Now as vexed as the other two, Chace gulped down a glass of wine… But that wasn’t enough to cool him down. With that, he opened yet another bottle of wine, leading to all three of them getting extremely drunk… Back at her apartment, Bianca was feeling equally as troubled. She, for one, knew that Chace had been making a lot of effort to make up with her… Alas, she truly feared the thought of accidentally falling for him again. It was the reason why she had sent such mean words to him. Even so, maybe this was for the best. After all, if he finally let go of her, she’d be free of any potential heartaches. Shaking her head, she then sent a message to the group chat, stating, ‘Young Master Burton and Young Master Xenos are apparently drinking right now… Chace says that it’s because of you two.’ ‘You sure about that?’ asked Dolly. ‘No idea, that’s all he told me…’ ‘He probably misunderstood the situation… After all, Young Master Xenos doesn’t like me at all. That aside, what’s up w
“Xavia? May we enter?” asked Ian and her parents’ in rather gentle tones. Quickly rubbing her tears away, she forced a smile as she replied, “…You may…” Once they were inside, Yasmin couldn’t help but sigh when she saw her daughter who was still lying in bed. Walking up to her, she then asked, “Are you truly alright, Xavia…?” “Indeed… We can tell you haven’t slept at all, and there’s really no point in acting strong in front of us…” added Homer, prompting Xavia’s heart to skip a beat. Though she was still sad, she couldn’t help but feel touched by their attentiveness. At the same time, their kindness also made her even sadder than ever. “I… I hurt him… What should I do…? He’s right… I never asked how much he was suffering, and I’m even the cause of his serious injuries… With how inattentive I am, it makes me wonder if I’m even deserving of his love… I… I’ve truly let him down this time, and I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me… In fact, I’m too ashamed to ask for his forgiveness
Fast forward to the next day, Xavia remained absent-minded even as her designer was helping her put on an absolutely stunning dress. As usual, her otherworldly beauty caught the attention of everyone present, and they instantly began saying things like, “God, I’d kill to have your skin, Miss!” “I know, right? Just a bit of makeup and she looks as pretty as a fairy!” “Are you satisfied, Miss? Is there anything you’d like to change?” Despite the onslaught of comments and questions, the anxious woman remained completely silent. Was Zivon going to come? And was he going to accept her apology if he did? Did she even have a right to demand an apology from him… Again, he was right. She hadn’t been by his side while he was making those sacrifices for her… The same couldn’t be said about Fiona, and she had even saved him back then… What if he now felt that Fiona loved him more than her…? Her train of thought was finally cut short when she felt her arm getting nudged, followed by a voi
...And after taking a deep breath, she sent Zivon a text that wrote, ‘Rest well. You don’t need to come over if you don’t want to.’ Unbeknownst to Xavia, Zivon had been present the entire time. He had been keeping a relatively low profile in a corner of the room, and adding that to the fact that his aura was extremely icy, nobody dared to pay him any attention. Either way, it was shortly after when someone yelled, “They’re here!” Looking in the direction the person was pointing, everyone was soon greeted by the sight of the royal family descending the stairs… As usual, the righteous Homer and Ian were wearing formal suits. Yasmin herself had a long purple gown on, and she almost looked like she was glowing with how elegant she was. As for Xavia, her dress was a pastel pink, and with crystalline decorations all over it, she looked as dainty as a nymph. “My word! What a truly stunning family! That’s the royal family for you!” “I know, right? It’s almost as though I’m watching
After clearing his throat, the man holding the laptop declared, “A pleasure to be here, everyone! We’re in charge of household registration, and we’re happy to declare that Miss Xavia Lockhart will be known as Xavia Frankston from today onward!” Though this was only logical since Xavia had finally reunited with her true family, the fact that they had chosen to do this on Yasmin’s birthday and in front of so many people showed just how important Xavia was to the Frankstons. Feeling extremely honored, the startled Xavia was quick to say, “M-Mom! Couldn’t we have done this on any other day…?” “No, Xavia… You should know that I’m only celebrating so grandly today because of you… After all, you’re the best birthday present I can ask for… With that said, let us begin!” Upon hearing that, the two men nodded and placed their laptop on a nearby table. Shortly after, the housekeeper handed them the household registers of both parties… and by the time he was done, Xavia was no longer a Lo
Though she was quick to look in the direction of the aura, she couldn’t spot him at all. Just as she was about to look around, however, Ian held her wrist while saying, “Don’t go running off, Xavia. You still need to greet our grandparents, relatives, and friends.” Upon hearing that, Xavia found herself in a dilemma. After all, there was no mistaking that icy aura! However, she couldn’t just run after him now that she knew that others were waiting for her… She had to maintain her family’s reputation, after all. With that, she helplessly bade farewell to the others and said that they’d meet up again later before following Ian to a private room… Well, one of the private rooms. To her surprise, the Frankstons had more relatives than she had initially anticipated… All in all, there were about twenty private rooms! Then again, it only made sense for them to come over since people typically wanted to be associated with the rich. Regardless, because there were so many people, she ended up
Feeling rather displeased, Xavia replied, “…Bring his gift over…” “Very well,” replied the housekeeper before hurrying off to get it. He had made sure to properly store it since it was a gift from the great Zivon Burton, and barely a minute later, he returned and said, “Here it is.” Upon opening the gift, Xavia found herself momentarily too stunned to even say a word. After all, within the box was what appeared to be a beautifully made herbal cake. Aside from its tantalizing colors, its rich aroma made it clear that it was made with only the finest of herbs. What’s more, there was even a card in the box that wrote, ‘I baked this, and I had a doctor appraise its healthiness. May you live a good long life, Madam.’ In all honesty, the gift wasn’t as expensive as most of the things Yasmin had received. Even so, it was by far the most valuable thing she had gotten from this birthday party! After all, the great Zivon Burton had specifically taken the time to learn how to bake just to m
Even so, Xavia wasn’t deterred. Following him into the house, she then sat by his side and said, “My mom really loves your gift, you know…? Thank you for being so thoughtful toward my family members…” Though he could tell that she was sincere, he didn’t even bother to look at her. Since he wasn’t replying, she eventually added, “…You know, I thought you didn’t go to the party… Why didn’t you meet up with me? That aside, you should really have a sip of the milk tea while it’s warm-” Before she could even finish her sentence, Zivon slammed his pen against the table while growling, “It’s too late to be concerned about me now you hypocrite…!” “…Come again? What do you mean by that? I genuinely care for you…” replied Xavia. Glancing at the pink dress that made her all the more beautiful, Zivon smirked before saying, “You only care for me when you feel like it. If you’re going to neglect me whenever you want, then don’t you think your ‘care’ is rather cheap? Go home. This isn’t a sui
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