‘#An unexpected cooperation!’ ‘At eight past eight this morning, the Burton Group announced that they would be cooperating with Mark’s design brand starting today. The Burton Group has already been hard at work promoting Mark’s brand to the point where there are rumors that the brand will become synonymous with the royal family.’ ‘Naturally, there were several questions to this decision, mostly regarding why Young Master Burton would decide to work with him after that scandal. As always, however, Young Master Burton did not disappoint. Below is a video of his reply.’ Raising a slight brow, Xavia then clicked on the video to hear a reporter ask, “Why are you choosing to trust in Mr. Newman after all that he’s done, Young Master Burton? Aren’t you worried that he’ll try to steal Mrs. Burton away?” “I assumed that it was clear before this, but apparently it isn’t. Since that’s the case, allow me to clarify that Mark only has brotherly love for her. In other words, he just wants he
Ever since Mark returned into her life, Zivon had constantly been wary of that man, so… The fact that he was now willing to collaborate with him just for the sake of proving how much he trusted her… It was touching, to say the least. Her train of thought was cut short when her phone suddenly rang… It was a text from Mark. ‘Sorry for contacting you after so long, don’t worry, I’m fine. Long story short, I’m hoping to get your forgiveness after all the bad that I’ve done… I admit that I subconsciously wanted you to get a divorce with Zivon. To me, he just never seemed like a person who suited or deserved you, but that was wrong of me. At the end of the day, he loves you dearly, and you really shouldn’t have had to go through so much had I been a bit more proactive in solving the issue…’ ‘Please don’t get a divorce with him, because we both know how much you love him… Also, if you’re wondering why I have a sudden change of heart, it’s because he came to me last night with the intent
...She received a message from Nathan. Raising a slight brow, she then clicked on them… ‘It’s Zivon. Could you please unblock my number already…? Otherwise, I’ll be forced to get a new number just so that we can get reacquainted…’ …This dramatic man… Shaking her head, Xavia sighed before replying, ‘Rather than just changing your number, consider changing your looks and identity instead.’ ‘Is that a request? I’m fine with that, though my plastic surgeon would probably be hesitant to touch my already perfect face…’ …His narcissism was truly on a whole other level, but she had to admit that he was right. Her train of thought was cut short when he sent another message, stating, ‘Anyway, Nathan is standing right beside me right now, so unless you get joy from having others look at our messages, I propose unblocking me if you haven’t already…’ …What the hell was this man even saying?! ‘I unblocked you just moments before you sent those messages! Be sure to clear the chat log befo
Since Zivon didn’t respond even after a while, Xavia figured that he was busy, so she opted to head downstairs instead… However, to her surprise, she was soon greeted by the sight of Zivon arranging some cutlery on the dining table! What the hell was he doing here?! “…What-” “Ah, there you are. I checked and saw that the food made by your chefs isn’t up to par with my own cooking, so I figured that I may as well cook for you.” Upon hearing that, the chefs couldn’t help but exchange helpless glances. Did he really have to roast them like that…? Xavia herself hadn’t even recovered from the shock when she heard the kids exclaim, “Wow! Did Daddy make breakfast? It smells so good!” “Right?! Come on, Mommy! Hurry and let’s eat!” Upon hearing that, all Xavia could do was helplessly watch as Zivon nodded before pulling a chair out for her, an expectant gaze in his eyes… Quickly averting her gaze, she simply sighed before taking a seat. Looking at the array of aromatic dishes befo
Astonished by her reply, it took him a while to ask, “…That’s your only reason for wanting to be together again?” “…Huh? Is that not enough?” replied the genuinely confused Xavia. Pursing his lips, Zivon then said, “…I want you to be with me out of love, not merely for the sake of the kids… No matter. I’ll make sure you’ll still end up falling for me again in the end.” Naturally, Xavia hadn’t meant that at all. After all, she, of all people, knew that relationships only worked with love in the equation, and she would’ve never decided to get back together had she not considered that… Regardless, she couldn’t deny that his words touched her, but… Just as she was about to reply, he suddenly pulled her close! “W-what are you-” “…I was just trying to hug you. Do I really look that sexually depraved to you? Anyway, I have some activities planned for us, so buckle up.” With that said, he kissed her forehead before starting to drive, leaving the red-faced Xavia speechless. Damn it,
True enough, their marriage had not been a smooth one, but as he said, that didn’t matter. Relationships had plenty of ups and downs, and perfect relationships were near nonexistent… As the saying went, envy not the Instagram couple, but the elderly ones who still smile at each other… It took her a while, but she eventually replied, “…Fair enough. I guess now is as good a time as ever to learn from our mistakes, then… Thank you for thinking about our future, Von…” Upon hearing that, Zivon felt a wave of emotions crashing against his heart. Finally… she was finally looking at their future again…! Gently cupping her cheek, Zivon replied, “…No… Thank you for not giving up on me… And for giving me a chance to redeem myself after all that I’ve done… Don’t worry, Xav… I’ve learned now that marriage is not the end, but the true beginning of our relationship… I’ll be trying even harder for our sake from now on, so expect only the best from me…” Though she was touched to hear that, she
Instantly beaming, Zivon replied, “…I’ll still act them out, of course. I have to keep our love story interesting somehow, right…? With that said… Please take away the ‘if’, Honey…?” Now blushing, Xavia grumbled, “…Why do you think I mentioned that in the first place…” Smiling in response, Zivon then stared straight into her eyes as he replied, “I just want to hear the answer from my beloved wife’s mouth…” It felt like he was going to kiss her at any moment, and after gulping and taking a few steps back, she was just about to reply when all of a sudden, Zivon’s phone suddenly rang. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to escape, the nervous woman was quick to exclaim, “G-go attend to your business first! I need to take care of Frank and Fabiola anyway!” Irked by the interruption, Zivon held Xavia’s hand to prevent her from running off before answering the call and growling, “Did I not say that I was unavailable for the time being…?!” Upon hearing his angered voice, the woman
“…G-go focus on the professor already!” grumbled the blushing woman as she bolted off, causing Zivon to smile. Oh, how he yearned to eat her up right now… Moving back to Xavia, she had just opened the snack bag when one of the nannies walked over and asked, “My word! Did Young Master Burton get those for you? Those snacks are extremely rare, and I heard that not even the rich are guaranteed to get their hands on them!” “You’re right! He must have waited for ages to get his hands on them!” …Huh? Were these snacks seriously that great? Though Xavia couldn’t help but wonder why there had to be limited edition snacks, the fact that he had gone out of his way to get these for her was touching, to say the least… Shaking her head, she then gave one of them a taste… and true enough, it was delectable. Following that, she ate another… and after a while, another… By six that evening, there were barely any left. It was around then when the nannies told her that the kids had returned, an
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