As tears began falling down her cheeks, she sighed… before mustering up her courage and adding, “…To ensure that you rest in peace, I’ve decided to leave Young Master Burton. At the very least, it’ll allow Miss Harrison to be happy again…” Though she said that, Xavia couldn’t help but feel like her head had just been split clean in half. She… was going to have to abandon Zivon again… but there was simply no other way out. The guilt was crushing her, and not even death would release her from it… This was the one thing she could do after all she had done… Besides, it wasn’t like she was still qualified to be loved anymore… With all that in mind, Xavia left the funeral hall… before realizing that it was raining heavily outside. With no umbrella prepared, she simply walked on, completely disregarding how quickly she was getting drenched… In fact, she was so out of it that she didn’t even notice that she was walking onto the road… and shortly after, the screeching of tires could be
It was already so late yet Xavia hadn’t even considered texting him to ask where he was…? The thought honestly made Zivon rather irked. After all, from the moment they parted ways, she had never shown any signs of missing him. What on earth was going on in the woman’s mind? Was her job seriously more important than him? The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. In the end, he got his car keys and drove over to her house… When Dolly saw him, the startled woman couldn’t help but ask, “Y-Young Master Burton…? What brings you here this late at night…?” Pursing his lips, Zivon then replied, “Is Xavia sleeping?” “…Huh? She went to the funeral parlor early this morning, and she hasn’t come back ever since…” muttered the confused Dolly, instantly causing Zivon’s brows to furrow. Had something happened to her? Feeling uneasy, he then got his phone out to call her… and thankfully, it didn’t take long for the call to be answered. Even more relieving was the fact that he
Though her voice was soft, the silence made her statement extremely clear… and shortly after, the Maybach came to a screeching halt, resulting in most of the items on the dashboard falling to the floor! Following that, Zivon turned to glare at Xavia as he icily growled, “Do you even know what you’re saying?” Shuddering as a chill ran down her spine, she knew she had stepped on a landmine. After all, she now recalled that Zivon had told her time and again that he despised being abandoned…! Though she would’ve surely attempted to remain silent in the past, these three days of suffering were sufficient to teach her that she needed to take responsibility for her actions. With that in mind, she was just about to own up… when her stomach suddenly began grumbling. How embarrassing…! Continuing to stare at her for a bit, Zivon eventually started the car engine again before saying in a frosty tone, “…Let’s have supper.” The domineering way he had said that was a clear indication to Xa
...Forever… She… couldn’t give him that… Realizing that her tears were starting to shed again, she quickly wiped them away before saying, “…I… What I meant was… everything ends after tonight…” Momentarily freezing in place, Zivon raised a slight brow as he looked straight into her eyes… before asking in his iciest tone yet, “Are you still intent on ending things?” Gulping in response, Xavia then took a deep breath before replying, “…I am. Look, I’m unable to bear the guilt of Madam Young’s death… As long as I’m with you, I’ll always feel her wrath around me… That aside, I’m getting a bit tired of our underground romance… Remember, I’m still a rising YouTube star with a bright future ahead…” Upon hearing her speak her mind, Zivon couldn’t help but glare as he said, “Again, you played no part in ending Madam Young’s life. As for the latter part of your reason, I’ll be announcing my breakup with Sophia in the next two days. You won’t have to hide in the shadows anymore.” …While
Her powerful statement echoed throughout the silent room, and Zivon’s glare grew dangerously vicious for a brief moment. In the end, he was prompted to retort, “…Love is a two-way decision. If you alone can make the decision of breaking up, then what’s stopping me from deciding to get you pregnant? Hmm?” No matter how charming his voice was, Xavia was momentarily left speechless by his response. What the hell was he even saying?! Who even says such things in response to a woman requesting a breakup?! Watching as the depressed woman remained silent, Zivon raised a slight brow as he added, “Well? Aren’t you getting in bed now? You’d best fall asleep in a minute unless you want a certain scenario to play out…” …It was clear what scenario he was referring to, especially after he had mentioned pregnancy! Knowing that there was no winning against him, the irked woman simply laid down in bed, her back turned against him. Alas, there was no way she was going to be able to sleep as she
It was Jenna. ‘My, my, how heartless of you not to visit Sophia in the hospital after all that’s happened! That aside, I have some information regarding Madam Young’s death… If you wish to learn more, meet up with me.’ …Despite knowing full well that Jenna could be bullsh*tting her, Xavia ultimately decided to head to the hospital once she was done grocery shopping… “I knew you’d come over…” scoffed the bedridden Jenna when she saw Xavia entering her ward. Though her health wasn’t in its peak condition, her attitude remained as arrogant as ever… Not even bothering to quarrel, Xavia replied, “Spare me the cr*p and just tell me what you know.” This prompted Jenna to reveal a smirk. Thinking back, her original plan had simply been to make Dana and Sophia hate Xavia… Little did she know at the time that Dana had a weak heart! As if things weren’t going swimmingly enough, that decorative mountain just so happened to collapse right where she needed it to! Jenna truly couldn’t ask f
...Mrs. Lockhart? Glaring at Xavia with a disgusted expression, Mrs. Lockhart then added, “The hell are you doing here? Don’t you know it’s unlucky for me to bump into you?!” Though Xavia would’ve chosen to ignore her statement on any regular day, those words felt particularly sharp after all that she had just experienced. With that, Xavia glared right back at her before retorting, “If I’m so unlucky, it makes me wonder why you didn’t strangle me to death the second I was born! If you had done that, I wouldn’t be making you pissed right now! I wouldn’t have had to indirectly kill Grandma or Mrs. Harrison either…!” With how loud Xavia suddenly was, Mrs. Lockhart couldn’t help but go pale as she took a step back and replied, “You…! B-back off…! You maniac…!” As the terrified woman scurried off, Xavia couldn’t help but helplessly laugh in place… With how much her mother hated her, it made her wonder why Mrs. Harrison had even bothered treating her well back then… Now thoroughly
It was only half an hour later when Nathan reported, “From what I’ve gathered, Miss Lockhart, Miss Jarlett, and Yulia have just boarded a plane to Thalassic City.” “…Is President Walker’s project in that city as well?” replied Zivon with a raised brow. “…Y-yes…?” muttered Nathan, unsure where Zivon was going with this… Thalassic City was the largest city in the country, and it was also located at the coastline. With clear blue skies atop the vast ocean, it truly made for a breath-taking sight… Yulia herself couldn’t help but get all excited when she saw how wide the sea was. Somehow, it seemed that children were simply attracted to the idea of being able to see the ocean up close… Regardless, Yulia soon exclaimed, “We’re finally out at sea! It’s so blue!” Smiling subtly, Xavia replied, “We are… Though, it’s a little hot right now, so let’s head out to play after the sun sets. Don’t worry, it takes less than ten minutes for us to get here.” “Alright, Mommy! Then in the mea
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