Though he knew that he wouldn’t be able to change Zivon’s mind, he wasn’t about to allow the divorce to happen! With that in mind, the prince eventually replied, “…I refuse to help you! And you know what? I’ll even prohibit the City Hall from accepting your case! Good luck trying to get divorced!” Following that, he immediately called the ones running the city hall… and once everything was settled, he ended the call, gave Zivon one final cold glare, and finally left the ward… On his way to the elevator, he bumped into Xavia… and when she saw how furious Ian looked, she couldn’t help but ask, “…Is something wrong, Brother…?” Clenching his fists, the irked man replied, “…Go talk to your man…! He wants to file for a divorce!” Naturally, Ian’s words shocked her! What the hell? After Ian had left, she took a deep breath before rushing toward Zivon’s ward… and upon entering, she was quick to ask, “…Is it true? Did you truly ask for a divorce?” Upon hearing that, Zivon felt incred
Following that, she tossed a pillow at his face before bursting into tears! By this point, people were starting to peer into the ward, and after frowning a little, Zivon replied, “…Hey, they’re going to start thinking that I bullied you if you keep acting this way.” “Isn’t that the case?! You’re asking for a divorce after I’ve recovered my memories! Does that not paint you as a jerk?! I’m truly cursed to have fallen for such an irresponsible man!” grumbled Xavia in between sobs. Before Xavia could continue, Zivon squinted at Nathan… and thankfully, he got the massage and quickly closed the ward’s door behind him. With only two of them left inside, Zivon sighed before saying, “Look, I know I’m asking for a lot, but what else can I do? I can barely take care of myself now. How am I expected to be a proper father and husband? The last thing I want is to be seen as useless by you and the kids! To put things into context, if you choose to stay by my side, then you’ll need to start h
After saying that, she turned to leave… To Xavia, this wasn’t a divorce… This was simply a chance for him to heal again. Regardless, when Dolly paid Xavia a visit and she learned of Xavia’s deal with Zivon, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “…You… What?! Xavia, have you lost it?! In all honesty, he needs you more than you need him right now, and if you just agree to his decision, then he’ll surely feel abandoned!” Shaking her head, Xavia replied, “No, it’s… different this time. Though it was true that he needed my presence for comfort back when he lost his mother, this time, he feels pathetic and really hates the idea of me seeing him like that… Remember, he’s a prideful man, and I know how much he hates being seen as pathetic, especially by his beloved woman… If I can make him suffer less by being away, then I may as well give him some space for a while…” “He’s a strong man, and I believe that once he’s had enough time, he’ll eventually be able to face me and the kids again…” concl
“Don’t worry, we aren’t getting a divorce,” replied Xavia in a confident tone. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ian was just about to praise her when she suddenly added, “Instead, I’ve agreed to give him some space to recover. If everything goes well, then I believe that he’ll be back by my side before I give birth to the new twins.” …The hell? Rubbing his temple, the irked Ian replied, “…Isn’t this essentially just another way of describing a divorce…?!” Chuckling in response, Xavia then said, “Hey, I promise that it isn’t. He just needs some time to cope, and if things go wrong, then I have my ways of getting him to come back to my side. Don’t worry about it too much.” This left Ian speechless. Both husband and wife were equally as stubborn! Knowing that nothing he said could change her mind, all he could do was nod with a sigh. Pleased to see that, Xavia then took a deep breath before adding, “Putting that aside… Could you please take me to Jennie’s grave, Ian…?” Frowning sli
It took her a while, but she eventually chuckled and replied, “…Hey, she’s dead, remember…? Have you been so busy that you forgot-” “Xavia… Look, I didn’t have the heart to have her killed once I learned that she was my sister. After all, had we been a bit more attentive, then maybe the Lockharts wouldn’t have corrupted her so badly… Regardless, I replaced her with a prisoner who was already on death row, and following that, I sent her to a temple to let her reflect on her ways. Eventually, I had to bring her back since Xavia was suffering without Whitney’s antidote.” “Naturally, I made sure to give her the identity of ‘Jennie,’ and you never really recognized her since I eventually gave her a silicone mask so that she wouldn’t have to always rely on makeup. Anyway, I know this is shocking to hear, but… throughout this period, she truly turned a new leaf. You see, not only did she donate her blood and kidney to Xavia, but she even did her best to fight Whitney.” “Hell, back when
Taking it from his hand, Xavia then took a deep breath before starting to read… ‘Hey Xavia, it’s Jenna… I’ll probably be long dead by the time you read this, but… I don’t know. I’m not particularly afraid of dying for this cause, but I think you deserve to know the full story all the same… Let’s start from the very beginning.’ ‘At the start, I was overjoyed when I learned that Lady Burton wanted to arrange a marriage between me and Zivon, but… on the very next day, I learned that the actual woman that she meant was you. That was the first time I learned about your existence, and I was left somewhat surprised and happy. After all, I had no friends at the time in Darlsbury. Regardless, I immediately met up with ‘mother’ to ask about you.’ ‘Naturally, she wasn’t about to tell me the truth, and she simply said that you were born at an inauspicious time, which made her think that she had the right to leave you at that foster home. What’s more, she even said that you’d steal half of my
‘I had honestly hoped that all the harm and abuse would make you leave, but… you simply refused to do so. It got to the point where I became so mad that I wanted to personally kill you, and… Thankfully, I failed in the end.’ ‘Fast forward to when I was about to be executed, Ian learned that we were both Frankstons, which was why he eventually saved me and sent me off to a temple to repent… Naturally, I was unwilling to face such a fate at the time. After all, I was still obsessed with revenge. Eventually, however, I began calming down little by little…’ ‘It was also then that I learned that after my ‘death’, nobody ever came to visit my grave… Well, nobody but you. The entire world viewed me as trash, yet… the fact that you still wanted to visit me after all the evil I had committed… It just changed something in me. Thankfully, I was quickly given a chance to start trying to make things right again when the poison that I previously fed you started acting up again…’ ‘My blood and
‘I know, expecting to be forgiven is something that will probably never happen, but… Hey… If I somehow manage to escape death, could you please accept me as your sister once more…? I know, that’s a tall order given everything that I’ve done, but… Just give me a chance. I promise that as long as I live, I’ll try to make it up to you…’ ‘That’s extremely optimistic, of course, since I’m pretty sure that I’ll die this time… For good. I just hope that you won’t ever be upset about my passing… You should also know that I’m doing this voluntarily, and that I’ll be leaving this world with a smile… Be sure to live happily with Zivon, alright…? He genuinely loves you…’ ‘Love, Jenna.’ By the end of the letter, tears were already streaming down Xavia’s cheeks. To think that Jenna had learned about her existence so early on… That aside, to think that she would actually turn a new leaf…! Hell, she even sacrificed herself for her sake…! She… She was just trying to make it up to her… To finally
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