In the end, Xavia realized she could not outtalk Dolly and just asked her directly, “Why exactly are you looking for me? I’ll go back if you don’t tell me.”“Eh! Okay, okay, I’ll stop talking about it.” Dolly quickly pulled Xavia’s arm and said hesitantly, “I think I saw your brother when I was in the private room just now. Although I do not have any thoughts or feelings for him anymore, the look he gave me was rather dark, and I’m scared. Do you think I should slip away? Can you help me cover up?”Xavia frowned in surprise. Kevin was here too? What did it have to do with her though? He was just a man who had never regarded her as his sister, so she did not feel any attachment to him at all.Xavia said, “What are you afraid of? Didn’t you say that you wanted to give Young Master Xenos a shot? If I were you, I would just grab Young Master Xenos’ arm, walk up to Kevin and say ‘Please make way’, then ignore him and walk away arrogantly.”Xavia’s reasoning made sense, but Dolly fro
She took a deep breath and looked at Kevin. “Let’s go. Where should we go to talk?”Kevin pulled her to the underground parking lot and got into the car. Since he was slightly tipsy from drinking wine, his body swayed a little.In the past, Dolly would definitely have used the opportunity to support him, get close to him, and take advantage of him, but now, she just retreated to the other side and got straight to the point: “Young Master Lockhart, what do you want to talk about? Let's settle this quickly.”She was distant and detached, not at all like the woman in the past who used to pester him for his love!The anger and rage in Kevin’s heart surfaced again. He grabbed her chin and gazed into her eyes searchingly as he sneered, “Why? Can't wait to go sing sweet nothings with your new boyfriend?” What new boyfriend?Dolly was confused for a while, then suddenly realized that Kevin had misunderstood her relationship with Zayne. However, Dolly did not intend to explain herself. “
“A bit daring of you to be all handsy with a woman in broad daylight, don’t you think, Young Master Lockhart?” said Zayne in a casual, yet simultaneously dangerous tone. Upon hearing that, Kevin raised a brow as he readjusted Dolly’s clothes… before turning to face Zayne as he replied, “What do you care, Young Master Xenos? Even if you’re both friends with benefits, she’s in my arms now. Get in line!” Dolly, for one, hadn’t expected him to say such insulting things to her face! Clenching her fists, she was just about to give Kevin a tight slap when Zayne pulled her over to his side. Since he hadn’t given any warning before pulling her over, she ended up falling into his arms. With one hand on her waist and his other in his pocket, Zayne then smirked at Kevin as he retorted, “I’m afraid you’re wrong there, Young Master Lockhart. She’s my girlfriend, so don’t you dare disrespect her again. If you do, don’t blame me for what I’ll do next…!” Zayne sounded extremely serious as he sa
Hearing that, Maison cheerily linked his arm to Yulia’s while saying, “Yeah! Now let’s go!” …It was hopeless… Now that the kids had said that, Xavia knew that she had no choice but to go along… To her surprise, once they got there, Zivon actually brought her and the kids straight to bed. Nothing awkward or anything, unlike what she had initially anticipated… Alas, just as she was starting to feel comfortable, she heard Maison say, “We’re big kids now, so you don’t need to accompany us!” “That’s right, Mommy! It’s not like we need your company anyway! Now head to another room with Uncle Burton and start kissing like they do in dramas!” added Yulia, instantly causing Xavia to blush. “W-what are you even talking about, Yulia…? That aside, don’t you like Uncle Burton putting you in bed…? You know, Mommy could read bedtime stories for you if she stays…” muttered Xavia. Shaking her head in response, Yulia replied, “No thanks! I’m tired of listening to bedtime stories! Besides, I’d
...And that was to instill more control on himself. Though there had been slight improvements in their relationship lately, it was far from enough for the thirty-year-old man. As they said, even the best smoke bombs couldn’t substitute a real bomb. With that in mind, he knew that he needed to settle things with Sophia as soon as possible so that they could officially be together… It was early the next morning when Zivon got up and headed to the gym as he usually did. While exercising, he sent Sophia a text, stating, ‘Please send me the plan that you previously mentioned, President Harrison.’ As usual, he had made sure to word it in a distant, yet polite tone. If only Zivon knew how different Sophia now appeared! At the time she received his message, the nightgown-wearing woman’s hair was in shambles, and in her right hand was a bottle of nearly finished red wine. Far from looking sharp and polished like before, all the haggard woman could do was sit on the floor looking all miser
Each of Dana’s words was brimming with sadness, and before Zivon could even reply, the old woman knelt before him before adding, “Please, Young Master Burton…! I beg of you…!” By this point, all Zivon could do was lower his gaze. He, for one, couldn’t even imagine Sophia trying to calm herself by getting drunk, nor could he imagine her crying… As Zivon remained momentarily at a loss at how to reply, Xavia—who had been watching all this from afar—couldn’t help but feel awful. Xavia had already been able to tell how much Dana cared for Sophia from the first time they met, and judging from how agonized the kneeling woman now sounded… She could tell that all she had just said was the real deal. That the devastated Sophia truly had been suffering ever since that event… It was a clear sign to Xavia that these two were actually good people… Alas, Zivon was already in love with her. If only that wasn’t the case, then Xavia would’ve gladly given Zivon and Sophia her blessings… In the en
There was a crowd of what appeared to be reporters and entertainment company agents waiting in front of the studio… and upon sensing Xavia’s presence, they were quick to flock around her while asking questions like, “Miss Lockhart! Our newest star!” “How long have you been working with Miss Jourdain? And who was the one who came up with the brilliant ideas?” “Yes, could we get more info on the video production process?” “We’re from the Heaven and Earth Entertainment, and we’re pretty big in Darlsbury. With that said, would you mind if we signed a contract with you?” “Not so fast! Join us instead! We’ve been specialists in the field for five years, and we’re willing to allow you to state whatever conditions you want as long as you join us...!” As everyone continued trying to get Xavia’s attention, Bianca and Dolly—who were staring from afar—couldn’t help but make cheering gestures to her. All this had started from the internet’s continuous speculations of whether the person
As they each attempted to get Xavia to join their companies, the agents made sure to glare at their competitors as well. Fearing that there’d be conflict soon, Xavia was quick to say, “I-I appreciate your interest in my work, but I should clarify that I was only able to get to where I am thanks to Bianca’s help. With that said, I plan to only continue working with her.” “That aside, I don’t really want to commercialize myself that much. After all, in the end, craft is my hobby, and my only hope is that some of the future generations continue passing it down. However, if I do end up wanting to join a company, I’ll know where to look now,” concluded Xavia in a polite tone. Upon hearing that, all the agents could do were leave their business cards behind before dejectedly heading off… Once the reporters had left as well, Bianca and Dolly came running up to Xavia while saying, “You did great, Xavia…!” “Yep! You were awesome out there! Now that you’ve been acknowledged, that b*tch won
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