The wedding was just around the corner, and if he didn’t resume research soon, then he wouldn’t be able to put things into motion in time! Looking around, he couldn’t help but rub his aching forehead. All around them were dense forests that were covered with snow. To make matters worse, they didn’t even have extra food or clothes, and he was pretty sure that there were going to be wolves nearby. If they didn’t act quickly, then death would surely come for them! Stella herself was currently brimming with remorse. After all, she knew better than anyone just how dangerous this forest was. The area was extremely secluded too, and from what she remembered, patrol teams would only scour the location once per week. Though she had chosen this place so that she could be alone with him, she found it rather ironic that she now wanted to be nowhere near him! Feeling extremely bitter, Stella growled, “…Stop looking around, it won’t help. The only path back to civilization requires a three-d
Feeling that they may have gotten into an accident, Xavia quickly got Ian to send her over to their grandparents’ house… Upon arriving, she was quick to say, “Grandpa? Stella took Von off somewhere, and I haven’t been able to contact either of them. Could you please try to call them?” When he heard that, Julian simply replied, “Ah, don’t worry about that. This is all part of her plan.” “…Come again?” “Basically, since she only has a few days left before the challenge ends, she bought a helicopter and brought him to the place where they first met. She intends to stay there with him for a few days before allowing him to return.” …Wasn’t… This technically a kidnapping? Feeling more flabbergasted than anything, Xavia muttered, “…Isn’t this a bit too much?” Sensing the dissatisfaction in her tone, Julian replied, “It’s only fair for her to do this much. Remember, you were the ones who gave her this chance. Don’t worry, she knows when to give up, and if he remains unmoved by the
What’s more, there was always a chance of an accident occurring… Upon hearing that, Dolly couldn’t help but sigh. So this was what true love looked like… This was nothing like her relationship with Kevin. By this point, she didn’t even care if he touched her after sleeping with other women outside, just as long as he took a shower first upon returning… Shaking her head, Dolly then said, “…Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be fine… In fact, why not take the chance to make a bet out of this? If he makes it out fine, then I win. That means that you’ll have to properly read that book I gave you before and use the skills you’ve learned on your wedding night! If you win, however, then you’re free to punish me however you like.” …That book… Was seriously graphic and professional! Blushing just from the thought of possessing that book, Xavia couldn’t help but grumble, “…That’s a bit too much, don’t you think…?” “Hey, it’s a small sacrifice compared to everything that that excellent man has d
“Correction. I’m now Xavia Frankston, and it’d do you good to remember that,” scoffed Xavia before turning to leave. By this point, Dolly was all giddy as she exclaimed, “That was stupendous, Xavia! Finally, a change for the better!” Sighing in response, Xavia then replied, “…You should know that that was just an act to get her to treat you better…” “…For real? Well, your acting skills have improved, that’s for sure…” muttered the slightly disappointed Dolly. Smiling subtly, Xavia said, “Thanks… That aside, be sure not to call me a Lockhart from now on. I really want to move on from them…” “You got it, Miss Frankston!” Watching as the duo walked off, Mrs. Lockhart couldn’t help but clench her fists. Under normal circumstances, she would’ve never allowed someone to humiliate her like this… But Xavia was no longer someone she could afford to offend! With nowhere else to relieve her anger, she gave Kevin a call… and the second he picked up, she immediately growled, “Control
The truth was, they had been researching career opportunities on their computer earlier, and they had decided that instead of doing business, they could be architects instead. After all, they were no strangers to designing building blueprints, and they were sure that they would be able to create extraordinary buildings. Regardless, though they had initially planned to share all this with the two, they ended up hearing all the Lockhart misdeeds instead…! After exchanging glances, all the brothers could do was return to their room… “…To think that they manipulated us from the moment we were born… Is this a bit too inhumane…?!” “Agreed. They clearly only see us as tools, and I’m finally starting to realize why Xavia hates them so much. What should we even do at this point…?” Jacob had always been the one to make the final say, so after a while, he was prompted to reply, “…We tell them that we’ve heard everything. Before we leave, we should make sure to properly cut ties with those
“…Why should we listen? Didn’t you cut ties with us-” “We didn’t. We were simply acting according to Xavia’s plan. Basically, she knew that the Lockharts only wanted to make use of your power, so after some discussion, we decided to make the Lockharts realize that you two were ‘useless’ so that they would eventually slip up and let you two learn the truth about the situation. It was a harsh method, but only by doing so would you two learn that the Lockharts would never truly care for you,” interrupted Ian. …That… had all been just an act…? And they had been sad for nothing…? “…How did you even know that we were planning to leave?” “Xavia told Dolly to keep an eye on you two, so yeah,” replied Ian. Upon hearing that, Xavia took the chance to say, “So… Ian told me how he wanted you two to return in time for my wedding yesterday, so I made sure to piss Mrs. Lockhart off when I bumped into her at the mall today. I honestly thought that it would take a few days for her to slip up,
Her voice sounded extremely concerned, and after smiling in response, Zivon replied, “Sounds like someone missed me a lot…” The second she heard his voice, all her worries drained away. Thank God her man was safe… Too relieved to even care about the fact that her family members were still around, Xavia eventually said, “…I did. Are you coming home soon…?” Choosing not to mention the hellish few days he had just survived through, Zivon shook his head as he replied, “The helicopter needs to be overhauled tonight, but if everything goes well, then I’ll be back at Darlsbury at around five tomorrow morning.” “I’ll come pick you up then!” “Negative. That’s way too early for you to be up. Besides, I’ll immediately resume my experiments once I return, though I’ll make sure to meet up with you later on. Speaking of which, my battery is almost dead, so I’ll have to end the call now. Talk to you later.” “Got it. See you soon!” replied Xavia as she hung up. “Is he coming back safely?”
Though she was embraced by her mother, Xavia had assumed that she still wouldn’t be able to get any sleep… But to her surprise, she slept like a log within minutes. In fact, she slept so well that she was the last to wake up! “Xavia…? Come on, the helicopter will be landing soon…” “We should just let her continue sleeping…” Stirring from the noise, she was quick to widen her eyes when she saw that the rest of her family were already prepared to leave! Instantly sitting up, she then exclaimed, “I-is it time already? G-G-give me a moment!” Naturally, her sudden awakening startled her family, but they simply nodded… and within five minutes, she was ready to leave with them. Before they even walked past the front door, however, Ian made sure to hand Xavia a coat, whereas the twins helped her put on a scarf and her shoes. Despite how aloof the trio looked on the outside, it was clear that they were extremely caring when it came to their sister. It made James and Jacob recall how t
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