And how was she going to face Mark? Hell, what was she to do with the child? With her mind a complete mess, she ultimately got up and said, “…Thank you, Dr. Rudner. I… need some time alone.” Before Matthew could even say a thing, Xavia had already run off. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to catch up, the man simply sighed before driving home… It was sometime later when Dr. Rudner walked up to Mark and said, “Xavia’s pregnant with your child, Mark!” At the time, Mark had been working on his designs, and when he heard what Matthew had to say, he nearly dropped his pencil! Quickly turning around to look at the doctor, Mark replied, “What on earth are you on about?” Walking closer, Matthew then said, “Xavia’s apparently been pregnant for a month, so it’s only fair to assume that the child was conceived on the night you brought her home! I have to say I’m impressed, Mark! To think that you were able to keep this hidden from me this entire time!” “But we never did anything! Where
Glass after glass, Xavia simply continued drinking to ease the pain… and it was hours later when Mark received a call from her. Upon picking up, the first thing he heard was her mumbling, “I’m sorry…! I really am…! I… I can’t remember anything from that night… and I don’t know what to do anymore… All I can think of is you and the children…” It was clear that the drunk woman had wanted to call Zivon instead of him, and after a slight pause, he was prompted to reply, “…Where are you, Xavia? You’re only putting yourself in danger by getting drunk outside… Even if you don’t care about yourself, at least consider the children… Tell me where you are so that I can come get you.” “Lake side…” muttered the addled woman before going completely silent… Frowning in response, he quickly googled for the closest lakes… and thus began his hunt for the drunk woman. It was only after an entire hour of searching that he finally found her at his third lake. She was sitting by the lakeside, and wit
Zivon had an equally restless night. After tucking the kids in, he wasn’t able to sleep a wink since he kept thinking about Xavia’s pregnancy. To be fair, who wouldn’t be concerned over such things? At the same time, he knew deep down that she was a victim as well. He could sense that she was as baffled as he was, and that meant that she had been raped while she was unconscious! Since she hadn’t willingly slept with others, there was no way he could blame her for all this. Instead, the blame should be on Mark! But that could wait. For now, the most important thing was her mental state. How was she going to handle the situation? Was she going to keep the baby even after she found out it was Mark’s? The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became, and in the end, he opted to head downstairs to get a glass of cold water. It was around then when he received a message from his staff members… ‘Miss Lockhart got herself drunk after sitting for a few hours at Lake Park. Follow
“Honestly, it’s only natural for her to get close to Mark again after everything he’s done for her. I’ll have you know that it warms my heart every time I see them working together. It was just so clear in her eyes that she had feelings for him,” replied Matthew, his words instantly piercing through Zivon’s heart. Despite being drugged so many times, he had managed to stop himself from touching other women. He used to believe that Xavia had that same dedication, but the fact that she gave everything to Mark the second she ran into him… Perhaps this truly was what she wanted. Was she finally deciding to indulge in that past love of hers…? As Zivon’s expression turned icier by the second, Matthew himself simply walked off without another word. He, for one, despised that man since he couldn’t even protect his own woman! So what if he had riches? To him, Mark would always win when it came to loving Xavia! Either way, he had done his best to make it seem like Xavia had truly fallen for
Thinking that it was just his staff from the management office, Mark replied, “Just put the sheets in the washing machine. I’m getting the door…” Nodding in response, Xavia did as she was told… and shortly after, she heard a door creaking open, followed by a familiar voice asking, “Where’s Xav?” Zivon?! He was here?! Just as she was about to run out to greet him, she quickly stopped in her tracks when she realized that she still had Mark’s pajamas on! It didn’t help that she had clearly just taken a shower so early in the morning! Knowing Zivon, he’d surely misunderstand the situation! Not wanting things to get worse, she quickly put the sheets down before grabbing her clothes and changing into them. Moving back to Mark, he was rightfully surprised to see Zivon at his door. Even so, he truthfully replied, “She’s doing some laundry.” After glaring at him for a while, Zivon walked in and began peering around… and upon reaching the laundry room, his eyes went wide. After all, Xa
Xavia herself was left utterly speechless. After all, she knew for a fact that they hadn’t done anything like that! Why was he lying?! Also… Mark had admitted that the child was his…?! As Xavia continued trying to register everything, Zivon’s expression had already grown darker than the darkest night! It took him a full minute to finally glare at Xavia and growl, “…Come with me…!” Only God knew how much he was trying to keep himself calm! Alas, Xavia was too shell shocked to even hear his voice, and she ended up turning to look at Mark. Seeing that at his opportunity, Mark replied, “See? She doesn’t plan on leaving my side.” Zivon, for one, couldn’t care less about how sassy Mark was. After all, he knew that that man would never win against him. However… the fact that Xavia herself didn’t intend on leaving…! In the end, Zivon simply clenched his fists before walking off… and shortly after, the entire house turned pin-drop silent… It took him a while, but Mark eventually tur
Before she could pull her wallet out, however, Ian stopped her and said, “Are you trying to say that I’m too poor to give you a free ride, Miss Lockhart?” “O-of course, not! It’s… just common courtesy to pay for a ride…” “Well, if you really want to repay the service, then come over to my home and help comfort my mother. Her health has been deteriorating, and she keeps dreaming about you and Jenna…” Feeling a chill run down her spine, Xavia replied, “That’s… scary.” Scratching the back of his head, the embarrassed Ian replied, “Yeah… We’ve called several famous doctors over, but they couldn’t seem to find out what was wrong. I didn’t want to bother you either since you were probably busy with your wedding preparations… Speaking of which, you seemed to be in a rather bad mood earlier… Is it because of Young Master Burton?” Xavia wasn’t about to share everything that had just happened to her. Nobody in the right mind would! Since she wasn’t replying, Ian added, “Well, whateve
“Mommy hasn’t returned since last night, and she has never done something like this before! What’s more, you’re drinking wine, so you two definitely quarreled!” added Maison. Holding Zivon’s hand, Yulia stared at Zivon with widened eyes as she said, “Please don’t be mad at Mommy! Mommy’s already been bullied enough while raising me, and you’re the only hope for me and Mommy to remain safe! Also, there’s a thunderstorm now, and Mommy’s terrified of those! Could you please bring her home…?” With how close she looked to crying, Zivon felt his heart soften as he picked her up. Before he was able to start coaxing her, however, a knock was heard from the door. Following that, the sound of the fingerprint scanner went off, and in stepped one of his personal bodyguards. After a curt bow, the guard said, “Miss Lockhart has been found passed out right outside the villa, Young Master Burton.” “…What?” replied Zivon with a heavy frown. “She’s been standing out there since ten in the morn
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