...Wasn’t it already nine…? Shouldn’t he be resting…? That aside, wasn’t he the one who had emphasized how much they should avoid contacting each other back then…? Since that was the case, why was he calling out of the blue? Curious, she ended up answering the call and calmly saying, “Hello…? Young Master Burton?” Sensing the lack of vigor in her voice, Zivon was prompted to reply, “…Someone sounds exhausted… What have you been up to?” Upon hearing that, Xavia couldn’t help but feel pleased. After all, the fact that he could sense her tiredness meant that he truly cared for her… Shaking her head, Xavia quickly said, “I’ve just been busy learning more about video production. That aside, I’ve just showered and I’m currently lying in bed. I’ll be heading to sleep soon. That aside, aren’t you worried that someone will track our call…? Didn’t you say we should minimize our contact…?” Her politeness was her way of being considerate. After all, Xavia truly cared for his well-being.
It was now clear that they were simply not destined to meet again… After a long sight, Harold was prompted to say, “…I guess we were simply not meant to be. Regardless, you said she taught you how to make raindrop eggs, right? If you make some for me tonight, I’ll start teaching you the real deal…” “Got it,” replied Xavia with a nod. Though she didn’t say it, she vowed at that moment to learn the truth about the accident… and once everything was settled, she’d bring Harold to her grandmother’s grave… Xavia, for one, was sure that her grandmother would be overjoyed if she saw him from above… Fast forward to evening, Xavia began preparing a plethora of delectable dishes, all of which she had learned from her grandmother. Once she was done, Harold’s eyes couldn’t help but water a little as he ate dish after dish, and even finished drinking every last drop of soup… It was clear that the dishes were making him reminisce about Celia… Just looking at him made Xavia feel relieved that
...An exceedingly familiar-looking Maybach. Shortly after, the door opened… and out stepped an immaculately dressed, prestigious man who was seemingly capable of bringing color to the darkest of the nights…. Whatever the case was, the startled Xavia eventually managed to force herself to mutter, “…Y-Young Master Burton…?” Zivon himself couldn’t help but raise a slight brow the second he saw Xavia. It took him a while, but he was soon able to piece the puzzle together. No wonder Uncle Hal had told him to hurry over earlier… The love of his life was here! Regardless, after coming to that conclusion, he walked up to the woman before saying, “It’s been a while… That aside, I came over to visit Uncle Hal… But what exactly are you doing here?” Feeling slightly overstimulated now that he was finally so close to her after not meeting for a few days, she was careful not to make it show as she muttered, “…I… I’ve been staying here for the past few days to learn the art of handicrafts fro
Shaking the thought off, Zivon replied, “Go on…” “Alright… You see, I’ve been keeping up to date with any news regarding you and Sophia… and while I know that you’re only doing this for your grandmother’s sake, please remember that she’s dead. Prioritize the living and your happiness, won’t you? I just don’t want you to end up regretting losing Xavia because of all this… I assure you that in the long run, Sophia is nothing compared to Xavia,” replied Hal. Throughout the past few days, Hal had seen what a wonderful woman Xavia was. Not only did that girl have a good heart, but she was also willing to do just about anything, and she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Few women in this day and age were able to remotely mimic Xavia’s personality… Upon hearing that, Zivon couldn’t help but look slightly gloomy. He, of course, was aware of all this. Why else had he told her to leave the country before this? With that in mind, he was prompted to say, “And here I was wondering what im
This prompted the corners of Zivon’s lips to twitch. He had completely forgotten about that… Basically, after sending Sophia home that night, Aunt Harrison had invited him in. Though he had initially infused, she kept on insisting and in the end, he had no choice but to oblige. Regardless, though he had only sat around for a bit, he hadn’t expected Xavia to be this aware of his actions… In the end, Zivon was unsure how to even explain himself. After all, it was indeed wrong of him to enter another woman’s home… It didn’t help that he had completely forgotten about it! She must be thinking that he had glossed over it on purpose! Sensing how tense Zivon was, Xavia was prompted to smile as she said, “Don’t worry, I was just teasing! I know you two are only friends, and that you’d never do anything at her place… I was just trying to ease the atmosphere, you know?” …Was that the case…? Though he wasn’t sure whether she was faking it, he eventually pulled her close to him before starin
“Oh…? Taboos you say…? If he has any issues with what we’re doing, then I’ll just let him stay at the old mansion,” replied Zivon as he pulled her into his arms, prompting her to go speechless. …As always, this domineering man wasn’t about to bow down to anyone… In the end, she sighed before giving up. In all honesty, she was glad to be in his arms. After all, she had been running up and down the past few days just to learn new things from Teacher, and it was exhausting, to say the least. Now that she was safely in his arms, Xavia found herself quickly drifting off to sleep… Though she slept soundly through the night, Zivon himself had a tiring one. After all, he had initially planned to teach her a lesson in bed so that she’d stop trying to drive him away. Alas, since she had fallen asleep so quickly, all he could do was endure through the night… Fast forward to the next day, Zivon was no longer by her side by the time Xavia woke up. Had it not been for his lingering scent, she’
Those words were enough to cause the discomfort in Xavia’s heart to vanish… and shortly after, she was prompted to reply, “Thank you, Young Master Burton. You can leave with Chairman Harrison first. I want to make sure that I choose something nice.” “Got it. Feel free to buy more than one set if you please,” said Zivon before walking off… With how gently he was treating her, Rowena couldn’t help but widen her eyes. After all, when had Young Master Burton ever said more than two sentences to anyone? This Miss Lockhart was definitely someone special to him! With that in mind, the second Zivon left the shop, Rowena immediately brought a salesgirl forward before enthusiastically saying, “What style of cheongsam would you fancy, Miss Lockhart? Personally, I can see you as the ‘girl next door’ kind of person, so I recommend you try on a pink cheongsam. The color will accentuate your youth as well!” Though Xavia liked that color as well, she couldn’t help but ask, “Won’t pink make me
With how illogical Zivon was being, Xavia was prompted to retort, “If you’re so keen on finding out, go do your own research!” Following that, she turned around to leave, causing the corner of Zivon’s mouth to twitch. What kind of attitude was this? Also, was she feeling guilty since she wasn’t showing him her phone? Irked by all this, he then returned to his car… Sensing that something was wrong, Sophia was prompted to ask, “…Did… Miss Lockhart get angry because I was with you, Chairman Burton…? Honestly, jealousy is a sign that she cares for you…” “Hah! I’d be glad if she was jealous!” grumbled Zivon as he thought about how Xavia had continuously attempted to distance herself from him from last night till this very moment. In the end, he got his phone out and sent Nathan a text, stating, ‘Look through Xavia’s recent WhatsApp history and see who she’s been contacting. Also, see if Stefan is still in Darlsbury.’ ‘Right away,’ replied Nathan who could already tell that something
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