Amid his annoyance, he received a message from her that stated, ‘Sorry, I can’t talk right now… Did you need me for something?’ …She couldn’t talk? Was she still with Bianca? After staring at his chat’s wallpaper—that showed Xavia lying on his chest—for a while, he couldn’t help but sigh. She really was cute enough to be forgiven… In the end, he sent her a message that stated, ‘It’s nothing big. I just wanted to remind you to set aside your time in the evening. That aside, I’ll call again later.’ ‘Sounds good,’ replied Xavia with a sigh of relief. She, for one, had been worried that Zivon would notice her emotions if she had answered his call earlier, which was why she chose to just text him instead. Regardless, now that she was much calmer, she tossed the condom boxes into the trash can, figuring that they wouldn’t be used anyway. Following that, she placed the ingredients into the fridge before hopping onto the bed, intent on browsing through her newsfeed… But to her shock, t
She had dated both Stefan and Zivon, for Pete’s sake! Should she just tell him that they couldn’t ever go back to how things used to be…? …Actually, saying that would probably hurt him more… In the end, Xavia chose to ignore the request, silently hoping that Mark would just give up on her and seek his own happiness… It didn’t take long for her phone to vibrate again, and, thinking it was Zivon, Xavia was quick to check the message she had received… only to once again be left disappointed. The message was from Mr. South, instead… Following a sigh, she gave the message a read… ‘Could you send the dress back to me today, Miss Lockhart? I’d like to display it as the lead showpiece at my studio.’ …F*ck. She had yet to return the dress! She, for one, couldn’t afford to damage that million-dollar dress, especially since someone as particular as Mr. South had allowed her to lend it in the first place! Since Zivon still hadn’t replied… She gave it some thought but ultimately sent a te
Upon hearing that, everything went silent for a moment… and shortly after, the man replied in a husky voice, “Well, that depends on who you want me to be, Miss Lockhart.” …What? What normal person would talk like that?! That aside, his voice and figure were feeling much more familiar now… Who was this guy…? Unable to stop her curiosity, she began heading toward the stairs to get a glimpse of what he looked like… But upon arriving at the foot of the stairs, her phone suddenly began ringing. It was a call from Dolly. Worried that it was regarding Yulia, Xavia quickly picked up before asking, “Hello? Dolly?” “Hey, Xavia! Why’s there a live stream of Young Master Burton and Sophia going on a date? Weren’t they just faking it?” …A what? Confused, Xavia replied, “…I’m currently outside so I’m not up to date… Could you send the live stream link to me?” “Sure thing. Give me a minute,” replied Dolly as she hung up… and shortly after, Xavia received the link. Upon clicking on it, her
Still unwilling to believe that Zivon was such a person, she ultimately chose to wait in a lone corner in hopes of a proper explanation… However, she hadn’t anticipated having to wait for him the entire night…! It was truly a cold and tiring wait… In the end, the guard from earlier—who was about to change shifts—walked up to her before saying, “There’s nobody inside anymore, Miss… You should head on back…” Xavia, for one, wasn’t about to believe that. After all, she was pretty sure that the two were still inside. Alas, even when she attempted to enter, the door simply closed in front of her. There was simply no way in… By this point, her legs were already starting to quiver, and Xavia knew better than to continue waiting here. After all, she knew better than anyone how frail she was, which was why she understood that she’d fall sick again if she remained here for any longer. It didn’t help that she needed to catch a plane at seven in the morning… With all that in mind, Xavia took
In the end, all Xavia did was nod before remaining silent… It was sometime later when she was prompted to look at Bianca—who was seated in the front row—before saying, “Speaking of which, you said you were going to upload the videos later, right? Do you have an approximate time?” The truth was, Chace had taken her to the top floor of the Eiffel tower last night to go stargazing, and that had been a particularly meaningful event for her. After all, back when they were still married, she had proposed for them to enjoy the night view atop the Eiffel tower if they ever went on a business trip to F Country… Sadly, that never happened till the day they divorced… Yet here he was, doing exactly what she had suggested all those years ago. It was honestly the only reason why she hadn’t refused when he said that he was bringing her up the tower last night… Regardless, after what had happened last night, she really couldn’t keep a clear head as she sat beside him. Because of that, she was
“I must’ve been mad to fall for you! That aside, unhand me already! Unless you’re saying I should just relieve myself on you!” retorted Xavia as she continued trying to push Zivon away. Naturally, this left Zivon speechless. What a blunt and uncivilized woman… In the end, all he could do was release his grip on her before saying, “Honestly, go right ahead. We’ll discuss the issue once you’re done.” “…You… What? You expect me to do it here before your very eyes…?!” replied the flabbergasted Xavia. “So what if I do? I’ve seen and touched most of you, so what’s the issue with watching you relieve your bladder?” said Zivon in a casual tone, instantly causing Xavia to gag. She had clearly just said all that just to get him to get lost! Besides, it wasn’t like she could just relieve herself in such a situation! Regardless, since he was keen on talking, she may as well just get it done with! After taking a deep breath, Xavia replied, “Fine, I admit. I’m angry. After all, despite agr
Following that, there was a long, awkward silence… and eventually, Zivon stared at Xavia’s reddened cheeks while saying, “Now then… Any other questions? If you still don’t believe me, I can get Nathan to obtain the hotel’s surveillance footage.” Watching as Zivon got his phone out, Xavia quickly pulled his hand away while exclaiming, “T-there’s no need for that! I believe you…!” Compared to earlier, her voice had softened quite a bit, and this prompted Zivon to smile as he said, “Is that so… Then can I assume that you aren’t angry anymore…?” …True enough, she didn’t really have a reason to be angry anymore but… “…Why didn’t you call or look for me? Because of that, I had to remain infuriated throughout the night as I waited for you… With that said, don’t expect an apology! After all, it was completely understandable for me to misunderstand you last night… That aside, I didn’t do anything other than give you a cold shoulder, and I didn’t ask for a breakup either. Hell, I even ga
As Chace carefully continued studying the man, Sophia herself had noticed the change in Zivon’s mood, prompting her eyes to darken slightly… Back when she was helping Zivon arrange some things last night, they were spotted by a few avid fans. Because of that, she ended up having to take a stroll with him along the shores of the Aegean Sea for about an hour. They had even shared a room after that… Though an outsider would’ve surely assumed that they were being intimate with each other, the truth remained that Zivon had only done all that to protect Xavia’s name. In the end, Xavia was more important to him compared to his business with her… It made Sophia realize that Xavia was right. That continuing to fake her relationship with Zivon would only lead down a path of pain and misery… Had she not realized this sooner, then Sophia was pretty sure that she’d truly end up in despair in the near future… Fast forward to ten that night, a plane could be seen landing in Darlsbury… and sho
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