...How could he say something like that so casually?! That aside, after giving it some thought, she sort of realized why he didn’t want to continue things here. After all, Sophia had earlier been in this room, and she had even attempted to kiss him back then… He must’ve been worried that that fact would sadden her… With that in mind, she ended up giving him a tight hug while saying, “…Yeah… Also, I’ll be working hard to ensure that from here on out, we’ll only be left with pleasant memories… Just saying…” Following that, she planted a kiss on his lips. Honestly, she had no idea what had gotten into her tonight… Had the official announcement touched her that much? Or perhaps it was his wedding proposal? For all she knew, the air was tainted or something, but… One thing was for sure. And that was the fact that she wanted to truly be his tonight. To her surprise, he soon pulled their lips apart before saying in a serious tone, “…Xav. Something bad happened to you in a hotel three ye
...Only to be greeted by a tight slap! As Xavia’s cheek seared with pain, Fiona took the chance to yank her by her hair while yelling, “You dare make a fool out of me…?! Do you think I’m that easily bullied?! Huh?!” Just before Fiona could land her second slap, she suddenly heard a commotion running toward them… and shortly after, she realized that a group of reporters was running toward them! “You’re Miss Squire, correct?! Did you just slap Miss Xavia?!” “My lord! Miss Squire, of all people?! Why would you slap her?” “I heard you have a thing for Young Master Burton! Can you confirm that? And if so, did you slap her out of envy?!” By this point, Fiona was already frozen in fear. She had made sure to check whether the coast was clear earlier! Where had all these reporters come from?! Quickly snapping out of it, she retracted her hand before explaining, “…I-I only slapped her because she was making me too mad! She told me I was trash in Zivon’s eyes, you know?!” “My, oh, my,
Their questions left Xavia momentarily speechless. These reporters just asked questions like nobody’s business, huh? That aside… How was she even supposed to answer? She couldn’t just tell them that she had been with him long before he had gotten divorced with Jenna! Since Xavia wasn’t saying anything, Fiona smirked before scoffing, “Oh? Can’t say anything? Could it be that… the truth can’t be said? Come to think of it, hadn’t you already known him before Jenna got divorced? Her divorce had nothing to do with you, right…?” Upon hearing that, the reporters’ eyes went wide as they began asking questions like, “Is that the case, Miss Lockhart?” “Indeed! Please give us your honest answer!” Feeling her guilt start to rack up, Xavia’s mind began racing for an answer… that is, until she heard someone clearing their throat. Turning to face the source of the sound, everyone realized that it was Zivon. Walking over in his usual suit, the prestigious man instantly made everyone tempted
“If you want a more honest opinion on that… Why don’t you ask Jenna about it? Now then… as for why I did all that yesterday. For starters, I hope everyone understands that I’d only date someone whom I’m sure I’d marry. I’m already in my thirties, after all, and I’m not planning on wasting time dating women I don’t plan to spend my life with. With that context in mind, do know that I had already proposed to her back when we were still in M Country.” “With that said, yesterday’s confession was merely a matter of when I actually did it. Thankfully, that was enough to get Xav to finally accept. Oh, and one final note… She’s well aware that she’s Jenna’s sister, so all of you should know that she’s been hesitant about our relationship for the longest time. I had to put in a lot of work just to court her, so stop trying to tear us apart after all that! Now, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask on Facebook or at my office.” “Just stop targeting Xav!” concluded Zivon, instantly
Freezing for a moment, Zivon ultimately turned to look at Xavia before asking, “…Hey, am I not on your side? Are you jealous or something?” “…Again, it’s your fault for being so charming…” Smiling subtly, Zivon then teased, “Instead of blaming me for that, shouldn’t you be feeling thankful for having such a capable and loyal man like me as your lover? That aside, can you blame my fans for having good taste?” Though anyone else would’ve surely sounded cocky if they said that, somehow, Zivon saying it simply felt right. Rolling her eyes, Xavia then chuckled as she replied, “As they say, potters will always praise their own pots!” After giving his own chuckle, Zivon then said, “No longer mad with me?” …Wait. Had he just been trying to cheer her up…? Pleasantly surprised by this, Xavia eventually replied, “…It’s not like I was mad at you in the first place… Look, while I’m pleased that you stood up for me earlier, try not to disgrace Fiona like that next time… Remember, she saved
Despite their attempt at whispering, Zivon heard every word of their bold statements…! Upon sensing his death glare, the servants instantly felt chills running down their spines… and shortly after, they went completely silent. Following a subtle sneer, Zivon turned to face Xavia as he said, “Pay no attention to those fools.” Already expecting such criticism, Xavia simply nodded and replied, “Don’t worry, I’m fine…” Taking her hand, he then led her to a seat before saying, “I only returned because you insisted that I bring Xavia over. With that said, just say what you want and be done with it. I’m not staying to eat.” “A-are you looking down on me…?! Remember, boy! Had it not been for me, you wouldn’t stand where you currently are! Also, you may be successful, but that means nothing if you don’t know how to treat your elders with respect!” retorted the furious Hershel. Remaining completely calm, Zivon replied, “Please, you know better than anyone how much I’ve brought to the
Before Hershel could even think of a proper reply, Xavia added, “Speaking of which, you also told Von to dig up Lady Burton’s grave to ask for her approval, right…? What a pitiful old woman she is… After all, despite being deceased, she still needs to be dug up to look after you! It makes me wonder who actually failed to meet her expectations…” Upon hearing that, everyone in the room burst out in laughter! Hershel himself was now so mad that he roared, “You…! Just look at her, Zivon! Are you seriously going to marry this rude woman?!” “You say she’s rude, but I think she makes perfect sense. Now, we don’t have time to play along with you, so without further ado, we’ll be taking our leave,” replied Zivon as he slipped a hand into his pocket before turning to leave with Xavia… As the enraged Hershel struggled to catch his breath, Xavia couldn’t help but chuckle once they were standing outside the manor. Taking in a deep breath, she was prompted to say, “Well? Did I do well? Not s
It was probably just Francis and his wife who were dying to meet her. After all, now that her relationship with Zivon was out in the open, they were definitely terrified of her spilling the beans about what had happened back then… Things such as Yulia being Zivon’s actual child. Jenna herself probably wanted to warn her not to try anything funny. After all, though she was no longer married to Zivon, Xavia could still wreck her reputation if she chose to reveal anything. To no one’s surprise, the second Jenna got Xavia into her car, she immediately said, “Now that you’re with Young Master Burton and the whole world knows about it, I’m sure you itching to tell everyone about the truth of what happened that year right? So that you can finally live out your happily ever after?” By this point, Xavia already knew that no amount of explaining would ever change the minds of Sophia and Jenna that she was a villainess. With that in mind, she simply replied, “You, of all people, should know
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