Yannis mused to himself, “There can’t be that much difference between me and Nathan, right? If there were, Zinnia wouldn’t have been so drawn to my face.”

“Yannis, you’re so full of yourself!” Zinnia laughed, catching the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. She had never seen this side of him before. He was actually worried about his looks? It was endearing.

Yannis smiled, “Zinnia, this isn’t about being full of myself. It’s about knowing who I am–so I can stay ahead of the game and be ready for whatever comes next.”

If Yannis had any idea what Zinnia was thinking, he’d probably just roll his eyes and give up. He’d never been one to obsess over his looks–until she came along.

With Zinnia, he found himself worrying about things he’d never given a second thought to before. Normally fearless, Yannis couldn’t help but overthink everything when it came to her.

Deep down, he was afraid that once Nathan returned, he’d be forgotten. Caring too much can make even the bravest person hesitate–and that was exactly where Yannis was with Zinnia.

As Christmas drew nearer, Yannis grew more and more uneasy. Nathan would be back soon, and then Zinnia would leave.

He wasn’t sure what bothered him more: the thought that Nathan’s return would steal away her attention, or the terrifying possibility that she might never come back after leaving with him.

So Yannis kept looking for chances to see if he had even the slightest place in her heart. He just wanted to find a little corner for himself in her world.

He didn’t need much, just enough so that when things changed, she’d still care about him, even if it was just a little.

Honestly, Zinnia thought, “I really don’t get how adults think–or how Yannis’s mind works. Why is he suddenly talking about future risks? What risks? Is he seriously worried that Nathan is better looking than him?

Does he think he needs to get plastic surgery just to compete with my master?”

Zinnia wasn’t one to overthink things or worry about the distant future. She studied him with a curious gaze, as if trying to read his true thoughts. “Are you worried you can’t measure up to Nathan’s good looks?”

Yannis didn’t say anything–which was as good as admitting it.

Zinnia was just trying to tease him, but who would’ve thought he’d actually take it seriously? Zinnia fell silent. “For someone usually so proud and distinguished, does he really care about who’s better looking–him or Nathan?”

“Come on, be honest–who do you think is better looking, me or your master Nathan?” Yannis’s tone was tinged with a hint of self-mockery.

He was like a kid stubbornly demanding to know if his favorite candy was really the best. He needed to hear it from Zinnia. Nathan, who hadn’t even made his grand entrance yet, was now the center of attention.

“So, truth or a white lie?” Zinnia looked at him with wide, guileless eyes.

“The truth,” Yannis said–he definitely wanted to hear it.

“The truth, huh?” Zinnia drawled, putting on a thoughtful expression.

Yannis’s gaze locked onto her delicate, soft features, determined not to miss even the slightest shift in her expression–he was terrified she might not be entirely truthful with him.

“Stop staring at me like that,” Zinnia protested, her cheeks burning under Yannis’s intense, affectionate gaze. His eyes were so full of emotion—it was overwhelming, making it impossible for her to think straight.

“No way. I’m afraid you’ll lie to me,” Yannis insisted, not taking his eyes off Zinnia.

She rolled her eyes and thought, “What’s with that stare? Why does he have to be so suspicious? He doesn’t trust me at all?”

“I’m not a liar. Why would I lie to you?” she retorted with a stare, feeling a bit indignant.

“I’m afraid you’re too biased toward Nathan to give me a straight answer,” Yannis said honestly.

For a moment, Zinnia was at a loss for words. Everyone had their own biases–it was impossible to be completely objective. Zinnia had been especially partial when it came to her master.

Honestly, Yannis’s worries hadn’t been entirely unfounded. In her heart, Nathan had been, without a doubt, the most handsome man in the world. Not even Yannis, standing right in front of her, could compare to Nathan.

Zinnia was hopelessly biased when it came to Nathan. Even though she hadn’t seen him in over half a year, in her heart, he was still the absolute best–the most handsome man alive.

If Yannis hadn’t brought it up, she wouldn’t have thought to make the comparison, but now that he had, she couldn’t help herself.

With these thoughts running through her mind, Zinnia couldn’t bring herself to meet Yannis’s gaze.

Yannis found the conversation veering off track again. He said, “Let’s not talk about whether I’m a liar right now–can we go back to what we were discussing before?”

All he really wanted to know was whether there was a big gap between him and Nathan. If Nathan was way out of his league, there was no way to change that—he’d just have to find some other way to win her over.

With such perfection already in her life, she probably wouldn’t even look at his face. But if the gap wasn’t that big, maybe he could still work on improving himself.

Everyone should have aspirations. Yannis’s first was to win Zinnia over with his looks. His second? To turn himself into a doll and squeeze himself into her bag, so she’d carry him everywhere and think of him all the time.

Quite grand ambitions–he’d have to work hard, harder, and hardest to make them come true.

“Okay.” Zinnia was secretly relieved that Yannis had changed the subject and obediently went along with him, though she still worried he might see through her little thoughts and start teasing her about it.

Zinnia didn’t know Yannis all that well, but she did know one thing–he was frighteningly perceptive. If he hadn’t changed the subject just now, he definitely would have realized he’d guessed her little secret right!

Yannis was sharp, but in some ways, he could be surprisingly petty. If he ever found out she was thinking about someone else while answering his questions, he’d start pouting and muttering complaints, sighing dramatically.

He might grumble, “Ah, so I really don’t matter at all. Here I am, standing right before you, and you can’t even focus on me–too busy thinking about others. I only care about you, but it seems I’ve misplaced my affection.”

Whenever Yannis started muttering and acting all pitiful, Zinnia couldn’t help but feel guilty. He always made himself sound so wronged that she had no way to argue back.

Every time, she ended up feeling like she was the one at fault, guilt creeping in until she had to comfort him. Honestly, he knew exactly how to get to her.

Even though Zinnia knew he was probably exaggerating, she still fell for it every time. After all, she just couldn’t believe Yannis would ever deliberately do that he always seemed genuinely hurt.

Honestly, it was a classic case of one willing to play along and the other happy to keep up the act; they both knew exactly what was going on, but chose to play dumb.

Yannis hesitated, and then asked softly, “So… who do you think looks better, me or Nathan?”