...This was the first time anyone had ever called her a lucky star… That aside, was she really being asked to be a goddaughter? What a pleasing thing to hear! To think that this affirmation would come from an outsider rather than her actual parents… Regardless, she was with Zivon now, so she knew better than to accept the offer. Knowing full well that she’d disappoint that woman, Xavia replied, “…About that-” “No declining, Miss Lockhart. Remember, it’s my birthday, so I’m taking your acceptance as my gift. Also, remember to come later, alright? I’ll see you soon. Bye, for now!” interrupted Dana before hanging up. Since the doctor—who had been standing close by this entire time—had only overheard snippets of the conversation, he didn’t really know the exact details… Even so, he was prompted to say, “…Since you’re now feeling much better, you should head out for an hour or two for some fresh air… It certainly beats waiting here in this dingy ward…” The truth was, Xavia had initi
“What a rare treat we’re witnessing!” “I know, right? Still, I’m so bloody envious of Miss Harrison! Not only does that beauty have a magnificent career, but she even gets to date Young Master Burton now…!” Though the members of the crowd cheered in adoration, Xavia herself remained silent as bitterness flooded her heart. After all, the two truly did look like a perfect couple… And she’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t envious. Hell, she was a little irked as well. After all, though it’d be normal for them to dance if they were a real couple, all this was staged! It didn’t help that he was dancing with that woman while she was sick. In fact, he hadn’t called or texted her all day… It made Xavia wonder whether Zivon enjoyed faking his relationship with Sophia. After all, that woman was as stylish as they came… Whatever the case was, time seemed to stop as Xavia continued watching her boyfriend dance around with that other woman… Like she was the outsider in this picture… Re
“As for that pastry scene… Well, she had wanted to make something for Young Master Burton, so in order to get him to eat it, she had made it look like a gift box from a customer! As you can see, she’s been incredibly cautious for the longest time… Regardless, she’s only managed to get to where she is today because of Young Master Burton.” “She had worked tirelessly for many years just to be able to be by his side, and as her mother, nothing pleases me more than to see her finally be able to be with the one she loves… With all that said, I truly hope that Young Master Burton will favor her by the end of this blind date phase.” “As for why I did all this… Well, it’s because Sophia’s been afraid to speak her mind for the longest time. With that said, I hope that the video will grant her a happy ending with Young Master Burton…” concluded Dana, causing the audience to fall silent for a long while… before erupting into cheer! “My god! So she’s been in love with him for this long…?!”
It didn’t take long for Xavia to notice the hateful glares from the two Lockharts… and it made her clench her fists. While it was nice to be praised and recognized by others, she still felt bitter. After all, it came at the cost of stepping on her own feelings and being forced to give up her boyfriend! There was no way she’d be happy! With her stomach hurting more than ever, she swallowed her discomfort… but ultimately said, “…Thank you, Mrs. Harrison, and happy birthday… Also… Sorry, but I have someplace to be.” Before Dana could reply, Xavia had already bolted off, prompting Zivon to widen his eyes as he attempted to chase after her. However, he had barely taken a step when Chace grabbed him by the arm while whispering, “Zivon…! You should know that there are countless reporters in the audience…! If you don’t want her to make the headline tomorrow, then stay here…!” Since Dana and the rest had just complimented Xavia, it didn’t take a genius to guess what people would think and
Though his voice was soothing, his words were anything but, and Sophia was left momentarily too shocked to reply. She, for one, knew that her mother’s actions had enraged Zivon, and that the only way that she’d be able to continue getting along with him was to end this farce, but… Had he not been moved at all even after watching all that…? To think he’d make such a decision without any hesitation…! It felt like she had just been tossed into freezing arctic waters… It took her a while, but she eventually managed to reply, “…Alright, but… Please know that I wasn’t expecting any of this to happen last night, and I never had any intention of telling you about my true feelings… Even though you now know, however, I won’t force you to do anything… If you want the relationship to end, so be it. In return, however, I hope that you’ll continue asking for my help when you need it, and…” “…That you’ll continue being my friend. Worry not, my affection will play no part in our future collaborati
Though Zivon’s expression was calm, his body radiated an icy aura that kept people at bay. Nathan himself was trembling as he meekly muttered, “A-according to the doctor, Miss Lockhart simply has a drug allergy, and it’s similar to someone developing a drug-resistant response toward a vaccination… From what I’ve been told, the discomfort will fade in a day or two, so please don’t over worry yourself…” Unfortunately for Nathan, there was no way Zivon was going to worry any less after hearing that. After all, that woman was already pretty weak to begin with. This sickness was only going to make her suffer more than she should…! Regardless, while it was true that he wouldn’t have been able to anticipate any of this—since she had been perfectly fine the night before—, the fact remained that he hadn’t been by her side throughout her discomforting day. It made him feel like a total jerk for not paying more attention to her… In the end, Zivon ordered, “…Come up with an acceptable reason
Sensing the hesitation in Nathan’s voice, Zivon replied, “Go on.” “…Well… Aside from all the praises, several users had also banded together to create a video that included all the interactions between you two, such as glance exchanges and other sweet gestures… Because of that, more and more people are requesting for you two to tie the knot!” “I should also mention that several people are extremely grateful for Miss Lockhart’s sacrifices, and her account has gained thousands of followers last night, with several of them even leaving kind messages on her profile… Now that things have come to this, it’s incredibly difficult to deal with the situation… After all, while it’s easy to hire people to mute bad news, it’s hard to find anyone capable enough of suppressing such good news…” concluded Nathan. “…Deal with the people who made the video. Also, try releasing other news to divert everyone’s attention,” grumbled Zivon. “Understood. With that said… Does that mean we’re putting the
Regardless, knowing Xavia, she’d probably be even more pissed if he left the ward now… Just as he was wondering what he should do, Harold suddenly entered the ward—with Wade by his side—and exclaimed, “Xavia!” Before she could reply, Wade walked up to her and handed a bouquet of mesmerizing lilies to her while saying, “After Teacher told me that you were sick, I decided to come along with him. Are you feeling any better…?” Though she was happy to see the flowers, she was even more pleased by their arrival. After all, not that they were here, she didn’t have to quarrel with Zivon. With that in mind, she was prompted to reply, “I’m feeling much better now. Thank you for the flowers…” …Was this woman ignoring him now? Feeling slightly irked, Zivon turned to face Harold as he asked, “Why did you bring him along, Fourth Uncle?” Harold, for one, had overheard their argument at the door… And with all the context he needed, he stroked his beard with a smile as he replied, “Well, were
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