“Now, please don’t overthink this, I just don’t want the prince to collapse from exhaustion, alright? Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be clocking out now for my date,” replied Tiffany as she turned to leave. Watching as the model of a woman walked off in her high heels, Ian couldn’t help but raise a slight brow. If she already had a boyfriend, then why was she presenting herself like she was still single? Shaking his head, the annoyed man replied, “…Not so fast. There’s more work to be done.” “…Come again? But-” “What, you can’t work overtime now?” interrupted Ian, causing Tiffany to purse her lips before hesitantly following Ian back to his study… Watching as she began organizing the documents in his room, Ian couldn’t help but feel his thoughts start to drift. Just what was wrong with him today? Actually, this had already happened before the last time she brought up her boyfriend… This irked feeling… In the end, he remained distracted for so long that after dinner, Xavia coul
Fast forward to that night, Zivon had just put Maison and Yulia to sleep when he realized that he hadn’t seen Xavia for a while… Frowning a little, he was prompted to ask, “…Have any one of you seen my wife?” “Ah, she said that she was going to pay Ms. Gordon and Mr. Newman a visit…” …At this hour? Before Zivon could reply, Ian suddenly walked up to him and said, “What, she didn’t tell you? I thought you two would start communicating by this point.” Not wanting to accidentally wake the babies up, Zivon walked out of the room before replying, “…She was probably busy. I’ll just check on her now.” With that, he attempted to give her a call… But to Zivon’s slight disappointment, she never picked up. Following a short pause, Ian said, “…Though she’s my sister, I have to admit that it was unwise of her to meet up with Mark so late at night, especially after what just happened… Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her about it later.” It took him a while, but Zivon eventually put his phone
Dressed only in a gray shirt and some comfortable-looking pants, the man sighed before saying, “…No need to apologize. I should be the one to do so. After all, had I simply chosen to act a bit earlier, all that could’ve definitely been avoided…” Upon hearing that, Xavia couldn’t help but smile subtly. Honestly, he wasn’t fully to blame at all… She had to admit that she subconsciously wanted to test Zivon as well, and she really hadn’t anticipated that he’d jump into the river back then… Regardless, it was partly due to his actions that ultimately made forgiving Stella a bit earlier. After all, it was thanks to Stella that he was still safe… Shaking her head, Xavia eventually replied, “…The past should stay in the past, and since you’ve already apologized, let’s leave it at that… At the end of the day, you almost lost your life for my sake too, so honestly, I’d say we’re even… With that said, let’s continue being friends from now…” Completely caught off guard by her reply, it took
...And that something else was a sea of lanterns slowly floating into the air behind him! Slightly taken aback by the breathtaking sight, Xavia couldn’t help but ask, “…Did… you…?” Nodding in response, Zivon then pulled her toward a clearing before saying, “Try getting a closer look at them…” Unsure of what to expect, she did as Zivon told… and to her surprise, each lantern had words on them. ‘Xavia, the prettiest woman alive.’ ‘Xavia, the best wife in the world.’ ‘Xavia, my life is committed to you.’ Each lantern held a different message, and with how many lanterns there were, Xavia couldn’t help but feel her heart beat rapidly. What a truly wonderful surprise…! Hugging her from behind, Zivon then held out the blank lantern that he had previously been holding before saying, “Let’s finish this one together…” Following that, he got out a brush and guided her hand to write the words, ‘Till death do us apart.’ Only God knew how touched Xavia felt at that moment, and af
Either way, news regarding Zivon and Xavia’s reunion quickly spread across the internet, and countless people congratulated them for overcoming their obstacles, including Dolly, Jenna, and even Xavia’s parents. While the topic was still hot, Ian made sure to announce Rhea’s vileness to the public as well, and he also took the opportunity to pass a bill that involved imprisoning women who attempted to seduce married men. This, of course, was met with great positivity, and Ian’s social rank grew even more… Naturally, Rhea, who had been sent to be imprisoned for life, was one of the few people immensely against all this. She already had all her certificates revoked! Did Ian really have to add salt to her wounds?! “Let me out…! I want to meet the professor! If you don’t, then I’ll kill myself-” “Go ahead. You’re a waste of space anyway,” scoffed one of the present officers, leaving Rhea speechless. Curling up into a ball, she couldn’t help but recall the time that Zivon had made
Snatching the paper from her hand, he couldn’t help but growl, “…I didn’t know you were still keeping this.” Smiling in response, Rosa replied, “It’s only natural to keep precious things… That aside, I have multiple copies of that, so don’t think snatching one will change anything…” Clenching his fists, the irked man replied, “…What do you want? It had better be a reasonable request!” Satisfied with his response, Rosa then said, “Oh, don’t worry, it’s fairly simple… Basically, I’m at the age of marriage, and I simply need your help to introduce me to someone…” “…Come again? For you to need my help in such a case… You couldn’t be eyeing Ian, could you?” “…What gave me away?” asked the genuinely surprised Rosa. “Let’s be real, you know most of the people I do, and the only single man extraordinary enough to catch your interest is probably him. However, you should know that he doesn’t have marriage on his mind due to how busy he always is.” …So that was his reasoning… Shakin
“…I mean, you’re clearly upset, so-” “That’s because I don’t like you singing praises about Ian!” grumbled Zivon, leaving Xavia rather stunned. Was he seriously jealous of her brother of all people?! Though shocking, she couldn’t help but find it cute and she ended up gently pinching his cheek while saying, “…For such an almighty person, you still end up getting jealous over the silliest of things, huh?” Squinting slightly, Zivon replied, “…I’m being serious.” “And so am I!” “…Seems like someone doesn’t want to sleep at all tonight…!” growled Zivon as he pinned her against the bed, instantly causing Xavia to yelp. Gulping slightly, she was quick to reply, “F-fine! I get it! I’m sorry for teasing you…!” “…Do you still find my jealousy cute? And are you going to stop praising him already?” “I-I’ll stop! So please…!” whimpered Xavia, finally softening Zivon’s heart again… Following a brief pause, he was prompted to ask, “…Who am I?” “…Huh? You’re… Von?” Dissatisfied
...Ian was sharper than he expected. Forcing a smile, Zivon replied, “…As if she could have something like that against me-” “Don’t even try to deny it. I know you well enough to know that you’d never help a woman like her unless you’re forced to. That aside, are you really sure that you want to proceed with this? Remember, Xavia will be bothered by your actions, regardless of whether Rosa succeeds or fails. Then again, I’m sure you already know this, so with that said…” Smiling subtly, Zivon replied, “…If others hear this, they may think that we share some extraordinary relationship… Jokes aside, you’re overthinking this. I’m simply doing my teacher a favor, nothing more, nothing less.” Unable to detect any hesitation in Zivon’s gaze, Ian eventually said, “…That had better be the case. The last thing I want is for you to hurt Xavia again.” “I won’t hurt her, nor will I let anyone else do so,” replied Zivon, causing the satisfied Ian to nod. “Well said. Regardless, I have hal
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