“So… Fiona’s injuries are a bit more serious than I had thought. In fact, she’s still applying medicine right now. With that said, I may have to pick you up a little later…” Naturally, Xavia wasn’t against that idea. After all, she was still being treated as well. Shaking her head, she then replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, and so are the kids. Just focus on healing her up since she did save your life. In fact, feel free to wait till she falls asleep before you come over…” With how calm her voice was, Zivon had a feeling that she wasn’t just being sarcastic. Then again, she was the kindest person he knew, so it kind of made sense. With that, he simply told her that he would, and that she should contact him if anything came up before ultimately hanging up… However, even when night began to fall, he didn’t receive a single message or call from her… In a way, her immense tolerance made him feel a little empty inside… Either way, just as he was about to consider leaving, Chac
It took him a while, but Zivon eventually said, “…I think it’s Whitney. After all, she’s still out and about, and with all that cash, she could’ve easily done all that out of revenge.” Puffing on his cigarette, Chace replied, “…Maybe, though… I was actually thinking about Fiona.” “…What? But she saved me. Why would she-” Halfway through his sentence, Zivon paused as his mind connected the dots. It took him a while, but he eventually added, “…You’re suggesting that she planned all this to kill Xav? But since it happened while I was underneath it, she ended up having to save me instead? And now she’s trying to act like a hero to get away scot-free?” Nodding in response, Chace replied, “Bingo. Even after you brought Whitney up, I still think that Fiona’s more suspicious. After all, she’s failed to pursue you time and again, so now that you’re married to Xavia… It only makes sense for her to want revenge. Regardless, whoever the true culprit is, be sure to be extra careful from now
At about eleven that night, a familiar Maybach came to a halt in front of the palace… and after taking a deep breath, Nathan said, “Don’t worry, I’ll look into this throughout the night, Young Master Burton. I’ll report anything I find the second I can.” “There’s a high chance that you’ll find some clues, so I’ll be awaiting your report,” replied Zivon as he reached for the door handle. However, just as he was about to leave, he heard Nathan add, “…Before you leave… You see, I’ve been secretly following Sir Ian around in the past few days, and though I’ve yet to uncover anything specific… I have noticed a distinct pattern. Basically, he’s been stalling his current job just to be in the palace’s reference room with Lana… Mrs. Burton has gone in there as well, so… I believe that we’ll find something in there.” “Sadly, I have yet to successfully enter, and I haven’t been able to get any footage or pictures of the place either… While it would definitely be easier for you to enter, I
This room had been prepared specifically for both of them, and if one looked around, it was almost an exact replica of the bedroom back at their home. That was what the freshly showered man had assumed anyway before he laid down on the bed. After all, he quickly realized that the bed was wider than the one at home… He, for one, preferred it narrower since she would have more chances to lean against his chest that way… Regardless, after gently caressing her cheek, he couldn’t help but mutter, “…Hey… act a bit more like a wife, won’t you…? And when will I be getting my answers…?” As expected, there was no response… Fast forward to the next morning, Xavia was surprised to see Zivon, who was already awake, lying next to her. “When did you come over, Hubby…?” Looking back at her, Zivon replied, “…What? Should I have stayed out instead…? That aside, the way you say it makes it seem like you didn’t miss me at all…” “…What? Hubby, I’ve been sleeping alone for ages, so what makes yo
Instantly sensing that something was off, Zivon replied, “…What do you need?” “I… I need some sanitary pads before the bed gets dirty…! Please buy me some…!” Nodding helplessly, he then quickly changed his clothes before walking out… However, the second he closed the door behind him, his gaze instantly fell. After all, he had seen several pads in the washroom while he was taking his shower yesterday, so she definitely already had one on right now… Why had she lied to him? Whatever her reasoning was, it hurt! In the end, he clenched his fists before starting to walk down the small passageway that led to the garden… That path led to the reference room, which was a building located within a circle of trees… He had to find out what was going on today…! Naturally, Xavia had no idea that Zivon was heading there, and she gritted her teeth as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Lana had said time and again that she could die at any moment… So she couldn’t pass out now…! She had to e
For a moment, Xavia found herself too shocked to even reply. Hadn’t he said that he was at the store? That aside, he now knew the truth…! How was she going to explain herself without giving him the actual details…?! The longer Xavia remained silent, the more anxious and worried Zivon became. He had been assuming time and again that she had been having an affair with Mark, yet… she had been getting some sort of treatment instead? And with how complex the machinery looked, it was clear that whatever disease she had was extremely serious…! Was it something chronic?! Now more anxious than ever, he glared at Lana before roaring, “You! Tell me what’s wrong with her! If you lie, then I won’t go easy on you, even if you’re under Ian…!” Feeling like she had just been struck by lightning, the trembling woman replied, “A-about that…! We really didn’t want to hide this from you, but the situation is rather complicated, so… Please stop pursuing the matter…! For Miss Xavia’s sake…!” Alas, th
Now trembling as she looked at the three men, Xavia gulped before muttering, “…I… I’m sorry… I just didn’t want you guys to worry-” “It’s not her fault. I was the one who forbade her from talking about my condition!” interrupted Ian. …Wait, what? What did he mean, ‘his condition’…? Not giving Xavia a chance to ask, Ian added, “Even I was shocked when I first learned about it, but Xavia was already getting married soon, and given our parents’ ages, I didn’t want them to get worried about me! What’s more, if people learned about my illness, then it would surely cause more issues for our family! It’s the reason why I did all this in secret!” “As for why Xavia is here… She knew her blood had unique healing properties, so upon finding out about my illness, she kept insisting on donating her blood to me… In the end, I agreed though in return, she needed to stay back for a few hours every time she donated blood. That way, she could heal from her momentary blood loss… As you can imagin
“…Is that all you have to say? Have you not seen how much he loves and cares for you…?! He has the right to know!” replied the anxious Ian. Shaking her head, Xavia replied, “…He was already extremely anxious earlier when he first saw me… If he knew that I would potentially die soon, then… I just… I can’t bear to see him so devastated-” “But you can’t lie for the rest of your life…!” She knew… Of course, she knew… After all, her body was getting weaker by the day, and once she died, he’d surely find out… Clenching her fists, Xavia replied, “…I… I have a way to make him hurt less… I intend to make him fall for another woman.” …What the hell? Looking at their looks of disbelief, Xavia added, “…Only by loving someone else will he be able to move on-” “Cease this nonsense…! Remember, Black Tan agreed to do his best to come up with an antidote, so nothing will happen to you…! Stop overthinking things! Stay here as I urge him to work faster…!” Watching as Ian bolted off, Xavia c
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