His train of thought was cut short when Zivon’s phone began ringing… It was a call from Dana. “Y-Young Master Burton?! Sophia’s finally awake again…! However, her ECG has slowly been declining again, and because of that, her chances of survival are getting lower by the minute…! Could you please come over right now…?!” Before Zivon could reply, the beeping of machinery could be heard in the background, followed by the distressed Dana adding, “S-Sophia?! Sophia…! Please, be alright…! Please, Young Master Burton…! Please come over to meet her…! I beg of you…!” Dana, for one, was now beyond panicked. Never had she expected her excellent daughter to get embarrassed by her actions to the point of all this happening…! Regardless, before Zivon could say a word, Xavia grabbed his phone before hanging up and exclaiming, “What are you waiting for?! Didn’t you hear that her situation was dire? I’m coming along, now let’s hurry!” Xavia knew how bad Zivon was with his words, so she figured
“All in all, you don’t have to worry about him trying to avoid you. After all, I know for a fact that he sees you as a great business partner. Regardless of whether you cried, or attempted suicide, that doesn’t change any of his respect for you. Honestly, knowing him, he’d lament the loss of such an invaluable business partner as yourself… So instead of ending your life just like that, why don’t you get better so that you can cheer him up and try impressing him again…?” Though lengthy, Xavia’s words came from the heart, and Zivon was left speechless after hearing all that. Had this woman always been this eloquent…? That aside, he’d be undeserving of her love if he ever fell for Sophia? Thank God he had done nothing to imply that up till this point! Regardless… Why was she even saying all this…? Zivon didn’t need to wonder for long… Because shortly after, the ECG began rapidly beeping! The numbers were rising again…! Overjoyed to see that, Xavia held onto Sophia’s hands before whi
Zivon stared straight into her eyes, his lips moving as though he was trying to say something… But before any words could leave his mouth, Dana came running toward them while gratefully exclaiming, “Y-Young Master Burton…! Miss Lockhart…! Sophia’s awake…! She says she wants to meet Miss Lockhart to tell her something…!” …Sophia wanted to meet her? Though Xavia was rightfully surprised, she quickly replied, “…Alright, I’ll go check on her.” Nodding in response, Dana then chose to remain outside as she watched Xavia enter the ward… Once inside, Xavia saw that Sophia truly had gotten up. Though her eyes still looked tired, they were as sharp as before. This was a good sign that Sophia would recover soon, and after giving a sigh, Xavia muttered, “…I’m glad you’re awake again, Miss Harrison…” Looking extremely pale, Sophia turned to look at Xavia before replying, “…Thank you, though… I have to say that you truly are the most stupid woman I know… Were you not at the party that night…
That aside, to think that he hadn’t even bothered explaining things to her! Forget Sophia, even Xavia was seeing Zivon in a new light! Shaking the thought off, Xavia eventually replied, “…Fine. I’ll talk to Young Master Burton about it. I, for one, don’t think you’re a scheming woman, but… If you try any dirty tricks, I’ll definitely look down on you.” “Got it. Relax, I know my limits. Thank you for giving me this chance…,” said Sophia. “Don’t mention it. Now… I think you should be getting some rest,” replied Xavia before walking out of the ward… On their way home, Xavia told Zivon all about her deal with Sophia… And the second she was done, Zivon immediately hit the brakes. As the car came to a screeching halt, Zivon couldn’t help but glare at the woman as he grumbled, “Are you some kind of knucklehead? Did you actually allow her to continue dating me…?!” He, for one, had thought that it was enough that she had talked some sense into Sophia. To think she had gone the extra m
True enough, though there weren’t that many embellishments on the dresses, they all looked equally lovely. More importantly, they really did seem to be able to convey the feeling of first love… How unique! Even though Xavia didn’t usually like wearing gowns, she was still prompted to say, “…They look nice, yeah.” “Glad to hear! Now pick one already so that I can contact the designer and have the gown delivered to the hotel by tomorrow! Oh, and while we’re on the topic… You should know that this designer is far from ordinary. Each of his works are limited edition, and most socialites can’t even hope to buy them from him!” “If I haven’t mentioned it already, he was the one who had taken the initiative to ask whether you needed a gown, so… I’m guessing it’s because he was moved by your content, which is the highest praise you could ever hope for from such a person!” concluded Bianca, prompting Xavia to frown slightly. Could such a nice designer actually exist…? Regardless, she sti
Back in the room, Xavia couldn’t help but nibble on some of the fruit. She, for one, knew better than to attend that event with an empty stomach, especially since it could easily last for a few hours. It was around then when Bianca returned with a pearl hairpin, her forehead drenched in sweat. Figuring that Bianca must have looked all over the place just to get that hairpin for her, Xavia was prompted to say, “…I’m glad to have a good friend like you… That aside, you look parched! Have a drink. A waitress just brought it over.” “Don’t mind if I do…” replied Bianca as she began tucking the hairpin in Xavia’s hair. Once she was done, she took a sip of the juice before exclaiming, “…Hey, this isn’t half bad! Have some too! It’ll help combat the heat a bit.” Nodding in response, Xavia took a swig of the juice as well, completely unaware that both of them had just drugged each other… Regardless, the hour soon passed, and it was time for the main event. By that point, the two had arr
...And that was the fact that all this had only happened after she drank that juice…! Bianca knew for a fact that soluble drugs usually took about five minutes to two hours to take effect… and the symptoms she was facing definitely matched! It didn’t help that she hadn’t eaten or drank anything else throughout the day! Worst of all, was the fact that Xavia had taken a few sips of that juice as well…! It was now clearer than ever that someone was trying to humiliate Xavia as she walked down the red carpet…! With all that in mind, Bianca immediately began squirming in panic as she exclaimed, “X-Xavia’s in trouble…! I can’t let her be humiliated…! Let go…! I need to get her back to the hotel…!” This was Xavia’s first international appearance, so nothing could go wrong! Thankfully, Bianca realized it’d be quicker to just call her, so her trembling hand immediately fished for her phone… and to her dismay, even though the waiting tone played, Xavia never answered. Had she already stepped
Upon hearing that, the man’s dark pupils fell onto Xavia… He, for one, knew that she’d be present today, and had only wanted to watch her from afar. Never had he expected that something like this would happen to her… With her face as innocent and adorable as ever, the woman in his arms almost seemed more attractive now… Gently caressing her cheek, the man muttered in a hoarse tone, “…I’ve called a doctor over, Xavia. He’ll be here shortly after.” The second his sentence ended, a knock could be heard on his car’s window… and shortly after, Matthew entered the car. After giving Xavia a quick look, the doctor couldn’t help but raise a slight brow as he said, “To think that something like this would happen on such an occasion… Don’t worry, she’ll be fine soon.” Watching as the doctor got a syringe out, the man gently lifted Xavia’s arm. Recalling that she was terrified of injections, he made sure to pat her head while comforting, “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. Be strong…!” Though she
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