Zivon had a pretty good guess that that was going to be her answer. He, for one, had chosen that option as well. However… He didn’t exactly like being led by the nose like this. With that, he glared at Alma while growling, “You asked us to apologize before this, and now you want us to do something else. How sure can we be that you’ll keep your part of the deal once we’ve done what you asked? Release the kids if you want to garner our trust!” Sneering in response, Alma scoffed, “Do you really think I’m that stupid, Young Master Burton?” “If you think I’ll try something funny, then do know that I’d never gamble with my kids’ lives. So what if we admit something shameful? As long as I can take my children home safely, that’s a win for me. Also, the kids have seen their fair share of things, so they can prove whether Xav and I are telling the truth.” …Wait, so he was going to declare something shameful? Something that’d ruin his reputation? If so, that’d definitely put Jenna in a bet
“Oh, how pitiful Jenna is! She had foolishly sacrificed herself for Young Master Burton all that time, but alas, his heart belonged to her succubus of a sister! Are you watching, Jenna?! I’ve finally uncovered the truth about these two!” howled Alma, her voice brimming with ridicule. By this point, Xavia could already imagine the onslaught of online comments discussing the current situation… So be it! As long as the kids were safe! With that in mind, she was prompted to say, “You’ve heard the truth, so let go of the children!” Scoffing in response, Alma replied, “Sure, it’s not like I wanted to hurt them in the first place! Still, you two really are something else… I’ve made up my mind. For Jenna’s sake, I’m sacrificing myself! Everyone! Please hear my final message! Make sure to remember how filthy these two are the next time you’re tempted to criticize Jenna! While it’s true that Jenna’s no saint, she was ignored for ten long years by Young Master Burton!” “You’ve all heard abo
“As you can imagine, several people ended up pitying her, and I’m sure this is just her way of trying to make a comeback. That heartless that bitch truly is a great actress…!” Though she could understand where Dolly was coming from, she felt slightly hesitant to think that way. After all, if she had truly treated Alma that kindly, then there was a chance that her grief was genuine, right? After thinking about it for a while, Xavia shook her head and muttered, “Speaking of which, how has the internet responded to Von and I?” Upon hearing that, the two simply looked at each other without saying a word. That was enough to signify that the situation was unpleasant. Then again, it was kind of expected. After all, they had initially claimed that they had yet to sleep together, so now that everyone knew that they had copulated before Jenna’s marriage, gossip was surely going to crop up… Realizing that Xavia had caught on, Dolly was quick to console, “…Let’s not worry about that first. O
Walking over to Alma’s tomb, she then placed her white chrysanthemum before it… and after staring at the tomb for a while, she was prompted to say, “…You still appear in my dreams, you know? Well, nightmares… While it’s true that the explosion was horrifying, something else haunts me… Your expression at the time… I sensed… Fear. Hey, was your death truly voluntary…?” Upon hearing that shocking question, Dolly couldn’t help but tremble as she asked, “W-what…? What are you even talking about, Xavia…?” Even the startled Bianca added, “Alma leaped off that building and detonated herself live… None of that could’ve been faked.” Xavia herself hoped that that was the case, but… After a short pause, she was prompted to say, “…The video was taken from afar, but I was right there when it happened. Moments before Alma exploded… her eyes had been filled with pain and bewilderment. It was only for a split second, but I’ve had nightmares of her final moments on repeat in the past few nights… I
‘I really can’t bear to continue watching this drama…’ Though none of the commenters directly said it, it was clear that they all thought that Xavia was reluctant to move on, even after everything that Alma had done. It didn’t help that they now knew about Xavia’s initial affair, and her reputation had sunk lower than ever… Even so, Xavia didn’t care about that right now. What surprised her, however, was how Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart reacted to her the second she arrived at the hospital! “Why the hell are you here, you misfortune bringer!” “Your father and I put ourselves down for you! But what did you do?! You ignored us and eventually got us hospitalized! But that wasn’t enough, huh?! You had to pull Jen into this?!” “Just because we didn’t raise you up, that doesn’t mean we should be treated this way!” “Are you only going to be satisfied once we’re dead?! You ungrateful brat!” “Get out! We won’t ever ask for your help from now on, no matter how rich and famous you become!
Weren’t brothers supposed to love their sisters equally? Irked by his iciness, she simply retorted, “I wasn’t even in your way. Besides, it’s not like you own the place.” Sneering in response, Kevin then scoffed, “Sorry, but the Lockhart Group has invested in this hospital building. With that said, get lost already!” With how unreasonable he was being, Xavia found herself at a loss for words… and in the end, she simply got up and walked off. Just as the rain was getting heavier, the shivering woman realized that there was now an umbrella over her head. Turning to her side, she was surprised to see that it was Ian! “Come. I’ll drive you back.” “W-what are you doing here, Sir Ian?” “Well, my mother heard that you fainted, so she told me to come pay you a visit.” …So he was here for Jenna too, huh? Smiling wryly, she then politely replied, “Apologies, but you have the wrong person. Jenna is upstairs.” With that said, Xavia attempted to walk off again, only to be pulled back
“It’s not like that. It’s just… While I did love Maison before, I just feel the need to go the extra mile now that I know that you’re their mother…” Upon hearing that, Xavia’s heart rate instantly skyrocketed. Was he seriously saying such things when they hadn’t even cleared up their past mishap yet…? It took her a while, but she eventually asked, “…Aren’t you mad at all…?” Her question prompted Zivon’s gaze to darken a little. How could he be angry? After all, he was the reason that she and Yulia had suffered so much in the first place. With that in mind, he patted her on the head before muttering, “…No need to bring that up anymore. Don’t worry, I’ll be responsible for you and our children from now on…” He’d make sure to make up for all that lost time by doing his best for them from here on out. Shaking his head, he then walked off to wash some fruits, leaving Xavia with a slight frown. …Why did it seem like he had something else to say…? He had specifically mentioned his res
“…Siblings can’t get married, right…?” His question instantly made Xavia go pale. While she wanted to tell him the truth, she was well aware that Maison had been treating Yulia like his girlfriend this entire time… With that in mind, wouldn’t it be too cruel to just reveal the harsh reality of the situation? Since Xavia seemed to be struggling to give an answer, Maison was quick to add, “Don’t worry, I already checked online so I know the answer! I was just wondering if you’d give a different answer, but I guess it’s fine.” Understandably surprised to hear that, Xavia replied, “…Are you sure? You’re not disappointed at all…?” “Nope! Because while a wife may run away, my sister definitely won’t! With that in mind, I’ll definitely be able to spoil and protect her for the rest of my life!” explained Maison. With how mature he was with all this, Xavia couldn’t help but smile as she replied, “…I’m glad you think that way. Such a smart child… While I’m glad you’ll always be there f
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