Upon arriving, they were greeted by the sight of layers of dust and cobwebs. In fact, the roof had a few leaks as well! Knowing that Zivon was a clean freak, she was quick to say, “…Um… D-don’t worry, I’ll clean this up immediately!” Just as she was about to pull her sleeves up, however, Zivon stopped her as he replied, “Just stay outside and leave the cleaning to me. Yulia? Keep your mother company. Maison, follow me.” Nodding in response, Maison then stood beside Zivon before declaring, “Don’t worry, Mommy! Just leave the heavy lifting to us!” Chuckling in response, Xavia then gently pinched the boy’s cheek before saying, “Hey, you’re still young, you know…?” “So what? I’m as strong as Daddy is, and I can even cook! Not many adult men can make their own meals, you know? Daddy used to be the same, but he eventually learned how to cook as well!” Pausing for a moment, Xavia replied, “…You already learned how to cook at three…? You’re amazing!” “Heh! It’s nothing… Don’t wor
The car rumbled a little before coming to a stop. It was clearly a flat tire, and after looking around, Zivon had no choice but to stop the car halfway up the hill that they had been ascending. Alas, before he could even step out, he noticed a group of big brawny men approaching the car… and leading them was none other than Fred! “…W-what is he doing here…?” muttered the anxious Xavia. “Don’t worry, I’m here. We’ll be fine,” replied Zivon. Just as he was about to open the car door, however, Fred kicked the door shut! It was clear that he didn’t want Zivon getting out of the vehicle… and within seconds, Zivon understood why. After all, one of Fred’s men had just opened the car’s bonnet! To make matters worse, there was a lit lighter in his hand! Fred was trying to burn them alive! Rolling down the car’s window, Zivon growled, “…Liam is dead, so doing this will only bring you unnecessary trouble. Leave now so that you can get off scot-free!” Sneering in response, Fred retorte
After saying that, Fred jammed the car’s handle with a wrench before starting to move away from the vehicle with his men… and to make matters worse, Fred dropped the lit lighter from before onto the ground! Since there was a trail of gasoline leading up to the vehicle, the entire car was in flames in no time! Now trembling in fear, Yulia wailed, “F-fire…! Mommy, I’m scared…!” Hugging her tightly, Xavia replied, “Don’t worry! Daddy and Mommy are here!” Following that, she grabbed her phone out before giving Ian a call… and the second the prince picked up, Xavia yelled, “The car is on fire, Brother! Also, Fred and his men are watching us from a distance! They only plan to leave once we’ve been burnt to a crisp!” “Don’t worry, help is on the way! A helicopter should arrive in ten minutes, so until then, tell Zivon to take good care of you!” After saying that she would, Xavia hung up before relaying Ian’s words to her husband. Nodding in response, he then took a deep breath befor
Naturally, Xavia was against the idea of leaving Zivon behind. However, she also knew that staying would only drag him down… With that in mind, she forced herself to nod before carrying Yulia in her arms and saying, “Maison? Be sure to run as fast as you can, alright?” “I will, Mommy!” Squinting when he saw the escaping trio, Fred roared, “Get the woman and children! They all need to die!” Nodding in response, half of the men then began chasing after Xavia! Naturally, Zivon’s eyes widened when he heard that order. He couldn’t let Xavia fall into any more danger… Yet at the same time, his hands were full with the hooligans before him! In the end, he gritted his teeth before aiming his gun at his car’s engine… and with a single shot, he turned his burning car into a fireball! With flames spewing everywhere, Zivon successfully created a fiery wall that prevented the men from continuing to chase after Xavia… But at the same time, it also cut off any chances of him escaping! With
She knew how foolish her decision was… however, she really didn’t want to live with the immense guilt of cowardly running away while her husband died for her sake! What’s more, by doing this, she could at least assure the kids that they had extremely loving parents, regardless of whether she ended up dying or not! But now wasn’t the time to think about this! Shaking her head, she then hastened her pace… and soon enough, she was before the wall of fire again. Looking around, she realized that there was a slope that was slightly higher than the flames… and after climbing up, she was left shocked. After all, there was nobody around! Actually, hold on! There were several people running off into the nearby forest! Were they escaping? Or… were they simply leaving after successfully dealing with Zivon? Not even wanting to imagine the second outcome, the anxious woman made it past the flames before starting to yell, “Zivon…?! Zivon…! Can you hear me?! Zivon…!” Alas, no matter how much
Several of Fred’s men could be seen lying on the ground. Some were burned, others shot, and some so badly injured that they had been knocked unconscious… And among those men, was Fred! Honestly, his situation was far worse compared to the others, with his cheeks bruised and his body drenched in blood… What kind of vicious fight had even taken place here…?! Whatever the case was, Xavia soon shook her head as she turned to look at the man whom she had been seeking… and though he looked like a wreck, he was nowhere near as beaten up as Fred was! Hell, he didn’t look like he had just faced several men in battle at all! What inhuman strength…! Though she was filled with admiration for him, that feeling was quickly swapped with another… That being relief. Only God knew all the terrible things she had imagined on her way here, and she was glad that none of them had come true! With tears in her eyes, she weakly stumbled toward him before kneeling by his side, all the while muttering, “Th
“D-Daddy…! Mommy…! What happened to you two…?” “Are they going to be alright, Uncle?!” Hugging them tightly, Ian replied, “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine…! They’ll definitely be fine…!” That was honestly the only thing that he could tell the kids and himself… Moving back to the unconscious Xavia, she began having the strangest dream… One that involved her meeting Zivon in S City… Taking care of Maison in his house… Sleeping with him… Getting mistaken as Jenna and ending up becoming his bride… Getting told that he’d love her for life… Watching the hurtful persecutions of Jenna and Sophia… Becoming the princess and watching him endure several trials just to get her family’s approval… Experiencing the most romantic wedding in history… Falling ill and watching him sacrifice a lot because of Whitney’s misdoings… Getting kidnapped… Losing her memories… Hating him… Nearly aborting her child… Getting taken care of by him… Nearly getting stabbed by Maria… Falling for him again… Meeti
With how hesitant Ian was being, Xavia couldn’t help but gulp as she said, “…Go on. Please…! Just… tell me everything…!” Though Ian was worried that she wouldn’t take the news too well, he ultimately decided to just share the information. After all, knowing his sister, she would surely get too anxious if he kept the news from her, and that would probably do more harm in the long run… With that in mind, he took a deep breath before saying, “…I can tell you his situation, though… you have to promise that you won’t freak out, alright…? As I said, you almost had a miscarriage, and the last thing I want is to put the babies at risk again… Do I have a deal?” Ian’s voice was extremely serious, and that caused Xavia to immediately begin imagining the worst outcomes. Was Zivon comatose? Was he dead…?! Unsure what to think anymore, she weakly nodded before muttering, “…Deal…” Looking straight into her eyes, Ian then sighed before leading her to a bench… and once she was seated, he was pr
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