“I don’t think anyone could make him feel better right now… After all, nobody would feel fine for a long while after the death of a close family member… However, even though I believe that we can’t help at all, I know that time will eventually mend his broken heart…” Alas, though Ian really felt sorry for that usually all-powerful man, he knew that Jovan was right. With that, he shook his head before saying, “…Alright, you can leave for now.” “Very well, Sir Ian. Please be sure to get sufficient rest,” replied Jovan before turning to leave. Once the door had closed behind Jovan, Ian couldn’t help but stare at the image of Zivon kneeling by his mother’s corpse… Despite being the same prestigious man whom everyone knew and loved, he simultaneously looked like he had the burden of several planets on his back… Was there even a way for him to help such a defeated man…? Either way, it started raining from dawn, and even though it continued pouring past noon, it didn’t seem like it wa
Breaking free from Hershel’s grip, Liam returned to Ian’s side before replying, “…Correct me if I’m wrong, but was my brother and Miss Frankston not in the process of filing a divorce?” It was clear that Liam was suspicious about their visit, but Ian maintained his icy glare as he replied, “So what if that’s the case? The Frankstons are disciplined, and unlike most people, we put aside our grudges when facing greater issues. Call it an act of courtesy, if you will. Putting us aside, aren’t you worried that you’ll get plagued by nightmares for daring to cause a fuss after such a horrible incident?” “…I simply asked because I was concerned about my younger brother. Regardless, since it’s evident that he needs some alone time, we’ll be taking our leave first,” replied Liam who didn’t want to offend Ian… and shortly after, the air fell silent once more. It was then when Xavia was finally able to get a good look at the kneeling man. He still had yesterday’s suit on, and due to how col
Little did they know that that was the last time they would meet Zivon throughout the mourning period… After bringing Wendy back to the village, he remained there for an entire week… and since he wasn’t showing any signs of returning yet, Xavia couldn’t help but feel increasingly worried. She really wanted to be by his side to comfort him, but at the end of the day, she knew that she could do little to help with the situation. Ian himself had been busy doing everything that he could to learn about Liam’s assistance. As it turned out, that man’s name was Fred, and similar to Alma, he was loyal to a fault to Liam. Though it was usually difficult to deal with such people, Ian found out a crucial fact about that man that could potentially get him to spill the beans! Basically, Fred was a sucker for women! Understanding that, Ian was prompted to say, “Alright, so… if we can get him a woman who’s capable of gaining his trust, we just might succeed in this operation!” Nodding in respo
Either way, it was shortly after entering Xavia’s room when Jenna saw her sister staring out of the window, seemingly in a daze. Honestly, this had been the norm ever since Zivon left town, and Jenna couldn’t help but sigh a little as she walked up to her… “…Look, I know you’re worried about him, but you really need to change that soon… Your morning sickness has become worse in the past few days, and you’ve barely eaten since he left too… Your body and the babies won’t be able to take much longer of this, you know…? Imagine how Young Master Burton would feel if he learned that you’re the way you currently are because of him…?” “…Has my brother received any news about him…? I can’t help but wonder if Zivon’s eating well with how cold he looked that day… Hey, is there really no way for me to pay him a visit…? Damn it, if I wasn’t pregnant, I could be facing Liam together with him right now…! I feel so damn useless just sitting around here all day… Thinking back, he would’ve probably
Sure, it was pretty dark, but Zivon could easily recognize his wife. Xavia herself was quick to recognize her tall, brooding man as well. She had anxiously been waiting for his return all afternoon, and just when she thought that he wouldn’t return for the night, she heard footsteps approaching the room. Because of that, she had been worried that it was an outsider, but… As it turned out, it really was him! Getting to her feet, she was quick to hug him tightly as she said, “…I’m so glad you’re finally back… I’ve missed you dearly…” Trembling slightly when he heard that, Zivon was just about to reply when he heard her add, “I was so worried that you weren’t eating or sleeping well that I ended up barely sleeping or having meals as well, you know…? I just… I wanted to be by your side… To console you, even though you keep denying that you need any love or care… Alas, no matter how much I yearned to help you, I was ultimately useless, and I…” “…I just didn’t want to burden you with
It took her a while, but she eventually managed to say, “…You… blame her death on me, don’t you…?” Watching as he stopped in his tracks, Xavia added, “After all, I was the reason you didn’t have the time to focus on her… It makes sense for you to believe that, so please tell me if you truly feel that way…?” Instead of giving an answer, Zivon simply remained silent… and after staring at his back for the longest time, Xavia could no longer hold back her tears. Smiling bitterly, the quivering woman then said, “…I guess that answers it… Don’t worry, I understand where you’re coming from… Don’t worry, I won’t continue disturbing you until you’ve healed a bit more from this incident… Don’t worry about the kids too, I’ll be taking good care of them… I’m… Sorry…” Following that, she picked her clothes up before turning to leave… But unbeknownst to her, Zivon had been clenching his fists so tightly that veins were already protruding from them. Oh, how agonizing this moment was for him…
Either way, after staring at the fiery woman before her, Xavia couldn’t help but chuckle a little as she replied, “…You’re always so strong, you know that…? I’m glad to have such a positive friend! That aside, I’ll support any decisions that you make, and as you said, Kevin shouldn’t have ignored you after doing all those bad things… It’s high time you moved forward!” Smiling in response, Dolly then said, “Right? I’ve already done my best, and I truly believe that I was the only one keeping that relationship together! But let’s stop talking about that! I wish to toast to my divorce with that bastard! But… Hold on, you’re pregnant, so we can’t drink… Hmm… Wait. Why are your eyes so red? Were you crying earlier? Xavia, what’s wrong?” Though Dolly was a little late to notice, Xavia still felt rather touched by how worried she sounded… Knowing that it would be better if she let it all out, she hugged Dolly tightly before telling her everything… Once Dolly was all caught up, Xavia was
“…Come again? You’re really letting Miss stay there, Sir Ian? That aside, Jenna is already on her mission now, so the sooner she gets close to Fred-” “Look, Zivon doesn’t need much help with dealing with that murderer. He does, however, require help with moving on properly… And Xavia is the only person who can help him with that,” interrupted Ian, leaving Jovan slightly speechless. …Ian’s kindness toward Zivon knew no bounds, huh? Shaking his head, Jovan eventually replied, “…Understood. I’ll call Jenna back immediately.” Speaking of Jenna, she was currently lying in wait right outside the Burton manor. Though she had made it seem like she was trying to learn more about Fred and Liam, that wasn’t her plan at all. Instead, she wanted to blow the two up together with her! Playing fair was almost never going to work against villains, so she may as well fight fire with fire! Her train of thought was cut short when she heard an approaching car… It was Liam! Clenching her fists, sh
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