mumbled, “Well, it’s just... I'm not really used to the smell of smoke.

Too much of it irritates my nose.”

“How bad is it?” Yannis’s instincts told him it wasn’t just a little discomfort. As he spoke, he was adjusting the

ventilation system.

The cigarette he’d smoked was mild, and the expensive perfin the car should have masked the smell, yet

she still kept wrinkling her nose from tto time.

“Well, if | smell too much smoke, it irritates my airways and | might feel lightheaded,” Zinnia murmured

nervously, pressing her lips together. Just then, the car jerked to a harsh stop.

“Yannis, maybe you should brush up on your driving skills,” Zinnia teased as she jolted forward, only to be

yanked back by the seatbelt.

“Zinnia, how could you not tellsomething this serious?” Yannis glared at her through gritted teeth. She was

just brushing it off. He thought, * If she couldn't even stand the smell of smoke, why didn’t she say anything?"

Without hesitation, Yannis pulled over, parked the car, and guided Zinnia out. He immediately called Toby and

said, “Send over a smoke-free car right away.”

He thought, ‘Even if Zinnia is just a little uncomfortable, there is no way | let her stay in that car. If she feels

uncomfortable because of the smoke, I'll never forgive myself.’

“Can’t stand the smell of smoke? Why didn’t you say something before getting in the car?”

Yannis looked down at Zinnia beside him, immediately pulling the cigarettes from his pocket and tossing them

into the trash. Without hesitation, he even threw away his jacket, which still reeked of smoke.

Zinnia wasn’t too bothered, since he hadn't smoked much. “You didn’t smoke much-it’s bearable. I'm not really

uncomfortable, just not used to the smell,” she said.

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Chapter 411

58

Swouchers

“Zinnia, you have to tellif you feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable, okay? Your health comes first. From

now on, let's avoid anywhere people are smoking” Yannis said, his tone full of concern.

He was relieved he’d never smoked in front of her-if she got sick because of that, he'd regret it. She got dizzy

just from the smell of smoke. He thought, thankfully, it isn’t too serious yet.

Zinnia nodded obediently. “Okay.”

“Did you buy this flower?” Yannis asked, noticing the slightly wilted flower in her arms after a whole day.

Zinnia hugged the sunflower closer and smiled. “Lydia gave it to me,” she said.

“That deskmate of yours-the girl who sent you out, right?” Yannis mused, recalling the quiet, reserved girl he'd

just seen. Her whole presence radiated calm gentleness, and her eyes were as tranquil as still water.

Zinnia nodded eagerly. “Yeah, that's her-the super smart one | told you about.”

“What's her last name?” Yannis wondered, unable to immediately place where he'd seen those eyes. Few people

ever made enough of an impression on him, and he was certain he’d never met that girl-yet those eyes stirred

an odd sense of familiarity.

“Hollis,” Zinnia answered. Yannis silently mouthed the surnto himself, trying to place where he’d heard it

before. But before he could make sense of it, Toby pulled up in a luxury car, Bugatti La Voiture Noire.

“Yannis, your cars are seriously awesome!” Zinnia’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the car, its dark metallic finish

shimmering like starlight. “This is so cool!”

She remembered when she lived in the small town, she had seen such a beautiful car just like this in the phone

of a friend.

She'd run hto show Master, saying, “One day, when | make it big, I'm going to buy a car like this.” Master

just chuckled and said he'd get her one when she grew up.

She thought Master was totally bluffing. Her friend told her that cars like this were insanely expensive-so

expensive that even if she sold herself, she still couldn't afford one.

“Do you like it?” Yannis asked, his eyes gleaming as he heard her praise.

“It's gorgeous,” Zinnia nodded, her eyes shining. She thought the car was truly stunning-just the kind that only a

real handsman like Yannis could pull off.

Yannis smiled and said softly, “I'll get you one when you turn eighteen.”

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Chapter 412

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