Glaring at the tombstone, Mrs. Burton growled, “Ever since you were a child, we gave you everything that we could…! All you needed to do was marry Young Master Burton and our family would have prospered…! But you just had to cause us so much damned trouble…! You’re no child of ours! You’re a curse! Had I known that you’d end up like this, I would’ve surely brought Xavia back instead…! Maybe that would’ve changed our fates!” “Regardless, what’s done is done, and even though you’re now dead, I refuse to let your corpse rest peacefully…! I’ll dissolve your bones! All of them!” concluded the insane woman as she began shoveling the dirt atop Jenna’s grave! It was clear that she was planning to pour the acid over Jenna’s remains once the coffin was unearthed! Naturally, Jenna couldn’t help but clench her fists when she saw all this. So… this was the mother who always claimed to love her in the past, huh…?! As it turned out, she had only ever been viewed as a tool, and it was such a pity
Xavia had honestly been too shocked to even respond until she heard Jenna call out to her. To think that Mrs. Lockhart would be that unhinged! Shaking her head, she quickly turned to look at Keith as she replied, “I-I’m fine, but Keith is injured! We need to get him to the hospital!” Nodding in response, Jenna then brought the two to the nearest hospital… and upon arriving, Xavia made sure to stick close to Keith’s side the entire time his wound was being tended to. Jenna herself continued pacing outside the room, looking like she had just experienced a terrible nightmare… Truth be told, Mrs. Lockhart’s words were pretty valid. Despite being given so much throughout her life, she had still chosen to go down the worst possible path… Yet despite doing all those horrible things to Xavia back then, it was that same sister who defended her grave! She truly didn’t deserve her kindness…! That aside, despite hurting Keith so much in the past, he technically still ended up getting hurt be
Nearly fainting from shock, she quickly shook her head before rushing toward the control room. She needed all the assistance she could get to locate her…! Meanwhile, Xavia could be seen seated before a man in the hospital’s cafeteria… It was Liam! Basically, he had secretly installed an eavesdropping tool in Zivon’s phone that allowed his own phone to get notified whenever Zivon received a call or text. This would allow him to learn whether he had truly given up on Xavia. So far, that seemed to be the case, though Liam couldn’t help but feel doubtful. After all, weren’t these two supposed to be the couple of the century? Were they seriously breaking up over this minor inconvenience? Shaking his head, he was prompted to ask, “…A pleasure to finally meet you, Sister-in-law. I just wanted to confirm whether you’re still fighting with my brother… Honestly, it’s pretty normal for a successful man like him to have affairs, so why don’t you just make up with him?” “…You called me over
...She even had a questionnaire prepared?! It seemed like she was serious about changing husbands! Smirking a little at the thought of that, he eventually replied, “…Very well! Be sure to send the questions to me, and I’ll surely look for you once I have ninety-nine of them correct!” “Best of luck. You’ll need it,” replied Xavia as she haughtily walked off… Once she was out of sight, Liam let out a long sigh. Honestly, had Xavia shown the slightest interest in Zivon earlier, he would’ve already killed her by now! After all, he hadn’t returned to gain fame or fortune, oh no. He had returned specifically to make Zivon’s life a living hell…! Alas, this woman was of no value, and since that was the case, he wasn’t about to offend the royal family for the fun of it! Squinting slightly, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Just who do you care about most, Little brother…? I’ll be sure to destroy them to bits…!” Upon hearing that, Liam’s assistant cleared his throat before saying, “…Why not
Zivon had come over because he had been worried that her encounter with Liam would scare her too much… To think that she would be worried about him instead of herself… Holding her close, he then patted her head while saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine… After all, I have a duty to protect you and the kids, remember…?” Looking into his eyes, Xavia muttered, “…Promise…?” Her voice was filled with worry, and Zivon couldn’t help but smile as he replied, “Promise…” Finally able to calm down a little, Xavia took a deep breath before kissing him on the cheek before saying, “…A little encouragement from me…” “…That’s it?” replied Zivon with a slightly raised brow. “…What else do you want…?” “I was expecting something a little more… passionate…” Blushing slightly, she simply slid under the sheets again without another word! With her back now facing him, Zivon couldn’t help but feel slightly speechless. Still, he knew better than to force her too much, so he eventually hugged he
He still remembered how he had continuously pursued Xavia back then even though everyone was against the idea… Now that things had gotten to this dangerous point, however, he wondered whether it would’ve been better to just have given her and Stefan his blessings… Fast forward to two days later, Zivon was still secretly arranging for Xavia and the kids to be protected. Sure, he trusted Ian, but he was leaving zero room for error. Alas, with his mind preoccupied with Xavia, he could’ve never anticipated Liam’s next action…! It was toward the end of the second day when a heavy-hearted Nathan said, “…Young Master Burton, your mother, she… Was stabbed to death by a madman…” …What? The news was so shocking that it took Zivon a few seconds just to register Nathan’s words… But once it finally hit, he went pale and instantly bolted toward the crime scene! Upon arriving, he was greeted by the sight of a white corpse covering what was clearly his mother… yet right beside it, was a massiv
Hugging her tightly, Jenna replied, “…It’s fine. Everything will be fine… I’m sure he knows that you really care for him, so he’ll definitely pull through in the end…” She knew that, of course. That this was probably the best course of action, but… That didn’t change the fact that losing his mother was going to be extremely painful, especially when he was able to witness his mother’s bloodied fresh corpse… …No. There was still something she could do! Running over to Ian’s side, Xavia declared, “Please investigate the case, Brother!” At the time, Ian had been dealing with a few files in his study, the footage from the crime scene playing on loop on his computer. When he heard what Xavia said, he quickly closed the video tab before getting to his feet and saying, “I will, though you needn’t be involved in this gory case. Just focus on caring for the children-” “I don’t care! Look, he’s been super nice to me this entire time, and if I don’t do anything to help, I’ll be guilt-ridde
...Sure enough, it took one to know one! He hadn’t considered such an elaborate plan at all! Regardless, after a brief pause, Ian replied, “…I think I have an idea now.” “…Go on…” muttered the two curious women. “Just as you said, Liam would surely try his best to pin the blame on someone else… Because of that, I think the person in charge of all this will now technically be Liam’s assistant! With that said, if we manage to make him tell the truth, then we should finally be able to apprehend Liam!” Eyes widening in delight, Xavia replied, “…That’s right! Though… How do we even bring his assistant over…?” “Indeed… After all, Liam will undoubtedly keep his assistant close since he’s the one link that could completely ruin him, just like-” …Alma… That woman had been extremely loyal to her, yet… The things she made her poor assistant do…! As Jenna tried her best not to tear up, Ian called Jovan in and ordered, “Make a detailed investigation on Liam’s assistant. Stat!” After
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