Their Villain, The Mogul's Beloved

Chapter 222

Chapter 222

55 vouchers

Inside the mall, Zinnia ignored the shops and made straight for an oddly deserted elevator.

The other elevators had lines of people waiting, yet no one approached this one-even though it stood empty and

ready. The crowd kept shooting her sideways looks instead of boarding, which told her something was off.

Soon, the elevator doors slid open, and Zinnia stepped inside without hesitation.

The people waiting outside stared in astonishment at this unfamiliar girl who dared to board Yannis’s private

elevator.

Inside, the chatting group fell silent as Zinnia stepped in.

Toby Johnson, Yannis’s assistant, began speaking politely, “Excuse me, miss, this elevator is—"

Zinnia turned with a questioning look in her clear, bright eyes. “Is something wrong?”

Before anyone could respond, a deep, relaxed voice interrupted. “It's fine. We're not in any hurry.”

The elevator doors closed behind them, beginning their ascent before anyone could exit.

Zinnia turned toward the voice. As she tilted her head back to meet his eyes, a startling thought struck her-this

man’s beauty could stand alongside her master’s.

He had elegantly shaped eyes, sharp cheekbones, and a straight nose above naturally rosy lips. His black shirt,

slightly open at the collar, revealed a glimpse of his collarbone. Leaning casually against the elevator wall with

one hand in his pocket, he exuded effortless grace.

He looked like something out of a dream-too perfect to be real, too striking to forget. For one reckless moment,

she imagined keeping this beauty for herself alone.

“What are you staring at, little girl?” Yannis drawled, amusement coloring his voice. There was something

unsettling about how Zinnia looked right through him-like she was staring at something invisible just over his

shoulder.

Toby bit back a laugh as he watched his boss mess with Zinnia.

They'd assumed Zinnia was just another girl trying to catch Yannis’s eye-but the blank look on her face made it

clear she had no idea why she was even standing there.

The executives standing around exchanged glances as they watched their boss tease the young girl.

“Nothing,” Zinnia muttered, turning her face away. She hated it when he called her “little girl.” It made her skin

prickle with irritation.

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Chapter 222

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The realization hit her suddenly-she’d stepped into the wrong elevator. This clearly wasn’t meant for regular

shoppers.

“You're gonna pick a floor or what?” Yannis asked.

In his eyes, Zinnia moved with such hesitant, jerky motions-like a baby penguin taking its first steps.

“Oh, right.” Zinnia pressed the button, but nothing happened. When the elevator failed to respond, she looked

up at Yannis with confused blinking. “It's not working.”

For once, even Yannis seemed genuinely surprised by the situation.

Toby stepped in smoothly to explain. “Mr. Perkins, this is a private elevator that only goes directly to the

penthouse unless you have a keycard for other floors.”

Toby had been about to warn Zinnia when Yannis stopped him mid-motion. It was standard security protocol-they

never risked letting potential threats track the CEO’s movements.

The elevator fell silent. Zinnia shot Yannis a look that plainly said, “You absolute moron.”

‘Perhaps | shouldn't have stopped Toby from helping her exit earlier. The realization that a little girl was now

judging him made Yannis stiffen. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he found himself trapped by her wide,

guileless eyes.

Ironically, Yannis himself hadn’t recognized this was a private elevator. “At the top,” Yannis instructed Toby, his

voice clipped, “use your access card to select her floor.”

“Yes, sir,” Toby replied.

The elevator ride to the eighteenth floor was completely quiet. Zinnia, who rarely spoke anyway, stayed silent.

Yannis, still shaken by her sharp look, couldn't find his words. His nice gesture had totally failed.

For the first tin his twenty-year career of effortless charm, Yannis found himself at a loss. All his polished

social skills meant nothing under Zinnia’s judging gaze. That one look cut deeper than any boardroom insult ever

had.

The elevator doors finally slid open, and Yannis dashed out as if on urgent business.

Left to handle the situation, Toby turned to Zinnia with a courteous smile. “Which floor did you need, miss?”

“The sixteenth,” Zinnia answered.

“Understood. Enjoy your shopping-Mr. Perkins is covering your expenses today.” Toby

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Chapter 222

swiped his access card before heading straight for the conference room.

78%

55 vouchers

The doors closed before Zinnia could respond, leaving her alone as the elevator began its

descent.

The whole situation left Zinnia unsettled. Yannis might have been ridiculously good-looking, but nobody acted

that way-randomly paying for strangers.

Zinnia knew exactly what this meant-when Toby said Mr. Perkins was covering the bill, it could only mean Yannis

had given the order.

A soft channounced her arrival on the sixteenth floor. The level specialized in antiques and handcrafted

goods, each store adorned with vintage charm.

Zinnia browsed casually until she paused outside a modest shop labeled Moore's Herbary. As she approached,

the rich, earthy aroma of dried herbs greeted her.

“Miss, what can | get for you today?” The shop clerk stepped out from behind the counter with a friendly smile as

Zinnia walked in.

“Hi, I'm looking to buy these herbs.” Zinnia started ticking off the names one by one.

“Got it. That'll be six grand total,” the clerk said, grabbing the herbs and packing them up in no time.

Just as Zinnia was about to pull out her wallet, a voice crackled through the clerk’s earpiece. “Miss, my boss said

to scratch your bill today. It’s on the house.”

Zinnia’'s eyes widened in surprise. With that, she just got a whole bunch of herbs for free.

“Is there anything else | can help you with?” the clerk asked, still polite as ever.

Zinnia hesitated for a moment. “Actually, do you take in herbs?”

She remembered how cheap the herbs were-about the cost of a single meal for her.

‘Master always made city life sound so expensive-if he’d foundhere, he'd have starved himself just to keep