Rather than landing, the helicopter simply hovered a few inches above the ground… and shortly after, the door was slid open. “All five of our men have returned safely, and so have the two survivors, ma’am! The child is a boy around eight years old, and the woman seems to be around twenty-five. Their injuries are dire, so should we fly them to the hospital immediately?” Ignoring the man, Ian simply peered into the helicopter… and though both of the unconscious people were covered in blood, Ian could see that Jenna was one of the survivors…! Though this was a good thing, it didn’t help much with his guilt. After all, many others were still dead because of him… In the end, he simply ordered, “…Fly them both to the nearest hospital! Stat!” “Roger that!” With that, the hospital soon flew away… and after staring at Ian for a while, Zivon turned to look at the commander before saying, “List down the names of the deceased as well as their family histories. I’m expecting your report a
Who the hell was this woman?! Though shocked, the guard was quick to yell, “S-Sir! This isn’t Whitney! I repeat, Whitney isn’t in prison!” …Goddamn it…! “What are you guards even paid for…?! Start a search for her! Leave no stone unturned…!” roared Zivon. “Y-Yes, sir!” After hanging up, Zivon couldn’t help himself from giving Xavia’s phone a call. He knew that the guard had already said that he couldn’t contact her, but he simply couldn’t resist the urge to try for himself! As expected, the voice went straight to voicemail, and after cursing under his breath, he activated the tracking system tied to her phone… only to realize that the phone was still at the lab! Could she still be at the lab? Was she simply in an area in the lab that couldn’t receive phone signals? Unsure what to even think, he simply sped all the way back to the lab. After getting out of his car, he followed the red dot on his phone… and as it turned out, the phone had been turned off and tossed into the g
Alas, even though countless detectives and official search parties were involved in the week-long search, nobody was able to locate even a strand of Xavia’s hair! Though Ian was a courteous man, even he couldn’t stop himself from roaring, “Useless! All of you! Why the hell were you all hired if you can’t even find a single woman…?!” Naturally, nobody dared to say a word against him. After all, everyone in the room knew that they were the cream of the crop, so there was literally no reason for their incompetence! Since nobody was replying, Ian simply continued glaring daggers at them as he added, “I hope all of you are aware that not only is my sister’s life on the line, but also your honor and reputation! Can you imagine just how shameful it would be if those from the black market find her first?! What will they think of our country’s capabilities?! I’ll say it right now that if anything happens to her, I’m firing all of you…!” Following that, the icy man turned to leave, leavi
Patting the two, Zivon replied, “…Look, Mommy was abducted by bad people to gain something… and though we don’t know what it is yet, this also means that they’ll be taking good care of her since they still need her… Besides, your mother is a tough cookie, and I’m sure she’ll do her best to survive as we continue searching for you. You two believe in her, right?” Watching as the kids sniffled before nodding slowly, Zivon added, “Good. Now stop crying and focus on caring for your grandparents… Once Mommy returns, you two can proudly declare how independent you two have been during her absence…” Wiping the last of their tears away, they both replied, “…Okay, Daddy! We’re brave, and we’ll do our best to stay strong until Mommy comes home to us!” Nodding in response, Zivon then walked over to the elderly to comfort them a bit… and once he was done, he left the palace with Nathan. It didn’t take a genius to know that Zivon was in agony, and Nathan couldn’t help but sigh when he thoug
Stopping in his tracks, Zivon raised a brow as he replied, “…Come again?” Nodding slightly, Jenna replied, “…They say great minds think alike… and though I’m no longer the terrible woman I used to be, I may be able to anticipate how that vile woman thinks.” “…Fine.” Now that she had his approval, she was quick to say, “…Thank you. Anyway, since nothing had gone her way ever since your marriage, I’m assuming that she only had two options left in her mind. Firstly, she could choose a route where nobody would get a happy ending… and secondly, she could lay low for a while until she got another chance to get back in the spotlight.” “Sadly, I think she’s opted to go for the first option… After all, she hasn’t contacted you in a week, and she already knows how much you hate her… With that said, I can only assume that she’s hiding Xavia somewhere just to torture her over and over again for her own distorted satisfaction…” By this point, Zivon’s aura was icier than the coldest winter
‘He hit her too? What a disappointing man!’ ‘Right? Take everything from him! He doesn’t deserve the honor he once had!’ The negativity on the main post was overwhelming, and somehow, footage of Zivon slapping Whitney in her garden even made it online! Things got so bad that his friends, Nathan, and the Frankston brothers couldn’t help but go pale! “…Zivon, don’t you think you overdid it this time…? What will become of your reputation?” “Right? I’m sure there must be another way to fix this…!” “I agree! You shouldn’t have to risk your reputation just to drag that bitch out!” Following a sigh, the indifferent man simply replied, “As long as Xav can return safely, I don’t give a damn about my reputation.” Meanwhile, an old radio could be heard playing Zivon’s declaration in some backend village… and upon hearing that familiar voice, Xavia’s eyes widened. Shortly after waking up a week ago, she had found herself trapped in a room with a crazed-looking old man who seemed fu
Sneering in response, Whitney retorted, “You’re calling me maniacal when you’re the one in the dog cage? Ironic! I should get a mirror to let you have a good look at yourself, you mutt!” Despite Whitney’s taunts, Xavia’s determined glare continued burning through Whitney as she growled, “Drugs again, huh…?! Aren’t you afraid of retribution? And do you really think Von will ever fall for you this way?!” Chuckling in response, the sinister woman replied, “Please, we both know that he’ll never like me… He’s done everything that he could for you, and he’s even told the entire planet about our marriage! Do you two really think that I’m that stupid? Huh? That heartless man will definitely find a way to get back at me if I ever return, and knowing that, I can safely say that I don’t care about his love anymore! I just want everyone to suffer!” “This is the price to pay for humiliating me to no end…!” roared Whitney, much to Xavia’s dismay. After all, it was evident that this woman was l
Though that was one issue dealt with, her nausea remained. What’s more, the fact that she had vomited so much meant that she was now extremely weak again… Thankfully, the stench of her vomit was enough to prompt the man to yank her out of the cage before dragging her into the cowshed… Sure, the place still stank to high heaven thanks to all the dung, but this was honestly an upgrade compared to sleeping out in the cold, freezing rain! She needed the warmth not only because she wanted to stay healthy, but also because she had a feeling… that she was pregnant. After all, she had been pregnant before, and she had a feeling that she hadn’t just thrown up earlier due to that man’s stench. Gently patting her stomach, the weak woman muttered, “Please don’t let me have a baby now, God… I really can’t afford to take care of it now… Please, if you’re listening, please help me out of this place…” Xavia wasn’t quite sure when she had fallen asleep, but when she woke up again, she realized th
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