Surprised to hear that, Xavia replied, “…Huh? What happened?” Watching as everyone turned to look at him as well, Ian sighed before saying, “Well… as you all already know, there’s a very slim chance that his legs will heal… Sure, there’s still a tiny possibility that he’ll make a successful recovery if things go well in the initial stages, but more likely than not, he’ll end up with a prosthesis…” Xavia had seen all sorts of prosthesis in blockbuster movies, and she was well aware of how advanced they now were. With that in mind, she was just about to celebrate when Ian suddenly added, “Now, I know you all think that that’s a good thing, but… We all know how prideful and stubborn that man can be. I’m not saying he won’t take the prosthesis, but… he’ll probably need some time to accept that potential fate.” “Just to be clear, I want to believe that he’ll successfully recover as much as all of you do, but… Optimism and reality are different things, and I just want all of you to rem
Fast forward to that night, the full story of Liam’s bombing attempt was finally released to the public under the hashtag of, ‘#Liam Burton, an explosive event!’ According to the article, Liam had abducted Xavia and her children to lure Zivon to the Burton Manor and kill all of them. It was also revealed that Liam had been the mastermind behind Wendy’s murder, and thankfully, the woman he had kidnapped wasn’t actually Xavia, but her maid, Jennie, in disguise. Though Liam attempted to turn the tide around by setting off all the mines at the last minute, James and Jacob had learned about his plans much earlier and replaced the explosives with duds. As for why the authorities had reported that Liam had died, it had only been done to smoke out the rest of Liam’s accomplices. Regardless, Liam was currently in prison, and also seriously injured because he tried very hard to resist arrest. As for Fred, he was currently comatose since he suffered a heavy blow to the head during his attem
“A truly pleasant surprise, wouldn’t you say, Young Master Burton?” said Nathan with a smile. He, for one, knew how guilty Zivon felt about Jenna’s ‘death’ so now that things had come to this… After clearing his throat, Nathan was prompted to add, “…You know, if Jenna could survive this ordeal, then a miracle with your legs shouldn’t be too hard to attain, right…?” Following a short pause, Zivon switched the tablet off before turning to look at Nathan as he said, “If one doesn’t have hope in the first place, then there will be zero room for disappointment.” “…Though that’s technically true, you should remember what you once told me… That one shouldn’t decide that something is set in stone until it is truly over… I’ve seen how strong you are throughout the years, Yong Master Burton, and I truly believe that you’ll succeed in healing this time too…” “…Unfortunately, things are different this time, and the odds are clearly stacked against me. That aside, you’ve been working for me
Gently touching the screen, Zivon couldn’t help but smile for a while… but eventually, all he could do was close his eyes as he silently apologized to her. If only things didn’t have to end this way… Shaking his head, he attempted to reply… but every time he typed a few words, he simply ended up trying to rephrase it. In the end, it took him so long that Xavia sent him another message, stating, ‘Hey, how long are you going to take to send that one message? Sure, I agreed to give you some time, but that doesn’t mean you have to act so awkwardly around me… Unless. Don’t tell me you’re trying to ask for a divorce again!’ Squinting slightly, Zivon replied, ‘I was simply thinking of a way to compliment how fine you looked…’ ‘…Fine. I believe you this time. That aside, please get well soon, alright? I’ll be waiting for you to accompany me during my pregnancy check-ups… Anyway, it’s getting kind of late, so good night! Rest well!’ Following that reply, all Zivon could do was stare hel
After a long pause, Jenna eventually sighed before muttering, “…Though it’s true that many of you have forgiven me, I haven’t quite forgiven myself, and as I said before, me turning a new leaf doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been an evil woman before this… I… I’ve failed Keith time and again, and I truly don’t deserve to be with him… If I return to his side, then the guilt will only crush me day in and day out…” “With all that said… Please let me do this, Xavia… He deserves a much better woman than me…” concluded Jenna, leaving Xavia feeling helpless. After all, as much as she wanted to deny Jenna’s words, she simply couldn’t. It was all true… It took her a while, but she eventually asked, “…If you don’t mind, could you tell me why you kept playing around with all those men back then, Jenna…?” Pursing her lips, Jenna sighed before replying, “…Back then, I was extremely envious of your good fortune… Like… Why were all the men falling for you instead of me…? Was I not feminine en
“For one, you give off a pure and calming aura, whereas she gives off a prideful and more mature one… Sure, that may not sound like much, but I’ve been dwelling on our past interactions recently, and I’ve thought about it so much that I can now distinguish you two rather easily…” The fact that he had said all that so casually showed just how much thought he had given into the whole situation, and after a long pause, Xavia eventually replied, “…It seems that you’ve finally come to terms with your feelings…” Since Keith looked too surprised to reply, Xavia added, “Basically, I used to think that you truly loved me, and I’ve always felt sad and guilty about it… However, after thinking about our interactions back when I still had amnesia, I now realize that you’ve mistaken your feelings for me… After all, which person would still be able to treat the person they loved so kindly when she was already bearing another man’s child?” “At the end of the day, you just appreciate me as a frie
After Xavia’s voice trailed off for a while, Keith eventually replied, “…But she told you to meet me on her behalf, right? Because she wants me to stop trying to win her back…? Look, please tell her this… If a man can be forgiven for cheating, then so can a woman! Also… please tell her that I’ll be leaving for H City on a business trip tomorrow, and that if she still cares for me, then she’ll meet me at the airport between ten to eleven in the morning…” “For context, that’s where the reef is, and I know that that’s her favorite place to be… I truly hope that she comes, but… if she’s only ever loved Uncle Zivon, then I understand. Until then,” concluded Keith before turning to leave… Though Keith could’ve easily said much more, he knew that Jenna wouldn’t ever budge unless she wanted to. All he could do was hope for the best right now… Xavia herself simply sighed before heading back upstairs… However, just as she was about to make the first bend, she found Jenna hiding there… “…
As it turned out, the only damages that she wanted to salvage were those involving Xavia and Zivon… He was completely out of the equation. Meanwhile, Zivon’s phone suddenly began ringing… and shortly after, Nathan bolted over to mute it. He had fallen asleep first last night, but when he stirred in the dead of night, he quickly realized that Zivon had been reading up on his leg injury. From how to increase the odds of recovery, to self-rehabilitation exercises, it was evident that Zivon had actively been fighting his own battles without anyone knowing… Regardless, since he had spent all night reading, Nathan didn’t want the phone to wake him up. That man deserved more rest… Shaking his head, he then put the phone aside before heading off to look for Zivon’s doctor… From what the doctor had previously said, the initial treatment required at least three entire months at the hospital, and the last thing Nathan wanted was to have Zivon wait that long and still end up getting wheelcha
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