Instantly running up to the closest doctor, Xavia was quick to ask, “H-how is he looking? Why the blood…?!” Removing his mask, the doctor sighed before saying, “Don’t worry, he’s fine, Mrs. Burton. Basically, he coughed out blood after feeling relief after a long time. He had apparently been under immense stress, and it didn’t help that he hadn’t rested properly for a long while… With that said, though his life isn’t in danger right now, please try to get him to sleep more… Otherwise, he may truly be at risk of dying…” …What? He hadn’t slept for a long time? But hadn’t he been sleeping by her side these few nights- Wait. She faintly remembered him moving a bit more than usual every night… Had he actually been awake this entire time?! Now feeling immensely guilty for not noticing all this, her train of thought was eventually cut short when she heard Nathan sigh. By this point, the doctor had already walked off, and following a short pause, Nathan was prompted to say, “I really h
Gently pinching his cheek, she then sighed before muttering, “Silly man… There’s no way I would ever fall for another…” To her surprise, Zivon suddenly opened his eyes and replied, “Calling me silly when you know that I’m sick, hmm…?” Quickly averting her gaze, Xavia muttered, “C-can you even blame me…? The fact that you got this stressed because of that misunderstanding makes me wonder how you even view me… It doesn’t help that you’ve been indirectly taking out all your frustration on me in the past few days!” Looking down, Zivon eventually replied, “…Well, you seem like you know why I’m like this now, so… Was it really all just a misunderstanding…?” “Of course! Look, Mark just came over the other day to talk about something, but since Frank and Fabiola kept crying, he ended up helping me calm them down for a bit. What’s more, Dr. Rudner was there too. He was the one who inferred that the babies were crying because they wanted my breast milk instead of powdered one.” “Either
Before she could say anything, he tightened his grip on her hands before adding, “…I’ll be honest, I’m terrified of the thought of you falling for another man… It just kills me inside to know that there’s a chance of you being disloyal while still being lovey-dovey with me in the open… So promise me something. If you ever intend to leave, just tell me straight to my face so that we can part on good terms… alright…?” This left Xavia speechless. Sure, she understood where he was coming from, but… “…Again, I’ve never really thought about leaving you, so can’t you at least be a bit more confident in me…?” Glancing at his legs, Zivon chuckled wryly as he replied, “…I’m in no position to have confidence even in myself. Regardless, just promise me that so that I can have peace of mind…” “…Fine. I promise to be frank with you regarding such things… Happy?” Raising a slight brow, Zivon replied, “…I hope you’re being serious…” “How can I be when I’m talking to a man who thinks that l
Not even bothering to look back at him, Xavia replied, “No, I’m the wrong one. I should’ve never married you, nor should I have fallen for you. After all, we are two vastly different people. You must secretly look down on me because I grew up in the countryside, huh? A vulgar bumpkin. Then again, I should’ve expected this much from the start. Thank you for opening my eyes again, Zivon.” Her words felt like daggers aimed straight at his heart, and after wincing a little, Zivon said, “…Xav, stop.” Smiling bitterly at him, Xavia replied, “Though the happiest women have loving husbands, they become the most miserable ones once those caring men hurt them. Your distrust in me makes me feel extremely pathetic, Von… And it doesn’t help that you nearly died from your doubts about me. Am I supposed to just let that fact slide? The last thing I want is for you to die because of me.” “Anyway, no need to apologize to me. Apologize to yourself instead for falling for such a filthy woman like m
Alas, before Nathan could say a thing, Zivon had already opened the door… and following a subtle sigh, all he could do was help his boss out… Once he was in his wheelchair, Zivon wheeled himself in… and since it was the weekend, the place was extra packed. Naturally, this meant that even more people began whispering amongst themselves the second they saw him. Things like how pitiful it was for such a handsome man to have no control over his legs. About what a pity it was. All this, of course, left Zivon absolutely devastated. After all, he used to be a person who was awed in the past, yet now, he was merely someone to be pitied… Nathan himself couldn’t help but purse his lips when he saw all that. Why was he embarrassing himself so much just for the children’s sake? However, when he finally saw the cake that Zivon had chosen, it all started to make sense. Zivon now had a matcha cake in hand, and it was clear that he had purchased it for Xavia. He knew that Xavia always preferre
Squinting slightly when he heard that, Zivon took a deep breath before saying, “…Look, I admit it’s my fault, so please-” “I already told you. I’m the problem. After all, there’s no way that the high and mighty Young Master Burton would ever do something wrong. With that said, stop making yourself suffer because of me and let me resume the picnic with the kids. Remember, you’re the one who doubted me so much. Plus, you wanted to spend your life alone anyway, so it’s still a win for you in the end.” After she had walked off, Zivon was so infuriated that he immediately tossed the cake into the nearest bin before growling, “So…! She intends to leave me just because of that tiny misunderstanding…?!” Instantly going pale, Nathan was quick to reply, “P-please calm down, Young Master Burton! Look, she’s just convinced that your end goal is a divorce in the first place since you keep doubting her sincerity… Also, this incident isn’t as tiny as you imagine… It humiliates her position as y
Feeling his lips twitch, Zivon replied, ‘…Look, there’s a misunderstanding between her and I, so I need her to at least listen to my explanation.’ ‘Some misunderstandings can simply never be undone.’ ‘…You stop that nonsense, and make her come over within the next three minutes!’ replied the increasingly irked man. ‘Sorry, but she’s already fast asleep. Good night.’ …This kid was seriously in need of a beating…! To think that his own flesh and blood wouldn’t even take his side! How pathetic…! It was around one in the morning when the sleepless man headed over to the children’s room… and though he wanted to sleep with them at first, it wasn’t hard to realize that the bed was far too small for a fourth person. Pursing his lips, he then slowly attempted to carry Xavia off… but naturally, that instantly woke her up! Shocked to see his handsome face looking down at her, she was quick to ask, “W-what are you-” “I can’t sleep without you,” interrupted Zivon as he continued car
...True enough, she had never seen him beg anyone this badly before… and within seconds, she could no longer stay mad at him. Damn it, what had happened to her earlier determination…?! Despite knowing that this wasn’t going to help much in the long run, Xavia ultimately gave in and sighed before muttering, “…Fine. I’ll forgive you this time, but please… No more doubting my sincerity. Also, please resolve any misunderstandings that you have the second they come up… Otherwise, history is only going to repeat itself… Oh, and find a way to prove that you’re serious about it this time… That is all.” Simply glad that she wasn’t going to outright give up on him anymore, Zivon quickly hugged her as he replied, “Deal! I’ll be sure to do my best to prove myself…!” His tone alone was enough to tell Xavia just how afraid he was of her leaving… But at the end of the day, there was no way she could ever leave his side. Little did she know that there would soon come a day when she would have to
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