Sophia clenched her fists tightly. Did he know? She didn't feel guilty about it because it was Xavia—the person who got her mother killed. Even if Zivon was there, she would still want her dead! However, to avoid giving him a bad impression, she had to control her emotions.How could she get out of this one? As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Xavia quickly put down the shoes and walked up to them. “Miss Harrison is right, Young Master Burton. When I was cleaning earlier, I forgot to close the closet doors and windows and a lot of dust got in. I only had to rinse them with water, so it was easy to do. You two haven't eaten yet, right? I'll go cook now, dinner will be ready soon.” She left with a smile and a pleasant expression, and only then did Zivon manage to compose himself. Sophia was relieved. She said, “You didn’t come home last night and I heard from the secretary that you weren’t in the office either. Where did you go, Young Master Burton? Coincidentally, Xavia di
“When my stomach used to hurt, my mother would feed me medication and hug me. I’m really cold and in pain right now and I don’t have my mother by my side anymore, so please just let me be greedy this once. Consider it a contractual regulation and please don't say no…”Sophia looked weak, helpless, and wretched. Besides, article 3 of the contract stated that he could not refuse the woman’s requests like holding hands and hugging.Zivon’s eyes flashed and he pursed his lips. Without saying much, he carried her upstairs. “I found the medication! How many tablets do you need to take?” Xavia was about to go downstairs but bumped into Zivon who was carrying Sophia while walking up the stairs. She quickly said, “I’ll go fetch some water.” “Mm,” Zivon grunted. After putting Sophia on the bed, he opened the medicine case Xavia gave him and took out three pills. When Xavia brought him a cup of water, he put the medicine into Sophia’s mouth, took the cup, and held it to her mouth. His movem
...There was no way that was true. After all, hadn’t Zivon told her that she was the only one he would pamper last night? With that in mind, nothing could’ve happened between Zivon and Sophia after he said that, right…? Though Xavia had previously hoped that the two of them would get along better, she didn’t want it to happen so quickly either… Feeling rather bummed out, all Xavia could do was walk out with her porridge… Smiling smugly when she saw how downcast Xavia looked, Sophia reached out to get the porridge from her while saying, “You know, I’m feeling a bit cheery today… Even the sight of plain porridge makes me pleased…” After handing Zivon a bowl of porridge, Sophia added, “That aside, make sure to pay attention to your stomach, Young Master Burton.” Upon hearing that, Zivon grunted in response. After all, he knew how excruciating stomach aches could get. Now that he was reminded that Sophia was facing that pain, he was prompted to say, “Putting that aside, remember to
As a series of images popped into Xavia’s mind, the saddened woman ended up losing her appetite. Even after she sat by the table, she found it hard to focus her thoughts. Her mind was truly a mess right now… In the end, she wrapped the food up in cling wrap, slid them in the fridge, and headed back to her room to shower and sleep… It was late at night when she was finally able to get some shut-eye… but to her shock, she suddenly felt the other side of her bed being weighed down, followed by a gentle hand caressing her cheek! Instantly jolting awake, she was quick to turn around… only to be greeted by that familiar, immaculate face illuminated only by dim light… It took her a while, but the startled woman eventually managed to mutter, “…U-um… Y-young Master Burton…? Why aren’t you asleep yet…?” “I came to see you, of course. That aside, let me see your hand,” replied Zivon in a soft tone. Just as Xavia was wondering what he was on about, Zivon gently pulled her hand over before
For him to do something this drastic… Was she really that petty in his eyes? Still, she had doubted him, that much was true… Now immensely ashamed of herself, Xavia was really tempted to just dig herself a grave…! Sensing her embarrassment, Zivon swiped on her phone before saying, “What? Still don’t believe me? Here, last night’s recordings.” “T-there’s no need for that! I believe you…!” exclaimed Xavia who already knew that she was the one who had over thought things. In the end, she awkwardly muttered, “I… hadn’t meant to be so doubtful… but you were with her the entire night, and you two seemed so intimate the very next morning… You even took her to the hospital, and you only returned after eating dinner… What was I supposed to think…” By the time she realized that she was oversharing her thoughts, Zivon couldn’t help but smile so warmly that it’d surely be able to warm the coldest of souls… After a while, he replied, “I did nothing on purpose, just so you know… She was the
...S-Sophia…? Oh god, she had misunderstood, hadn’t she…?! After all, it looked like Sophia was ready to murder Xavia at any second…! Quickly getting to her feet, the panicked Xavia immediately attempted to explain, “I-It’s not what you think-” “I’m just checking on Xavia’s hand injury,” interrupted Zivon as he calmly stared at Sophia. What a laughable explanation. Glaring at the two, Sophia now realized that this ‘harmonious couple’ were secretly villains this entire time…! It didn’t help that Zivon’s previous words kept pounding at the back of her mind…! Gritting her teeth, the enraged woman retorted, “Indeed…! A f*ck tonne of misunderstandings this is, right…?! I guess I was the fool this entire time for being so optimistic about everything…! You two view me like some caged monkey, don’t you?! An utter joke?! I’m done with all this! I hate you all…!” Following that, the hysterical woman ran out without another word… With how terribly hurt she looked, Xavia couldn’t help bu
Upon hearing all that, Xavia finally snapped out of it and ran toward the two while yelling, “T-that isn’t the case, Miss Harrison…! It’s my fault for going against what I promised…! Young Master Burton was wrong too since he didn’t abide by your agreements! With that said, please don’t do all this when you’re innocent…! If you die now, I won’t be able to go on…! L-look, I promise that I’ll leave the villa immediately after this for an entire month…!” “If you’ve gotten much closer to Young Master Burton by then, I swear I won’t ever show up before you again…! If I go against my words, I’ll get struck by thunder…!” declared Xavia in her most determined voice. Naturally, Zivon couldn’t help but feel the corner of his eye twitch when he heard that. Sophia herself simply began laughing maniacally till tears began rolling down her cheeks. Once she finally caught her breath, she retorted, “As if I’d believe you after all that…! Even if you do follow your vow this time, it doesn’t matte
There was a good chance that she’d never be able to return to his side… Though the thought was upsetting, she was far too filled with guilt to care. After all, she had almost been the reason for Sophia’s death tonight… Had Sophia managed to commit suicide earlier, Xavia truly didn’t know how she would’ve carried on with life… and she wasn’t about to risk that happening again now that she had a chance to make things ‘right’. With all that in mind, Xavia ultimately replied, “…Miss Harrison is still highly unstable at the moment, so you need to care more about her… Even if I may end up unable to fulfill my promises to her, we should abide by the contract more strictly from now on… As for the consequences you mentioned… I believe that if we truly were meant for each other, then we’ll eventually end up together…” “After all, at the end of the day, the only people who can impact our love lives are ourselves… Because of that, I believe you should understand where I’m coming from and jus
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