[BL] CRAVING HIM: Addicted to His Voice Chapter 177: Loyalty Test On You

~Zayn’s POV~

His voice trembled as it brushed against my ear, low and raw. "You can add to my punishnt," he whispered. "Whatever it is... I’ll take it all. Just please, don’t shut out."

Hearing that only fueled the anger still burning inside , but I was exhausted. My body was heavy, my mind scattered. If I wanted even a mont of peace, I had to tell him to sleep; otherwise he’d murmur all night, restless, unbearable.

"Sleep," I muttered. "We’ll talk in the morning."

"Hold ," he murmured again.

I didn’t answer. I simply wrapped my arm loosely around his waist, a tired gesture so we could both finally sleep. And at last, we did.

Morning light spilled into the living room. I woke first, my body stiff, my heart still heavy. Grabbing my phone, I dropped a resu note inside the group chat for my staff, anyone still ready to work.

The replies ca instantly.

Okay boss.

Yes, boss.

One by one, they all said they would resu. Relief flooded . I hadn’t lost my team. They were loyal.

I was still smiling at their ssages when I turned to my side, only to find Evric awake, watching . My smile faded imdiately.

"Good morning, baby," he said softly.

"Good morning," I replied flatly, already standing up from the couch.

I headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, but he followed quickly. "Please, babe. Allow to explain," he pleaded.

I didn’t respond. Maybe I was overreacting, but the past few days had simply been too much. Evric had stood by through it all, yes but now, everything felt like a lie I wasn’t ready to face.

When I turned, I saw him sink into the couch, his shoulders heavy as he buried his face in his hands. I knew he’d been trying his best to hold things together for , to keep up with everything we’d been facing... but I couldn’t help the weight sitting in my chest.

Still, despite the anger, a part of thought, maybe I should give him a chance to explain.

I walked over and sat beside him. "Okay," I said quietly. "I’m all ears. Explain. Start from the beginning. And don’t leave anything out."

He lowered his hands and looked at , his eyes tired.

"When I was in Dubai," he began, "my brother reached out to . Dad told him to test your loyalty, to see how much you loved ."

I blinked, stunned.

"I didn’t even hesitate," he said quietly. "I told Evans I trusted you, with everything in . That you wouldn’t fail, not for a second. So I told him to go ahead, I wasn’t even worried."

He exhaled, rubbing his hands together. "Evans never told what he said to you, or what you said to him. He works for Dad, not . Everything he reports goes straight to Father, I only get small bits of information if I beg him for it."

His voice cracked. "Sotis I would beg him to tell , but he wouldn’t. I only knew you were eting Evans if I saw a call or ssage pop up on your phone. I didn’t know anything else."

I stared at him, searching for a lie. "How did you know I wouldn’t take the bait?"

Evric t my eyes. "Because I trust you, more so Father already tested you with won before he sent Evans."

I froze. "He tested with won?"

He nodded. "Yes. Nitammi, she was sent by my father before and even after we started dating."

"Wait," I cut in sharply. "Why is your father taking things this far?"

Evric sighed, a long heavy sound. "It started with Evans. You never asked why he’s called Evans Lucas and not Evans Draeven..."

"Why?" I asked.

"When Evans was eighteen," Evric said, "he was with a girl. Then, out of nowhere, he fell for a boy at his school. Their relationship was serious. Father found out. He was homophobic back then. But Evans was the first reason he started to believe that sa-gender love was a waste of ti."

I swallowed hard. "So Evans is also gay?"

Evric shook his head. "He’s bisexual."

"Father gave Evans a choice: leave the boy or leave the house. One morning, before anyone woke up, Evans packed his belongings and left. He was only nineteen years old at the ti. Despite his father continuing to fund his accounts, Evans didn’t return ho. Two years passed, and the boy he ran away with eventually stole all his money and married an Asian girl. Even after this betrayal, Evans still didn’t co back. In an attempt to distance himself from his family, he changed his na to Evans Lucas, using our grandmother’s middle na, in order to conceal his identity as Draeven’s son."

"Father still kept tabs on him, sending opportunities his way from ti to ti, but Evans chose to live quietly. He stayed under the radar, even after becoming famous. Seven years after he left ho, Father called him back. Evans ca and sincerely apologized, but by then, he had already built a na for himself and he preferred to keep a low profile. That’s why we rarely talk about him.

Since you didn’t know him personally, and because he’s both wealthy and well-known, Father decided he was the perfect one to test your loyalty, to see if you’d take the bait."

I drew in a slow, shaky breath. "Did Evans follow to the store that day, the day he paid for my things? Or has he been stalking all along?"

Evric shook his head. "No, that was just a coincidence. He wanted to hit on you. He and Father had already talked about you, but Evans hadn’t seen your face, he didn’t even know what you looked like."

I blinked, my stomach tightening. "So what happened after that?"

"He went to see Father that day," Evric said quietly. "That’s when Father showed him your photo. That’s how he realized you were the one he had sent to test. But by then..." he paused, running a hand through his hair, "he already liked you. Naturally, that changed after he found out I was the one dating you."

He reached for then, his voice almost breaking. "Babe, everything just happened. Trust , I didn’t tell you because I trust you."

I stared back at him. "Because you trust ?" I said slowly. "Or because you wanted to see for yourself if I’d cheat on you?"