Moving back to Xavia, she could be heard saying, “Cade, let Young Master Burton help you reunite with your family. I’m sure he’ll succeed, and if you ever run into any problems in the future, feel free to look for my help.” Shaking his head, Cade held Xavia’s hands before saying, “Xavia, please don’t tell me you’re leaving after we’ve been together for so long…! I can no longer imagine a future without you…!” Rather than pushing him away, she calmly replied, “Though I’m grateful for everything that you’ve done for me, at the end of the day, I’m already married, Cade… I have a loving family, friends, and children to return to, and I don’t think that it’s right for me to just leave them all behind…” “But what about us…?! Do you truly not love me anymore…?!” His statement left her rather speechless. After all, she thought it was pretty clear that she had zero feelings for him… Alas, before she could even reply, she felt a shiver run down her spine as an icy aura appeared behind he
With that in mind, she ignored the immense iciness on Zivon’s expression as she explained, “I’m not one to hurt my own flesh and blood, but I also agree with what Young Master Burton said regarding only making a proper decision once my memory has returned. So… Until then, farewell, and take care, Cade.” Following that, the woman steeled her heart before pulling Zivon away from the room. Though it hurt her to say such cruel words, it was something that needed to be done. Alas, though she was sure she did the right thing, she couldn’t help but feel bitter about the fact that she had to hurt both men in the process… Regardless, after getting into Zivon’s car, she quickly realized that being in a small space like this with him only made the oppressive feeling worse! Was he that upset about the fact that she wanted to keep the child…? Then again, it was understandable since she was now bearing the child of another man… In the end, she meekly muttered, “…Though I know that I don’t have
The front of the palace was heavily decorated with all sorts of flowers and red balloons… and right atop the grand doors, was a massive banner that had the words, ‘Welcome home, Xavia!’ printed on them! What’s more, a series of firecrackers exploded shortly after, and Xavia couldn’t help but feel her jaw drop. Wasn’t this a bit too grand for a return party…?! Before she could even find her voice again, Yasmin came up to her in tears as she exclaimed, “We’re sorry for making you go through such hardships again, Xavia…! You must have suffered terribly throughout the kidnapping…! Don’t worry, you’re home now, and we’ll be sure to never let you experience such a thing again…!” Even the kids came running up to her while yelling, “Mommy…! You’re finally home…! We missed you so much…!” Watching as the twins hugged both her legs, Xavia couldn’t help but look around her… and though the others present weren’t saying anything, their reddened eyes made it clear just how happy they were to ha
...He had a point. Family needed to stick closer than ever whenever tragedy struck, and as he had said, putting on a show would only make things harder for herself… In the end, she simply nodded before saying, “…Got it. Well, I’ll be taking my shower now…” Upon hearing that, Zivon led her to the walk-in wardrobe before telling her to choose something that she liked… And once that was done, he led her to the bathroom and began filling the bathtub for her… Compared to how he presented himself, he actually seemed extremely caring now that she thought about it… Shaking her head, she pursed her lips before saying, “…Um… I may have amnesia, but I still remember how to do all this, you know…?” Raising a slight brow, he turned to look at Xavia before replying, “Sorry, but I did this all the time for you in the past. I’m not doing anything particularly special.” “…You’re bluffing, right?” said Xavia, who didn’t believe that this man would actually do this for every shower she had. “Th
Truth be told, Xavia hadn’t been paying much attention to what clothes she had grabbed earlier since she didn’t remember owning any of them… and now that she realized what she was wearing, she couldn’t help but regret that decision! After all, the dress she had chosen was quite tight-fitting, and adding that to the fact that it had a V-neckline, it almost felt like she was trying to be seductive on purpose! It took him a while, but Zivon eventually smirked as he replied, “What? Already that eager to gain my affection again…?” Clenching her fists, she awkwardly replied, “I-I just didn’t get a proper look at the dress earlier since I had too much on my mind! A-anyway, I’ll go change into something else now-” “No, it looks good on you. Now let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for you to start lunch,” interrupted Zivon, instantly prompting Xavia to feel guilty. They had been waiting for her to start eating…? Had she known, she wouldn’t have taken such a long bath! Not wanting them to wait
It took her a while, but Xavia eventually noticed the shift in mood. Realizing that everyone was feeling guilty for her sake, she was quick to say, “…U-um… Well, the vegetables weren’t all that bad… At the very least, they were extremely healthy! In fact, I think Young Master Burton’s doctor mentioned something about my health being better than ever during the check-up. I have zero doubt that it’s because of those veggies! With my body so healthy now, I’m sure my new child will turn out extra adorable!” …Wait. What? A child?! “…Y-you’re pregnant, Xavia?” asked the wide-eyed Homer. Patting her belly, Xavia replied, “I am! The baby is almost three months old now, and as I said before, it’s apparently in healthy condition!” “…But… you’ve been missing for that long… Is… Zivon not…?” asked Yasmin, instantly causing the atmosphere to turn deadly awkward again… After all, if the child wasn’t Zivon’s, then she must have been raped! Not only did they feel terrible about that, but th
Sensing Xavia’s shock, Yasmin was quick to hold her daughter’s hands as she explained, “Look, it’s just… Zivon has made far too many sacrifices for you to deserve this… You may think that he only lowered himself to wed you, but you have to understand that we’ve made him prove his love by giving him all sorts of challenges before we allowed him to even marry you… For one, we made him go to a very cold place just to mine diamonds for you…” “He almost died back then, yet he still continued tackling test after test… To our surprise, he had even been planning your wedding throughout that period. Moving on to after your wedding, he soon learned that you had been poisoned, and he spent days on end just trying to find a cure for you… Even when he finally got you the antidote, however, disaster continued to strike in the form of your kidnapping.” “Throughout your four-month disappearance, he kept thinking of potential ways to look for you… From hosting population consensuses, to developing
Fast forward to that night, the twins ran up to Xavia while exclaiming, “Mommy, Mommy! Now that you’re back, please tell us a story!” Looking at the two adorable children, Xavia was just about to agree when Zivon suddenly walked over and said, “She just returned to us, so give her at least two days to rest first, alright…? I’ll accompany you two instead for now.” Though she was sure that the kids would throw a tantrum because of that, she was surprised to see them roll their eyes before replying, “Fine… We can go to bed ourselves. You can accompany Mommy instead, Daddy! Good night!” Watching as that waved before running off, Xavia couldn’t help but mutter, “…Are they always this sensible…?” Raising a slight brow, Zivon replied, “Naturally. Did you assume that they were spoiled brats?” Though Xavia had forgotten, it was honestly her efforts that had made the two children so sensible at their age. Sure, she hadn’t been with Maison for the first three years of his life, but afte
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