His train of thought was cut short when his phone suddenly began ringing. Raising a slight brow when he saw who the caller was, Zivon then cleared his thoughts before picking up… “Were you seriously planning on starting your new company without me, Mr. Burton? Jokes aside, I’d like to invite you to participate in a project that I’m working on! I’ve emailed you the relevant documents, and if you’re interested, come over to M Country so we can discuss it further. I, for one, believe that this project will be your company’s first success!” “I’ll have a look, then,” replied Zivon. “I eagerly await your response!” After hanging up, Zivon skimmed through the document… and sure enough, it seemed like a good project that would definitely benefit his company. The only negative was that he’d need to supervise the project for at least three months in M Country… Though he paused for a moment, he shook his head before calling the business partner back… and the second the call was answered
After gently rubbing the tears off Maison’s cheeks, Zivon replied, “…Men shouldn’t cry so easily… That aside, it doesn’t matter if I’m bothered by it… At the end of the day, she still adores that man… They were already in love ages ago, yet they ended up getting separated… Now that they’ve reunited, it’s clear that they should remain together this time… You want her to be happy too, right…? To be together with Little Bun’s father…” Upon hearing that, Maison remained silent… and in the end, he simply lowered his head, clearly refusing to accept the truth… Worried that the boy would experience another episode, Zivon was prompted to say, “Hmm… Put it this way. You like Uncle Zayne and Uncle Chace, right…? If you had to pick between them and me, who would you pick?” “Of course, I’d pick you!” “There we go… With that said, just imagine what Little Bun is feeling right now… No matter how much she likes us, I’m sure she’d want to live with her biological father more… As they say, ther
“…I-I beg your pardon…?” replied the startled Sophia. “You know very well that the contract only happened because of Xavia. With that said, now that she no longer has anything to do with me, I don’t need to abide by it anymore. Also, don’t even try to bring up your mother’s death or our past business relationship. I’m pretty sure I’ve fulfilled any remaining obligations throughout our time together. With that said, our groups will now be separate, and we shouldn’t get involved anymore.” “Even if you do tag along, there won’t be a place for you to join the project, so you may as well just remain in the country. If there comes a day when I need your help with a collaboration, I’ll be sure to contact you. Until then, however, we’ll part ways,” concluded Zivon as he headed downstairs with Wendy and Maison… Now that she was all alone in the massive villa, Sophia couldn’t help but fall to the ground, devastated… Why… Why was all this happening…? Shouldn’t she be his rightful choice now
To think that she had once thought that Xavia was a sweet woman before this… That bloody woman was more vicious than Jenna! She couldn’t allow Xavia to remain alive, otherwise, Zivon would only continue thinking about her…! Still… Her daughter, huh…? What could she do with this information to quietly get rid of Xavia…? As Sophia began considering her options, Alma couldn’t help but ask, “…Are you hoping for Sophia to kill Yulia and Xavia, Jenna…?” Swirling the red wine in her glass, the pleased Jenna simply smirked as she replied, “But of course. Now that the whole world knows that Yulia is Xavia’s biological child, it’s only a matter of time before someone figures out that the girl is Zivon’s daughter! In other words, it’ll reveal that Maison isn’t my actual son either! To avoid all that trouble, Yulia and Xavia have to die! Following their deaths, the truth will be carried along to their graves…!” “Naturally, Sophia is the only one who can do this, and if she succeeds, I’ll jus
Releasing his collar from Jenna’s grip, Keith then walked over to the couch and took a seat… and after staring at the shattered glass on the floor, he was prompted to say, “We only got married because of that child. Now that you’ve had your miscarriage, do you really think there’s a need for us to remain married? It’s not like I ever loved you anyway.” “That aside, Linda’s expecting a child soon, so give way to her, won’t you? Unless you’re unwilling to tolerate an innocent child’s life,” concluded Keith. It took her a while to react, but in the end, Jenna simply started laughing maniacally… Glaring straight into Keith’s eyes, she then growled, “You’re telling me to make way for such a run off the mill secretary…?! Have you forgotten that I’m the young lady of the Lockhart family…?! That I’m the princess bestowed by Mrs. President…?! No matter! If you continue this nonsense, I’ll kill her and expose all your heinous deeds…! Hell, come to think of it, I don’t even need to lay a fi
Due to how exhausted she was, Xavia fell asleep almost instantaneously… and with the curtains drawn, the two looked like angels as they slept amidst the dim lighting… Looking at the duo with a gentle gaze, Mark eventually tucked them in before saying, “…You should get some rest now, Matthew… I’ll notify you if Yulia has any further negative reactions.” “Got it,” replied Matthew, who knew his friend well enough to not disagree. After all, back when they were abroad, he remembered how Mark would stay up all night just looking at her photo… Now that he could see her up close, Matthew was pretty sure that Mark wasn’t about to let this chance pass… Shaking his head, Matthew then returned to his room to get a well-deserved rest… As for Mark, it was just as Matthew had imagined. The man felt a great sense of fulfillment just from looking at the two… If only he could freeze time right now… Alas, his train of thought was cut short when his phone suddenly began ringing. Quickly answering
Following a long sigh, Harold replied, “Girl, you had a child with another man… In fact, you even brought her to his villa in the dead of night! Do you really think that Zivon would be fine after learning all that…?” …Had bringing Yulia to Mark’s villa become a trending topic? She had only done so to keep Yulia safe from prying eyes! Well, that and the child also required medical treatment back then… Her train of thought was cut short when Harold added, “Girl, tell me the truth… Is Yulia really you and Mark’s child…?” “…She isn’t, Teacher. I’d love to explain, but now isn’t the time for that. When’s Young Master Burton leaving? I’ll rush over to explain things to him!” declared Xavia. “He said that the flight was going to be at eleven, so… I’m afraid you’re too late,” muttered Harold as he peeked at his watch. It was already half-past ten, and she’d need at least thirty minutes to get to the airport from where she was… It didn’t help that there were usually terrible traffic jam
At the end of the day, she knew that this was all her fault. She shouldn’t have continuously hurt Zivon just to compensate for Sophia’s loss… This was her divine punishment for constantly fiddling with his emotions. Just as Mark was about to console her, the light went green. This prompted him to sharpen his gaze as he said, “…All isn’t lost yet! We can still make it if I step on it!” Following that, he began speeding down the busy street to the point where it almost felt like he was driving a race car…! In the end, he was able to arrive at the airport in twenty minutes. There were only about eight minutes left till the flight took off, and Xavia knew that her chances of succeeding were extremely slim. Even so, she shook the negativity off and simply bounded out of the car the second she could… Alas, the airport was extremely crowded, and there were people at literally every corner she looked. Feeling her anxiety spike, she ultimately affixed her gaze on the emergency broadcast
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