There wasn’t much space between them, and Zivon held onto Xavia’s tiny hand the entire time… Eventually, he was prompted to say, “Why don’t we head to the hospital to meet up with Yulia first?” Nodding in response, Xavia replied, “Yeah… Since she’s now up, it’s best to give her more company… With that said, I’m planning on sleeping with Yulia in the hospital tonight. You can head back to get some rest yourself, Young Master Burton…” Sensing how distant her voice was, Zivon couldn’t help but raise a slight brow as he asked, “…Are you angry? Just so you know, I told President Harrison what kind of girl I liked before this, and she didn’t believe me in the end. Because of that, she requested that I brought you along on her birthday.” “Since you two would be meeting a lot in the future anyway, I saw no harm in the idea. Besides, since I already have you now, I figured it’d be better if I attended her birthday dinner with you. It’d certainly be better than just attending with her in p
After guiding her into the ward, he closed the door behind them, his strong, musky scent—that was laced with the smell of alcohol—growing heavier by the second. Once he finally let go, he was prompted to say, “Ask me to leave one more time and I won’t hold back…” Naturally, Xavia didn’t dare say anything more after that… Fast forward to the next day, Xavia regrouped with Bianca and Dolly since they still had shoots to do. Today’s theme was ‘sunrise, sunset,’ and Xavia was tasked with pruning and watering the flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the yard to be used as breakfast. Following that, Xavia was scripted to return to the yard—together with Loveu—to plant new vegetables. Back when she was younger, Xavia always did such things with her grandmother. Everything was so simple back then, and there was no overthinking required… It was simply the smell of dirt, grass, and nature… No bustling cities, or pressure. True peace… Either way, once the seeds were planted, she was just ab
Upon hearing that, Xavia’s gaze fell a little. Both of them were truly her friends to be able to tell that something was bothering her… In the end, Xavia simply sighed before explaining, “…I just want to get better so that I can be on par with Jenna in the future… For context, I met Sophia yesterday, and she seems better than me at everything… Comparing myself with her feels like comparing heaven and earth…” “With that in mind, I figured that if I focused on my career, I’d at least become a more useful person… I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t able to sleep well last night since I kept thinking of how to make our videos better, and how to better publicize them…” concluded Xavia. …So that was it… In the end, Dolly—who knew Xavia well—was prompted to reply, “So… You got jealous and felt that you weren’t good enough for Young Master Burton…?” Since Xavia didn’t reply, it was clear that Dolly had guessed correctly. Understanding that, Bianca attempted to comfort Xavia by saying, “
Upon seeing her score, Xavia was simultaneously filled with a cocktail of joy, excitement, and discouragement, and the feelings persisted all the way till morning came… Her train of thought was cut short when a doctor entered the ward and said, “Yulia’s condition is stable now, Miss Lockhart. However, we still need to do routine check-ups on her for a while, and she also needs to take an infusion every day for the time being. Regardless, I suggest that you bring her to the wellness room to allow her to regain motor functions quicker.” Since Yulia had been bedridden for so long, her legs had grown rather weak, which was why the doctor was suggesting this. Either way, the overjoyed Xavia was quick to reply, “T-thank you so much, doctor…!” Once the doctor had left, she turned to look at Yulia before saying, “Did you hear that, Yulia? You’re all better now! They’ll definitely allow you to discharge soon!” “I heard, Mommy! I’ll soon be able to play with Brother Maison again!” exclai
Even though their sponsors were from a foreign network, such videos traveled fast on the internet. It didn’t help that their sponsors were connected to many other well-known networks. With that in mind, Bianca had no doubt that their videos would arrive locally before long. Xavia, for one, knew where Bianca was coming from. Basically, since she and Jenna looked exactly the like, the public would surely comment on that a lot. ‘Comment,’ of course, possibly meant lots of comparisons, criticisms, and even the birth of potential haters. Shaking the thoughts off, Xavia then took a deep breath as she replied, “…It’ll be fine. Our content is none of her business anyway. Once I’ve made it big, I’m sure I’ll finally have the confidence to exact my revenge!” Patting her on the shoulder, Bianca then said, “Indeed. We support you!” Hearing that, Dolly chimed in, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side! You know what? Call me your half-agent from today onward!” Touched by how
After all that the two had said, Xavia was unable to stop her heart from skipping a beat when she saw his name. Taking in a deep breath to calm herself, Xavia eventually picked up and said, “Sorry I’m late, I’m about to take the cab to-” “I’m sorry, Xavia, but something came up. I may be a little late,” interrupted Zivon, instantly causing Xavia’s heart to sink. While it was true that she hadn’t expected anything to happen between them, it was depressing that he had postponed their meeting after she had gotten all dressed up… It took her a while, but she eventually muttered, “…Alright…” Sensing her disappointment, Zivon gently replied, “I’ll try my best to end things earlier so that I can rush over.” “Got it…” said Xavia with a nod before hanging up. Though she was displeased, she made sure to remind herself that Zivon was the heir of the Burtons. Hell, he was the CEO of the Burton Group! With such a position, it only made sense that he’d occasionally get last-minute appointm
However, before she could even get her phone, she suddenly heard a familiar voice say, “Oh my! What a coincidence, Xavia!” Turning to face the voice, Xavia saw that it was a beautifully dressed Jenna together with Keith who had a fancy suit on. Naturally, the sight of the two instantly caused Xavia’s expression to sour. Her hatred toward Jenna needed no explanation, but Keith. Oh, Keith…! In all honesty, she had been impressed by him before, but after he played along with getting Jenna out of that mess, Xavia realized that businessmen would always be businessmen. Who knew what else he was capable of? Still, since she still needed to collect evidence and bide her time, Xavia knew better than to lash out. Forcing a smile, Xavia then asked, “…Indeed. What are you two doing here?” “Oh, I’m here for my maternity check-up. I’m pregnant, remember?” replied Jenna with a smile. …Wait. That wasn’t an act? Sensing the disbelief in Xavia’s eyes, Jenna then said in a sincere tone, “…Wha
Though Xavia had initially thought that Jenna was just trying to ruin their relationship, now that she knew all this, the depression hit hard. Even if Zivon and Sophia were there for business reasons, the fact that they were together still made Xavia’s heart ache… Perhaps… it really was for the best if Zivon and Sophia were together… Her train of thought was cut short when she suddenly felt a hand gently grabbing her arm, followed by a familiar voice saying, “Xavia.” Before Xavia could respond, she was pulled to a quiet corner of the balcony… and it was only then when she was finally able to see Keith’s charming face. Though she was startled by his actions, she quickly drew a line as she replied, “…What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be accompanying Jenna for her maternity check-up?” Sensing how icy Xavia’s voice was, Keith lowered his gaze for a bit before saying, “…Look, I know you’re mad that I helped Jenna, but it was necessary not only to save my family’s name, but also s
Staring in shock at the kneeling man, Yulia mustered her remaining sanity as she replied, “B-but you’re younger-” “Even if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean that I’m much more ‘capable’ than your older pursuers…?” …Why were his words so suggestive all of a sudden?! Forcing herself to calm down, she took a deep breath before saying, “…Elliot, I’m not sure what spurred this decision, but… I’m not the one for you. Please find someone your age. I’m sorry.” After saying that, she strode straight for the car… but before she could start the engine, she couldn’t help but notice how desolate he looked standing under the pouring rain… Clenching her fists, it took her a while to finally sigh and walk back to him… “…Are you really sure about this?” asked Yulia, much to Elliot’s delight. “I am! Please! Give me a chance! You won’t regret it!” …When he put it that way, all Yulia could do was help him up before finally deciding to return his kiss… Sure, things had taken a sudden, unex
She stared in horror as he removed his shirt right there and then! “W-what are you doing?!” yelped the startled woman as she quickly looked the other way. “…Huh? I mean, I’m drenched, so…” “E-even so, you shouldn’t change right in front of me!” “…Yulia, we bathed together as children… It’s not like you haven’t seen everything already…” “Y-you can’t compare that to this situation…!” “Fine, fine, I… Um… Go cook, I guess… I’ll go get a change upstairs first…” muttered Elliot as he headed upstairs. Yulia herself had to try her best to calm down! After all, Elliot had been plaguing her mind in the past few days, and… she even had dreams where he had… …No! She couldn’t be thinking about such things! She needed to cook! Maybe that would help get her mind out of the gutter! Once that was done, she’d leave and finally start devising a plan to get rid of him…! As Yulia scurried off, Elliot himself was currently staring at an old photo that showed him eating some candy in Yulia’
Just as she had arrived at her car, the president of the Halls Group suddenly walked up to her, a bouquet in hand! The Halls Group had collaborated several times with the Burtons before, and because of that, she was well acquainted with the man. Sadly, he had also proposed to her on multiple occasions… and though she kept rejecting him, he never seemed to get the hint! “There you are, Miss Burton… Since you’re off work, I was wondering if you’d join me for dinner tonight…” asked the charming man. Feeling awkward, she was just about to come up with an excuse when Elliot suddenly grabbed her by the waist and said, “Oh? Another one of your admirers, Yulia…? Sorry, but she already has a boyfriend, my man. If that doesn’t deter you enough, then you should know that she prefers her partners younger. Now please leave.” Startled to hear that, the man glanced at Yulia, his eyes begging for an explanation… Yulia herself was eager to just escape this embarrassing situation, but before s
With that tale done, it was now time to return to Yulia’s story… Ever since she was a child, she had undergone countless hardships with her mother… and even after she was able to reunite with her father, things didn’t go much easier from there. To make matters worse, Fabiola ended up getting kidnapped for the longest time, resulting in Frank ending up the way he was today… Because of all that, it only made sense that she’d mature much sooner than others her age, and unlike the naïve girl she used to be, she was an extremely competent woman today. Alas, because of how used she became with working, she soon lost the urge to find herself a romantic interest… Things continued that way until… Well, that time that Elliot… …Wait, what was she thinking?! He was younger than her, for heaven’s sake! Quickly shaking her head, she attempted to force herself to concentrate on work again… But before long, a knock was heard on the door. After being allowed in, the department manager entered t
Knowing that there was no point in keeping things a secret anymore, Rea took a deep breath before saying, “…Alright, so… The truth is, I’ve always been highly competent, but… I’ve been pretending to be useless just so that you’d eventually marry me… The trip my parents are taking… That was my suggestion too…” Feeling speechless, it took Frank a long while to reply, “…So you weren’t really drunk when you did all that last night?” Pursing her lips, Rea awkwardly muttered, “…I wasn’t… Luna suggested it, and since it sounded like a good idea to accelerate things…” …Fucking hell, to think that he had fallen straight into her trap without even putting up a fight! Watching as he glowered at her, Rea gulped before adding, “A-anyway, now that we’re married and there’s potentially a baby in my belly, you won’t divorce me, right…?” “…Oh, believe me when I say that divorce is the easy way out! From today onward, I’m making you pay for your actions for the rest of your life!” Fast forwa
Fast forward to the next morning, Rea awoke with a yawn… What a nice sleep… Wait. Why was she naked? And why was Frank…?! Her following scream immediately woke the icy man up… and upon looking at her, he was immediately reminded of what had transpired last night! Essentially, Rea ended up clinging to him, and though he initially wanted to just carry her to bed to let her rest… Damn it! Had she really been that sensual?! How had he lost control so easily?! His train of thought was cut short when he realized that Rea was bawling her eyes out… and after rubbing his temples, he was prompted to say, “…Why are you crying when you’re the one who initiated this? I’ll have you know that I never forced you-” “I-I know, but…! I’ve just…! This is my first time…!” whimpered the quivering woman, prompting Frank to purse his lips. As if he wasn’t in the same situation… “…You’re not alone there.” “It’s not the same! Men are free to sleep with whoever they want but when it comes to women, I’l
“Say, wouldn’t you agree that the food smells delicious…? Why don’t I teach you how to grill, Rea…? Oh, but make sure to take your clothes off first before we start! Wouldn’t want them to get dirty…” With how drunk Rea was, she wasn’t able to fully register his words… and just as he was about to touch her clothes, an icy voice roared, “Stop right there…!” Instantly feeling a shiver run down his spine, the man turned around… and to his horror, it was Frank! Young Master Burton’s perpetually icy son…! Why the hell was he here?! Before the frightened intern could think of how to even react, Frank walked up to him and growled, “Leave now before I chop your hands off…! Don’t make me repeat myself!” Nodding in terror, the man frantically bolted off… and once he was out of sight, Frank glared at the tipsy Rea before adding, “This is what you meant by learning how to be more responsible…?!” “Huh…? But the food really did smell super good… I want to learn…” mumbled the drunk woman.
After leaving his office, he headed off to look for Rea. She had said that she wanted to use the bathroom, but… It had already been half an hour since she disappeared. What trouble had that idiot gotten herself into this time? Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he found her laughing along with some of his interns… When the interns saw him, they were quick to bow and say, “Good morning, Mr. Burton.” Barely even glancing at them, Frank looked at Rea and said, “It’s time to head home.” “I… Won’t be following you back…” “…And why is that? Are your parents back?” “No, it’s just… These are my good friends back from school, and they’ve been staying together to learn to be more independent… With that said… I think that staying with them will be a good start for me to learn more about how the world works. Thank you for taking care of me up till this point, Frank… I won’t bother you anymore.” Raising a slight brow, Frank then looked at the interns for a while before saying, “…Are you
Regardless, after leaving her in the room, Frank returned to the shower to cool himself off… but no matter what he did, he simply remained irked. It got to the point where he couldn’t relax at all, and after wrapping a towel around his waist, he grabbed his phone to send his father a text. ‘Was there really nobody else who could’ve taken care of Rea?’ ‘What? Can’t even care for a woman properly.’ ‘I’m a busy man.’ ‘I trust in your time management skills.’ …Though he really wanted to tell Zivon that he had misplaced his trust in him, he didn’t want to disappoint his father either. With that, all he could do was clench his fists before giving Rea’s parents a call… “Hello? Frank? Why are you calling at this time of night?” “…When are you and Uncle Saltman returning, Aunt?” asked Frank who wanted them to take back their idiot already! “…Huh? What was that? Sorry, the line isn’t very good… I hope Rea isn’t giving you too hard a time! Don’t worry, we’ll be back after about a