Before she could even reply, Ian had already slammed the door behind him, leaving her momentarily too speechless to say a word… She had just wanted to make things better… To think that it would make him so angry! That aside… Was he seriously making her choose between him and Von? When she had finally been able to feel the warmth of a loving family? Women who ran from their families always ended up suffering in TV dramas… And Xavia didn’t like the idea of potentially hurting her family either. As Xavia made up her mind to continue discussing things tomorrow, Ian himself was already in the study with Jovan. “Um… Sir Ian…? Don’t you think you’re being a bit too harsh with her…? It won’t do you any good if she comes to hate you, especially after you did so much just to reunite her with the family…” Naturally, Ian didn’t want to do any of this either, but… “…I can only hope she’s not stupid enough to get mad at me when I’m clearly doing all this for her own good! Almost everyone f
Xavia, for one, wasn’t about to change her mind after all that had happened! To her dismay, Ian replied, “Well, since you’re so confident, it wouldn’t hurt to meet up with them, right?” It took her a while, but she eventually replied, “…Fine. I’ll meet up with them. However, not only do you need to return my phone if I dislike any of them, but you’ll also have to give up on trying to arrange any other blind dates for me after that. Naturally, you’ll have to let me meet up with Zivon again too.” …What high stakes she had set… In the end, Ian muttered, “…You’re the most demanding person I’ve ever met… But sure. I guess it’s fine since you’re my sister…” With that said, Ian was quick to get Jovan to start arranging the blind dates for her. After all, he didn’t want her changing her mind at the last second! It was about half an hour later when Xavia was all dressed up and ready to head to the restaurant that Ian had picked. However, moments after she left, a Maybach stopped by Ian’
Ian was right about Xavia getting humiliated because of him, and Zivon had to admit that he hadn’t handled their relationship properly. With that, he took a deep breath before adding, “…Prepare a set of dry clothes for me, Nathan.” Before Nathan could even reply, Zivon had already leaped into the freezing water. Since he landed with a splash, a few drops ended up hitting the back of Nathan’s hand… and even that was enough to make him shiver in cold. Feeling increasingly anxious, Nathan called out, “Y-Young Master Burton…! Please think this through…!” To his dismay, Zivon calmly replied, “It’s fine. I can handle this much. Just leave me be.” …There really was no stopping this man when it came to his love for Xavia, huh…? Knowing that nothing he said would change Zivon’s mind, all the anxious Nathan could do was run off to prepare some warm clothes and heating pads for him… Ian himself simply went off to do his own things, leaving Zivon alone in the frosty lake. In this weather
Eyes widening in rage, Nathan walked up to the sadistic man before retorting, “Sir Ian…! Even if you’re Miss Lockhart’s brother, don’t you think you’re crossing the line here?! Just look at Young Master Burton’s face! If he stays in there for any longer, he’ll die!” “Pull him up, then,” replied Ian, instantly causing Nathan to go speechless. This man’s cruelty was on a whole other level…! Zivon himself hadn’t expected Ian to trample over him this much, and though his jaw was so frozen that he could barely speak, he eventually managed to growl, “…I’ll… tolerate you once more… For Xav’s sake…!” “Cool. See you in three hours.” Zivon had already been in bad shape, but now that he was expected to stay in here for another three hours, he could barely find the will to remain conscious! In fact, he found himself constantly gnashing his teeth and even biting his lower lip, just so that the pain would keep him awake! With all that in mind, the exhausted man finally collapsed in relief
Ten men could be seen sitting at a round table… and in the middle of them all, was Xavia! He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but from how much she was smiling, it was clear that she was having a good time…! After the temperature plummeted around Zivon, the irked man turned to leave without another word. Nathan himself could already feel shivers running down his spine. To think that Zivon would have to see all this after how much he had suffered through…! Moving back to Xavia, she wasn’t aware that Zivon had even come over, and the truth was, she was having a rather good time. After all, though all these men had promised Ian to go on blind dates with her, none of them had wanted to actually do it. They just found it hard to refuse, given Ian’s status. What’s more, it turned out that they were all big fans of her and Zivon! “Why don’t you tell us more about your relationship with Young Master Burton, Miss Lockhart? In fact, consider telling him to come along next time!”
“Here I was, trying my best to gain your brother’s approval, but what did you do…? You chose to have a blind date with those men! Makes me wonder if you met anyone you liked…! Cameron, was it? He’s a pretty boy, and he’s around your age too…! What do you think of him, hmm…?!” growled Zivon, instantly causing Xavia’s expression to stiffen. After a while, she hugged his arm while saying, “…Look, I really don’t like them… You’re the only one I-” “Don’t touch me,” interrupted the disgusted man as he inched away from her, leaving Xavia speechless. Though she was disappointed, she shook her head before hugging him tight as she replied, “…Please don’t be that mad… Also… Why’s your body colder than usual…?” Not wanting her to find out about what had happened, he pushed her aside while saying, “It only makes sense for that to happen when my heart goes all frosty.” As if things couldn’t get any more awkward, Xavia received a message from Cameron at that moment…! ‘You’re much cuter in
Naturally, he didn’t have to go so far, but at the same time, he was upset and feeling increasingly unwell. With that, he was prompted to say, “…True enough, I may have overstepped my boundaries, so I agree that I need some time to cool off. Please send Miss Lockhart back to the Palace, Nathan.” Before Xavia could even reply, he had already gotten out, hailed a cab, and left! Naturally, this greatly irked Xavia. She had expected him to coax her, but instead, he simply walked off? What’s more, he had sarcastically addressed her as ‘Miss Lockhart,’ and had even told Nathan to ‘return’ her to the Palace! Unwilling to be sassed like that, Xavia said, “…There’s no need for that, Mr. Miller…! Since I’m a princess as he says, then I don’t need a ride from him…!” Instantly going pale, Nathan pleaded, “Please don’t do that, Miss Lockhart…! He didn’t mean it…! What’s more, we told your initial driver to leave, so if I don’t send you home, Sir Ian may get the wrong idea…! Also, if something
She had been fiddling with her phone ever since she got up, staring vacantly at it the entire time. After all, Zivon had yet to send her a message ever since their argument… Was he really that mad…? However, it wasn’t like she could just apologize first. After all, she had done nothing wrong! Her train of thought was cut short when she heard the kids say, “Don’t you miss Daddy, Mommy…?” “Yeah! Please let Mommy see him, Uncle! She’ll surely cheer up after that!” They were pretty sure that she was only behaving this way because of Ian, and that their pleas could potentially help her meet up with Zivon. To the children’s shock, however, Xavia simply replied, “…It’s fine. I’m just feeling a little unwell. You two will get it once you’re older.” Though Ian couldn’t tell whether she was bluffing or not, he didn’t like how little she was eating. With that in mind, he was prompted to say, “…Well… Why don’t you go shopping with Miss Jarlett to relax a little, then?” The way he said it
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