[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice-Chapter 241: The Art of Getting His Way

~Zayn’s POV~

Ignoring my food, I started to type my reply.

I stared at the screen, the ridiculousness of the situation giving me the clarity I needed. He was healthy, he was eating, and he was groping for a compliment while simultaneously seeking reassurance that he hadn’t completely lost me. I couldn’t give him the full validation he craved—not yet—but I had to affirm his progress.

I simply wrote:

You look better. Good job, Evric. Now maintain it.

I hit send. It was a short, teasing comment that affirmed his compliance with my health demands while keeping the emotional distance firmly in place.

I put my phone face down on the table, a sudden sense of calm washing over me. The immediate crisis of his health was averted. Now, I could finally turn my attention to the real enemy.

"Sorry about that," I told Kai, picking up my fork. "So, tell me about this new contract you landed, and which company are you working with?"

Kai smiled. "Draeven Holdings," he replied simply.

I froze, the fork halfway to my mouth. I hadn’t even thought to ask which company he was coming to work with. I went silent for a moment as the realization hit me, Kai had intentionally avoided mentioning the company’s name before coming, and I was certain he must have seen the news and found out about my relationship with Evric.

"Then you must have found out about my relationship with..." I started slowly, bracing myself for the inevitable awkward conversation.

Kai cut me off, completely unbothered. "You mean if I found out about you being the love of Evric Draeven’s life? Yeah, I did. And damn, Zayn, you really went for the best. Evric risked a lot for you, especially doing it right after landing his biggest project. Can you imagine? Evric Draeven, one of the most powerful men in business, publicly admitted he’s gay at a time when he knew it could cost him everything. And still, he chose you. That’s... incredible."

I swallowed hard. "So you’re not surprised to find me being gay?"

Kai looked at me, confusion flickering across his face. "Zayn, what year are we in? People don’t even hide who they love anymore. I’m happy for you, honestly."

I sighed, pushing my plate away. The food was suddenly irrelevant. "Do you think what Evric did is cool?"

Kai leaned back, considering the question. "To be sincere, it’s cool, and it’s not."

"How?" I asked, needing to hear an impartial answer.

"It’s cool because he proved he loves you and chose you over everything. The coming out, the risk, that’s a grand gesture of commitment. He put his entire career on the line for you," Kai said, then frowned.

"But he was wrong to risk that much for love, forgetting you’re human. What if you two break up and he never regains his status? If you asked me whether I could do what he did, risk everything for love, my answer would be no. But if someone ever did that for me, there’s nothing they could do that would make me leave them."

"Why?"

"Because you will truly find new love," Kai said, his eyes serious, "but you will never find their kind of devotion in the new lover you found."

"What are you trying to say, Kai?"

He sighed. "What I’m trying to say is that I called your mom after I heard about the news of your relationship with Evric. She explained everything to me, including the surgery, the confession, and all of it. Why did you come back home? Didn’t you both stay together before?"

I opened my mouth to explain my reasons, but Kai cut me off again.

"Evric might have been wrong, but don’t lose your man over that psycho," he warned, leaning forward. "Distance kills feelings. I don’t know what you’re planning, but don’t stay away for too long. It’s Evric you’re dating, Zayn—lots of men want him, and plenty of men and women will keep wanting him. I don’t need you to explain anything; I just want to give you some advice based on what I heard from your mom. She asked me to talk to you, she doesn’t want you to lose Evric for anything."

My eyes stung, and I finally let the pressure break. "It’s suffocating, you know?" I cried, my voice raw. "You all call it love, but it’s actually killing me, Kai."

My eyes stung, and I finally let the pressure break. "It’s suffocating, you know?" I cried, my voice raw. "You all call it love, but it’s actually killing me, Kai."

Kai nodded slowly. "Zayn, you’re the one who allowed it to get this far. You’re dating a spoiled man who’s had everything handed to him his whole life—money, power, cars, status, whatever he wants. He never had to fight for anything. And when he started dating you, you didn’t complain. You just kept accepting everything he did, until it all became too much."

"Kai, you can’t understand—"

"I understand," he interrupted gently. "I understand your fear, Zayn. But that fear got you to where you are now. Don’t blame Evric for everything. Blame yourself, also."

I nodded, absorbing the brutal truth of his words. Kai, being three years older, was often the voice of experience I didn’t want to hear but desperately needed. Blame yourself, also. The words settled heavily, mixing with the lingering guilt from my cruel outburst.

After the conversation, we finished our dinner in heavy silence. The casual air of the evening was completely broken. When we were done, Kai went to the guest room, and I went to mine, but sleep was impossible. My mind was too disturbed.

It had been weeks since I left Evric’s house, and I’d told myself the distance was purely so I could deal with Nicki and get my head straight. But the real reason was far more chilling: I was scared to face the fact that Nicki wasn’t alone in this.

The thought kept haunting me, the fear that one of my friends might actually be working with Nicki. But why would anyone go to such extremes just to destroy my relationship with Evric? I couldn’t understand what kind of hatred could drive someone that far. I kept asking myself over and over why any of my friends would betray me like that. Yet the more I thought about it, the colder the realization became: someone close to me might be helping Nicki, and I had no idea who it was.

But why? Who was that friend who hated me enough to destroy my life from the inside?

I was still trapped in the suffocating spiral of this thought, running through names and motives, when my phone rang. The screen displayed Evric’s name. I picked up immediately.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice still tight from the tension.

"Babe," Evric’s voice was a high, thin whine, sounding utterly drained. He was using his exhausted, spoiled-child voice, a sound I hadn’t heard in a while now. "I worked all day, and I’m so tired. And now I have this terrible headache. It’s pounding."

He didn’t wait for me to reply, rushing his words together. "I didn’t mean to call and break your peace, I swear. I just wanted to hear your voice. I took the pills, but the pain is still here." He lowered his voice, seeking the old comfort. "Just tell me goodnight and sweet dreams, and I bet the headache would go away."

I almost laughed at how dramatic he sounded, but I held myself back. I needed him to ask. "Beg me," I challenged, keeping my tone flat.

"Please, babe," he whined softly, his tone dripping with playful desperation.

"Goodnight, Evric. Sweet dreams," I sighed, the words tasting like surrender.

A genuine, relieved giggle escaped him on the line. I listened for a moment as he collected himself. Finally, he spoke, his voice soft and sincere. "Goodnight, baby, and I love you so much." He didn’t wait for my reply; he just hung up.

I was still shaking my head and smiling softly at his childish act, when my phone buzzed with an incoming text message. I didn’t recognize the number, but the message was short and chillingly specific:

NICKI: See you tomorrow.

I chuckled, a dry, satisfied sound that cut through the silence of my room.

Finally. The game was on.