It was about two hours later when the talk finally came to an end, and after handing out refreshments to both parents and the kids, the teacher in charge declared, “Alright, we'll end things half an hour earlier today, so you can all return home with your Mommies!” “Yay! Thank you, teacher!” exclaimed the happy kids as they began leaving with their mothers. Maison and Yulia themselves were quick to hug their mother’s arms while saying, “I’m so happy you came over today, Mommy! If only Daddy came over as well…” “Right? Look! Our other classmates are all getting picked up by their fathers!” Pursing her lips a little when she heard that, she had to admit that she and Zivon had been spending very little time with them recently… If only they knew that it was for their own sake… Shaking her head, Xavia replied, “…Hey, you two should know that he misses you two dearly as well… He’s just really busy right now… Don’t worry, he made sure to make some gifts for you two.” After saying
Despite how icy Ian’s voice was, Zivon really couldn’t be bothered by that right now. After hanging up, he immediately began making arrangements for a city-wide search. He wasn’t about to leave any stone unturned…! Ian himself had already mobilized a team of senior police officers and soldiers, and with how grand the scale of the search was, the people were quick to learn about what was happening. “Did she get kidnapped again? Is it her destiny to be this unlucky…?!” “Why is she being targeted so much…? Then again, they do say that the richer you are, the more enemies you’ll have!” “Hold on, I think the twins were kidnapped too… I have a feeling that the kidnapper isn’t just doing this for money…” “I had the same idea! I wonder if it’s Liam again… That bastard! I can only hope that Xavia and her children are safe…” After a few hours had passed, Zivon received a sudden call from Liam… “Come to the Burton Manor at eight tonight. There’s someone there who you may want to mee
Sneering in response, Liam then scoffed, “Please, after all the effort to kidnap her? I don’t think so, Brother! Honestly, you had this coming, and you know that! In case you weren’t aware, my mother has apparently entered a vegetative state…! And it’s all because of you! You bloody demon…!” “…What? What does her state have to do with me?” replied Zivon. “It’s a pity you’re not a God damned actor…! Just drop the pretense already! We both know that you did all this for revenge after what I did to your mother! Yeah, I admit it! I paid that maniac to stab her, and I even made sure to request that he made her suffer before letting her finally die!” “Of course, convincing a lunatic is easier said than done, so I made sure to spray her with a scent that the man particularly hated… and just like that, the deed was done!” concluded the sinister man. By this point, Zivon’s eyes had gone bloodshot… and before Liam could react, Zivon had already punched him square in the cheek! With ho
“The fetus is probably already a few months old, right…? I wonder if it has already taken shape… Well, one way to find out, right…?” “You’re about to commit a bloody murder, Liam…! Think about the consequences!” roared the helpless man as he continued glowering at the vile human before him. Laughing in response, Liam retorted, “Zivon, you should know that I never expected to make it out of this place alive! My sole purpose was to destroy everything that you love, and though I would’ve definitely preferred to do all this behind the scenes and gain all the Burton properties, you managed to completely ruin that plan! Hell, you even brought my mother into this! Since that’s the case, let’s just end things with a bang!” With that said, Liam turned to face Xavia… and with a swift slash, he cut a fine opening across Xavia’s womb! Naturally, the pain snapped Xavia awake, and following a smirk, the evil man asked, “Does it hurt…? Well you fucking deserve it! This is what happens when yo
“It’s up to you whether you believe it or not, but the fact remains that she’s Jenna. For context, she’s still alive since Ian discovered at the last moment that she was a Frankston. Unwilling to let a family member die, he ended up swapping her out with a death row prisoner before sending her to a temple to meditate and reflect on her ways. Eventually, she turned into a new leaf, and because of that, she volunteered to take Xavia’s place to counter your wicked plans!” Since Zivon didn’t seem like he was lying, Liam couldn’t help but start panicking a little. Noticing the change in Liam’s demeanor, Zivon added, “She basically began replacing Xav ever since I returned from the funeral… That article about her practicing dancing back then? Yeah, that was Jenna. The real Xav has been accompanying me for quite a while now at my villa, and she’s managed to keep hidden because of a realistic mask she requested. Also, if you’re wondering how I managed to swap the two at the last minute tod
Bolting toward Zivon, Liam then hugged him tightly while roaring, “Go on! Tell them to shoot! I’ve already planted several mines in the area, and if they come any closer, then I’ll blow all of us up!” Due to Liam’s concoction of drugs, Zivon found himself unable to think straight… and in the end, all Zivon could do was gesture for Ian to stand down for now. After all, he couldn’t risk the kids getting hurt! Naturally, Ian’s men obeyed. After all, even a stray spark could potentially blow all of them up! Gritting his teeth, Ian was just about to consider his options when all of a sudden, a piercing howl was heard! Turning to face Liam, Ian realized that Jenna had somehow wriggled free and was currently viciously biting his arm! Since Liam had been caught off guard, he ended up releasing Zivon, and Jenna took this chance to pin the madman to the ground while yelling, “Take the kids, Zivon! I’ll keep him busy!” Nodding in response, Zivon quickly rushed toward the kids… Watchin
Moving back to Zivon, countless people began running toward him the second they saw the hulking man bolting out of the estate with the kids in his arms. To their shock, however, after he handed the kids to them, he immediately rushed back in! Even more surprising was the fact that Ian was way ahead of him! Now frowning, Zivon rushed to Ian’s side before ordering, “Head back to safety, Ian!” “I refuse! I was the one who made her pretend to be Xavia, so if anything befalls her, my heart will never be at ease!” “You don’t know the layout of this place! Also, we could step on a mine at any moment! Just leave this to me!” Before Ian could retort, Zivon had already shoved Ian back… but before he could even get close to the manor’s ruins, a massive explosion was heard…! Feeling the ground rumble a little, Zivon and Ian couldn’t help but exchange glances… Were… they too late? Their trains of thought were cut short when more explosions were heard… and to their shock, the landmines wer
Little did she know that the feeling was caused by her twin bonds with Jenna… Either way, Nathan soon returned with the two unconscious kids in his arms. After passing them to Xavia, he was prompted to say, “Don’t worry, they aren’t in any danger… Young Master Burton simply fed them sleeping drugs so that they would be able to sleep soundly. They should wake up in about eight to ten hours…” Nodding in response, Xavia replied, “Got it… Just leave them to me.” After watching Nathan nod and leave, Xavia sighed before carrying the kids to her room and laying them next to her. As before, however, she simply couldn’t calm her heart down… In the end, she couldn’t help but grab her phone to follow up on the news… To her surprise, however, there weren’t that many relevant updates. Because of that, she ended up getting even more worried, and she was only able to drift to sleep at around six in the morning… Several hours later, a familiar figure stepped into the room, looking as icy as
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