Yannis chuckled softly, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Tall… I’m six-two. Rich… I’ve got more money than she could spend in ten lifetimes. Treat her well… I’ve never been anything but kind to her. And handsome… she once called me pretty, so I guess that counts. So, by her own criteria, I seem to fit the bill perfectly!"

They were stopped at a red light that felt like it would never change. Yannis glanced over at Zinnia, his expression teasing. "Are you sure you were not talking about me?"

Zinnia’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt a strange tingling sensation at the back of her neck. “What? No way,” she snapped, trying to sound indignant. “I wasn’t talking about you.”

Yannis leaned closer, his face suddenly serious. “Tall enough? Check. Rich? Definitely. Treat you well? Always. And handsome…” He paused, his eyes locking onto hers. “Look at me, Zinnia. Do you really think I’m not handsome?”

His sudden proximity hit Zinnia like a wave–her breath caught, lips parting wordlessly. All she could do was clutch the seatbelt in front of her, trying to steady her racing heart.

Yannis’s face was dangerously mesmerizing. Whether or not others liked it, Zinnia knew one thing: she was utterly smitten. That face was just breathtakingly gorgeous.

If it hadn’t been for that, when they first met, Zinnia would have just called him out for being an idiot. Instead, she glanced at him sideways and swallowed her words.

She couldn’t bring herself to insult someone so good-looking. For someone who loved beauty like Zinnia did, she was always extra forgiving when it came to attractive people.

“Do I look good?” Yannis leaned in, his eyes locking onto hers, a playful glint in them. His voice, smooth and low, sent a shiver down her spine. He knew he had her hooked. He was sure she was into his face.

“Sure,” Zinnia whispered, almost against her will, as if under a spell.

Right then, a blaring horn from behind signaled the green light. Yannis let out a soft chuckle, slid back into the driver’s seat, and started the car.

The moment Yannis’s laughter reached her ears, Zinnia felt her ears burn and her cheeks flush. Her heart skipped a beat, then raced even faster than before. She couldn’t shake the feeling it would only get faster and faster from now on.

She felt completely out of control. But when asked to describe that feeling, Zinnia found herself at a loss.

It was frustrating–being around Yannis often left her feeling helpless, like she could never quite grasp his true intentions. Even though he seemed to hold nothing back, she still felt she didn’t truly understand him deep down.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the seatbelt. She wasn’t sure about her other feelings, but right now, she knew exactly what she was feeling.

‘Ugh, this infuriating man is using his looks against me again! He knows I’m weak for his face, and yet he still uses it to charm me,’ Zinnia fumed inwardly, cheeks puffing in indignation as she glared at him.

“Yannis, that’s cheating!” she blurted out.

“Cheating? How do you mean?” Yannis protested, looking all innocent.

Zinnia puffed out her cheeks and accused, “You’re totally using your looks to get your way.”

He was just taking advantage of his handsome face. She was weak for good-looking people, and whenever she was around someone attractive, she just couldn’t help but let her guard down.

“So, Zinnia, does that mean you admit I’m good-looking?” Yannis seized her words with a smirk.

Honestly, Yannis knew damn well he was handsome–his face had been turning heads since he was a kid.

Even when he was kidnapped and those guys beat him to a pulp, they still left his face untouched. Even thugs couldn’t bring themselves to mess up a face like his.

Sure, he knew he was good-looking, but he’d been worried she might not be into his type. Now, seeing her eyes drawn to him, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least there was something about him that got her attention.

‘That’s not what I meant at all! How does he always manage to read into things like that? He’s good-looking, sure, but I’m not about to compliment him,’ she thought.

“No way! Nathan is way better-looking than you!” Zinnia shot back, her voice tinged with determination. In her mind, Nathan was the hands-down winner. No matter how good Yannis looked, Nathan was the best.

Yannis froze, his expression visibly turning cold.

To be honest, he hadn’t even met Nathan yet, so it was hard to believe he was better-looking.

He’d seen Nathan’s childhood photos, and if he’d grown up without any awkward phases, he’d definitely be better-looking than most people. But just how handsome? Yannis couldn’t quite picture it.

Nathan’s mom and his own mom had once been the famous beauties of Jinston–both stunning. Nathan’s dad, Richard, was a famous heartthrob. From the photos, Nathan had clearly inherited the best features from both his parents.

Yannis found himself thinking about hiring a forensic artist to recreate what Nathan looked like now, based on those childhood photos–just so he could compare their looks and see if he needed to step up his game.

Maybe if he worked on it, he could end up looking even better than Nathan someday.

Yannis’s current mission was to figure out who was actually better-looking–him or Nathan. But he couldn’t rule out the possibility that the little girl beside him was just seeing Nathan through rose-tinted glasses.

While they were talking, before they knew it, they had already driven into the apartment complex’s parking garage. Yannis pulled into a spot, unbuckled his seatbelt, then leaned closer to her and asked, half-joking, "So, is Nathan really better-looking than me?"

He wasn’t being arrogant; it was just that he’d never met anyone who could outshine him in the looks department.

He knew there were always people out there who might be more attractive, but he didn’t really care about them. Right now, he just wanted to know if Nathan was one of them.

“Take a guess,” Zinnia teased. Seeing Yannis getting worked up, she felt she’d finally scored a point. She blinked her beautiful eyes, a mischievous glint dancing in them.

“I don’t think I’m far behind Nathan,” Yannis said, lost in his own thoughts about their appearances. He didn’t even notice Zinnia’s teasing.

Yannis thought, ‘I mean, I got the best traits from my parents. We probably look pretty similar. If there’s a big difference, well… maybe it’s my dad’s fault for not being handsome enough.’