“Are you from Aplos, Miss?” asked the cab driver. “I am. Good eyes. That aside, could you please drive us here?” replied Xavia as she handed a picture of a small village—that Mark had earlier given to her—to the cab driver. After taking a good look at the image, the driver replied, “I could, but the area is quite remote and it’s not going to be an easy drive back. In other words, the tab will be a little higher… That aside, that village is going to be demolished soon, and there’s nothing else in the surrounding area… What are you planning to do there, Miss?” “I have a relative there, and since the village is going to be demolished soon, I figured I pay him a visit. That aside, don’t worry about the fees,” said Xavia in a serious tone. After glancing at both Yulia and Xavia for a moment, the driver simply nodded before starting the car and driving off… Alas, though Xavia hadn’t even recovered from her earlier disorientation, she would soon find out that the arduous journey to
As Xavia’s eyes lit up, the guard replied, “Apologies for disturbing you at this hour, but a woman has stated that she’s your girlfriend, and that she wishes to meet you. She has a child, but she also has your contact number so… Should I allow them in?” Upon hearing that, Zivon instantly went silent, and his icy aura could be felt even on the other end of the phone… And after an entire minute, the irked man replied, “…I don’t have a girlfriend. Get that woman out of this construction area.” Following that, Zivon hung up… and before Xavia could even respond, the guard glared at her before yelling, “I knew you were a fraud! Beat it and stop wasting my time!” Even after the guard had stomped back to the security room, Xavia remained utterly speechless. Knowing Zivon, he’d definitely know who the ‘girlfriend’ was… Which meant that he was refusing to meet her. Unwilling to give up, Xavia eventually said, “…Please call him again, sir! I’ll talk this time, and it won’t take you more t
Was she here to explain herself? So what if she was? There was no way he’d continue letting her use him like some sugar daddy…! Tossing his walkie-talkie aside, the icy man then headed outside… However, before he was able to get onto the snowmobile, he saw Wendy jogging toward him… And when the warmly dressed old woman finally caught her breath, she was prompted to say, “Z-Zivon… How much longer do we need to stay here…?” Zivon, for one, could tell how uncomfortable she was with life up here… After all, old people were bad against cold temperatures. However, if he didn’t bring her along with him, then Hershel and the others would surely try to cause trouble for his mother. With that in mind, he’d very much prefer if she remained by his side… Shaking the thought off, Zivon replied, “…We’ll be heading down the mountain after the inspection is over. That’ll be about half a month from now.” “…That much longer…? Um… Could I head down with you to get some daily necessities…? And have
Nervously gripping onto the handrail, Wendy couldn’t help but say, “D-drive slower, Zivon…! A-are you looking for someone…?” Simply grunting in response, Zivon’s eyes remained peeled on the road… and honestly, this made Wendy delighted. After all, she assumed that he was looking for Sophia… “…Since she’s taken the initiative to come all the way to this foreign country, I guess it’s only right for you to be worried about her… Stay vigilant! Perhaps you could try contacting her…?” Upon hearing that, Zivon immediately attempted to give Xavia a call… But to his dismay, he was brought straight to voicemail. Hanging up, the undeterred man shook his head before resuming his search for her… Unfortunately, even after driving for a few hours and arriving in town, Zivon failed to come across a single human… He was only able to snap out of it when he heard Wendy mutter, “…Um… Zivon…? I’m feeling a bit unwell… Could you please send me back to the mansion first…? You can continue looking aft
Upon Sophia’s arrival, the overjoyed Wendy immediately held her hands before saying, “There you are! You must be freezing! Come, sit by the fireplace to get some warmth…” “I appreciate it, Aunt…” replied Sophia with a smile. Before Sophia could say anything, however, Wendy had already gotten her phone out… and within seconds, Sophia heard her say, “Zivon? I’ve found her! Come on back!” Zivon himself had been standing in front of a pharmacy when he answered the call. Essentially, the corner of his eye had earlier noticed the figure of a child that looked strikingly like Yulia entering the pharmacy… Regardless, now that his mother had called, he remained outside the building as he replied, “…Come again, Mom?” “Oh, just hurry back and you’ll see what I mean! I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep her here…!” said Wendy before hanging up, prompting Zivon’s gaze to darken… From her tone, it didn’t seem like his mother was lying… What’s more, the odds of Yulia being here alone of
“…When did I ever say that Mom?” said Zivon as he walked over to her, instantly prompting Wendy to frown. Who else could’ve come to M Country to look for him? Clearing her throat, Sophia replied, “Don’t blame Aunt, Young Master Burton… I was equally as confused when she called me earlier, and I had only rushed over thinking that you were in trouble… That aside, you’re looking for Xavia, right? Why don’t I help you look for her?” …What? Understandably startled to hear that, Wendy immediately asked, “W-why are you looking for that woman, Zivon…? My son, she’s already in love with Mark, and she even has his child…! With that said, why do you still want to look for her…?” Wendy, for one, simply couldn’t understand why Xavia was unwilling to let go of her son! After all, wasn’t that woman’s love story with Mark already touching enough…? In the end, she couldn’t help but add, “…A-anyway, Sophia’s told me that Xavia is only here because her child really wants to meet Maison… Apparently
This was her chance to get close to Zivon again…! It was at that moment when her phone buzzed for a bit… It was her secretary. ‘I’ve located Xavia and Yulia, and Xavia appears to be sick right now. What should I do?’ Upon reading that, Sophia was quick to avert her gaze to avoid Zivon from sensing her guilt. That aside, could nothing stop that woman? Did she really need to kill Xavia in order to finally progress? But… She hadn’t assassinated anyone before… Also, while it was true that Jenna had mostly talked her into murdering Xavia, Sophia knew that once the deed was done, Jenna was sure to backstab her… However, they were currently in M Country, an area outside Jenna’s control… In other words, this was the perfect opportunity to get everything done. With her mind made up, Sophia ultimately replied, ‘…Find a doctor for Xavia, but make sure to get him to keep her unconscious for a bit longer, preferably through a drug. Once that’s done, I want you to contact some human traffick
It appeared that Young Master Burton still had deep feelings toward her, and that only highlighted the fact that Sophia’s extreme ways were a necessity… Following that thought, he continued staring at the phone for a while before ultimately typing, ‘Understood, Young Master Burton. Sorry for bothering.’ After that, he sent Mark and Dolly messages as well, both stating, ‘I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.’ Naturally, those texts not only served to widen the gap between Zivon and Xavia, but they also ensured that Dolly and Mark wouldn’t come looking for her out of worry. Of course, Xavia was left completely unaware of all this, and though there were times when she stirred a little, she was never able to properly open her eyes. Because of that, Yulia never noticed that her mother was trying to get up, and she simply made sure to clean her and her mother’s faces before crawling next to Xavia and sleeping there… If only the two knew of the catastrophe that would soon befall them… Yul
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