“How absolutely ballsy of you to be ordering me around, Young Master Burton…!” Barely even flinching, Zivon proudly replied, “Well, how else would I have gotten my beloved twin children?” Clenching her fists, Stella could hardly believe that there was someone even more merciless than she was…! Sadly for her, she was absolutely bonkers for men who treated her this way! She wanted to be the one to see that other side of him…! With that, she glared at Zivon before heading into the kitchen. If it was heavy-duty work that he wanted, then she was going to give it to him…! Watching as Stella strode off, Xavia couldn’t help but admire Zivon’s dedication to rejecting her. At the same time, she also felt slightly sorry for Stella. With that, she couldn’t help but mutter, “…Von, aren’t you pushing it by getting someone so capable to fix your household things…?” “Please, she asked for it. That aside… You two really didn’t do anything before arriving?” asked Zivon as he turned to look at Ma
As Mark turned to leave, Xavia remained momentarily too petrified to even react. While it was true that she already knew that there wasn’t going to be a chance for them to be together, the fact that he was giving up so abruptly caught her off guard. It made her feel she had wronged him… Not liking this feeling, she turned to look at Zivon before weakly asking, “…Could I see him off…?” Naturally, Zivon didn’t want to allow it! After all, if Mark had truly wanted to admit defeat, then he should’ve just walked away quietly! Now that he had said all this, there was no way he could decline Xavia’s wishes! That would just make him look like a jerk! With that in mind, he begrudgingly replied, “…Sure.” Nodding in response, Xavia then bolted after Mark, leaving Zivon glaring icily at her… Stella herself, who had overheard everything, couldn’t help but smirk. That man was too righteous for his own good… Moving back to Xavia, she quickly caught up to Mark again, and after yelling his na
Unbeknownst to Mark, she was currently reminiscing all the times he had sent her off and home… and after a while, she was prompted to say, “…Let me see you off, Mark… I’ll head back in after you’ve driven off…” Upon hearing that, Mark instantly felt touched. He was reminded of all the times he had watched her skip into class and into her house… and he also recalled how he used to think that scenes like those would be perpetual to him. Sadly, he now knew that that wasn’t going to be the case anymore. Knowing better than to be indecisive at this point in time, Mark replied, “…You’re all grown up, huh…? Very well, then… Send me off one final time…” With that, he got into his car, waved goodbye, and finally drove off… Though Xavia’s heart was heavy when the car was finally out of sight, she simultaneously felt… happy. It was a farewell to her childhood love… Farewell, to Brother Mark. As the snow began falling, she could only pray that his future would be much better from now on… H
It was Jacob! Though she was slightly surprised, she was quick to reply, “…Yeah, it’s me… Um… Mom, Dad, and Ian are out… You can contact them through their phones if it’s an emergency…” It took him a while, but Jacob eventually replied, “…It’s nothing major. I just wanted the housekeeper to help prepare the documents for the account transfer, though… Come to think of it, you should be glad to do the honors, Sister.” …Oh. Right… He still had no idea that that was all just a lie to prevent the Lockharts from getting what they wanted… Unsure what to even say, Xavia replied, “…Mom and Dad are really busy at the moment, so even if I tell them, I’m sure you’ll have to wait till at least next year… Um… Speaking of which, how are things there…?” …Was she mocking him…?! Squinting in response, Jacob then said, “…Everything is peachy, thanks to you.” Before Xavia could even reply, he had already hung up… As long as the Lockharts didn’t reveal their true natures, the twins would continue v
‘You’ll see when the time comes. Anyway, I’m busy now, so see you tonight.’ After telling him that she would, Xavia then placed her phone down before walking off to find her parents. Since the new year was coming soon, her parents had been leaving for meetings practically every day. If it wasn’t for her wedding, they would probably have been off doing things like site visits from the get-go. Understanding that, Xavia cleared her throat before asking, “Um… Von said that he had a surprise for us tonight… Do you have the time for that-” “Of course! I need to be there for my daughter, don’t I?” interrupted Homer despite how busy he clearly was. Even Yasmin replied, “He’s right, Xavia… Just give us a moment. We’ll head off with you the second we get properly dressed.” With how loving and attentive her parents were, Xavia couldn’t help but feel her heart melt. Smiling in response, she then nodded as she said, “…Thanks, Mom and Dad… I’ll um… Go clean the kids up first…” “Hold on,
It was about half an hour later when their car finally arrived at the villa. Zivon had already been waiting in the garden with Wendy, and from the looks of it, he had a high-collar beige sweater, and some casual pants on. A set of clothing that he would never wear on regular days… Regardless, his choice of clothing made him look extra approachable, and just as Xavia was about to get out to greet him, the kids bolted out of the car while yelling, “Daddy! We miss you so much!” “Yeah! But not as much as Mommy does! You know, she spent two whole hours dressing up for you! We’re sure you’ll love how she looks!” …It wasn’t like she had dressed up like this specifically for him! That aside, was she expected to show her face after the kids had said that?! What if her outfit didn’t reach his expectations? These kids were going to be the death of her…! Her train of thought was cut short when she heard Nathan say, “Good evening, all. Do be mindful of your steps.” Knowing that there was
Finally realizing that they were the only ones left outside, Xavia frowned a little as she asked, “…Yes…?” “…Just wanted to remind you how gorgeous you look right now…” Compared to his first compliment, this one felt much more intimate, and Xavia found herself momentarily too stunned to reply. Watching as the blushing woman froze in place, Zivon took the chance to kiss her lips before saying, “Now let’s head inside…” It took her a while, but she eventually nodded before following him in… The dining hall was brightly lit, and an array of gourmet food could be seen spread across the dinner table. From stir-fried dishes, steamed ones, and even soups, literally anything one could ask for could be seen on the table… “…You know, there aren’t that many of us, so don’t you think this is all a bit too wasteful…?” asked Homer. Yasmin agreed, and she soon replied, “That’s right… We can just have home-cooked meals in the future. No need to go through all this trouble…” To their sur
With how loving they were, Homer and his wife couldn’t help but feel happy for their child. With such an outstanding man by her side, they were sure that Xavia would never have to suffer again… Ian himself was left pleasantly surprised. Though he had previously been forced to end the tests for Xavia’s sake, he now realized that he never had to test him in the first place! His train of thought was cut short when he heard Zivon say, “Speaking of which, you should know that the tutor I hired was paid using the money that I earned from selling blueprints. None of the cash I spent was from what I already had, and I did this so that you and Xavia understand that regardless of my financial status, I’ll always do my best to make her happy.” “If I do go bankrupt in the future, I’ll at least be able to still do housework so that I can ease Xavia’s burdens. Don’t worry, since there are three tests, this is only the first surprise I have for her. Though I haven’t started on the other two, I
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