Looking utterly icy, Zivon then tossed his phone to Maison before scoffing, “Five minutes.” “Got it, Daddy!” exclaimed the happy boy as he ran out of the house and began dialing Yulia’s number… only to frown slightly when it went straight to voicemail. Even if Xavia had turned her phone off, there’d usually be a beep or two before the voice mail prompt… Since that was the case… had Xavia blocked Zivon? Raising a slight brow, Maison then got his own phone to test it out… and alas, the results were the same. Still, even if it kind of made sense for Xavia to block Zivon’s number, there was no reason for her to block his number as well… How odd… His train of thought was cut short when Sophia walked over while asking, “Who are you trying to call, Maison…?” “I’m trying to call Aunt Xavia, but she isn’t picking up at all… Could you lend me your phone, Aunt Sophia? Maybe yours will work,” replied Maison, instantly causing Sophia’s heart to freeze. After all, she had been the one who
Averting his gaze, Maison then muttered, “…She just didn’t answer my calls since she doesn’t need our care anymore…” Upon hearing that, Zivon let out a helpless sigh. While it was good that his son was this clear-minded… It didn’t change that her refusal to even pick up his calls was kind of rude. Tossing the phone to the boy, Zivon replied, “…Maybe she’s busy. Here. Take the phone and call her again later.” After saying that, Zivon headed outside to have his raging nerves frozen… As for Maison, he continued reading for a while… but eventually, he couldn’t help but browse through his father’s phone. He had simply wanted to read through their past messages to recall how lovey-dovey the two had been back then… But it didn’t take long for the boy to frown. His father hadn’t talked to her for nearly a month… and though there were a few messages here and there, that wasn’t what caught his eye. ‘It’s over. Please don’t use the kids as an excuse to appear before me again. Maison won
Unbeknownst to the guard, the second he was out of sight, the duo instantly smirked! “Excellent acting skills! Now before we get into any more trouble, go take the child away. I’ll wake her mother up and deal with the situation as soon as possible as well.” “Got it,” replied the trafficker as he swiftly carried the still unconscious Yulia away… As for the secretary, he re-entered the house and looked straight at the motionless Xavia… and after a while, he requested the earlier doctor to detoxify Xavia. If everything went according to plan, then Xavia would probably wake up in about four hours… There was no room for error. Shaking the thought off, the man then sat on his couch and began organizing some documents, occasionally glimpsing at Xavia… and soon enough, four hours passed. As planned, Xavia slowly stirred awake around then… and when she finally opened her eyes again, she couldn’t help but furrow her brows. What did she feel like she had just woken up from a thousand-ye
“…I have something very important to tell him…” Upon hearing that, Maison was quick to say, “Definitely, Aunt! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it happens! That aside, where’s Little Bun? I really miss her!” “She’s headed to the supermarket… She should be back soon…” replied Xavia as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes before ushering Maison outside… Naturally, the secretary’s anxiety was now peaking! Now that this boy was here, was the plan going to be jeopardized…?! …No, he had heard before that the boy wasn’t particularly bright… Plus, he barely met up with outsiders… There shouldn’t be any problems, right…? Knowing that he’d be chastised by Sophia if he called her regarding this minor matter, the secretary quickly caught up with the duo before saying, “…What are you doing here alone, Little Master…? Young Master Burton must be worried sick about you, so why don’t I send you home?” “I refuse! I’m staying with Aunt!” replied Maison in a commanding voice, a clear rem
As Xavia remained speechless, the secretary was quick to say, “I-I’m sorry, Miss Lockhart…! I shouldn’t have allowed a child to go out on her own! But… she just seemed so sensible, and the supermarket was nearby, and…! I… I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault!” Eyes widening when the secretary began slapping himself, Xavia was quick to stop him while saying, “T-there’s no need to blame yourself!” After all, had he not saved her and Yulia back when she had passed out, she’d probably be dead by now…! What’s more, he had even been kind enough to give Yulia some pocket money to treat herself… There was no way she could be mad at him! Shaking her head, Xavia then added, “…Look, I’ll… go to the nearby shops to check their footage as well!” As Xavia bounded off, Maison remained where he was, a deep frown on his face… First, that secretary had asked the supermarket worker for help… Then he had followed Xavia to the property management office, and once that failed, he had even allowed Xavia t
It wasn’t long before another man in a management uniform walked out of the villa with Yulia under his arm… and instead of taking the main entrance, he had left through the elevator and exited from the underground parking lot. After tossing Yulia into the vehicle, he then drove away! This was utterly different from what the secretary had said! Yulia had been kidnapped! Trembling in rage, Maison wasn’t about to continue watching. Instead, he memorized the license plate before giving Zivon a call… and thankfully, he had told Zivon to bring his phone with him before leaving the mountain. Regardless, it wasn’t long before Zivon picked up, and he was immediately prompted to ask, “Maison? It’s dangerous to head down the mountain alone. Tell me where you are so that I can come get you.” Maison, for one, had initially wanted to avoid letting Zivon know that he had gone off looking for Xavia… but now, he had to let his father know. Zivon was the only one who was able to save Yulia right n
“With that said, why don’t we continue looking around for a bit more, first?” By this point, Xavia was so desperate that she couldn’t even think straight anymore. After all, her precious child was missing! What if she came across some thug…?! Though he couldn’t tell Xavia about Yulia yet, Maison’s heart hurt just looking at how worried she was… and in the end, he held her hand before saying, “…Don’t worry, Aunt! This is a pretty well-to-do neighborhood, so there shouldn’t be any shady people around! Besides, you know how playful Little Bun is, right? She probably just ended up wandering off when she saw something fun!” “However, I do agree that we should call the cops! That way, more people will know about this, and Yulia can be brought to the nearest police station if she’s found!” concluded Maison, hoping that this would calm Xavia down. At the same time, he was also trying to stall for time for his father so that he could conduct a more thorough investigation. Regardless, Xa
“Your daughter’s with me, and if you want her back, then bring a million dollars over to the abandoned iron tower in the suburbs. Alone. I’ll be constantly monitoring your phone’s activity as well, so if you try anything funny, I’ll just kill the hostage, you hear me?” growled the man on the other end of the phone, instantly causing Xavia to start trembling vigorously as her mind went blank! Her beloved daughter had been kidnapped…! It took her a while, but the startled woman eventually managed to whimper, “…W-who are you…?! P-please don’t harm my daughter…! I-I can give you the money, just please don’t hurt her…!” “I’m glad we’re on the same page. Regardless, you don’t need to know who I am, just do as I said,” scoffed the man before ending the call… and shortly after, the pale-faced woman’s phone fell to the ground… The second she was able to snap out of it, she quickly turned to look at Maison before pleading, “M-Maison…! Could you please call your father…?! I need to borrow a
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