Watching as the confused Zivon raised a slight brow, Xavia added, “In the past few years, you’ve taken good care of both me and our family whereas I’ve only had the time to focus on my studies… Honestly, I wouldn’t have gotten this far without all your help, and since I’ve only been able to spend the weekends with you and the kids for so long, I think that it’s high time we get to enjoy some family time together…” Her words left Zivon even more surprised. After all, it was true that she had focused more on her studies rather than their relationship up till this point, which was why he knew for a fact that Xavia genuinely loved her career. Despite that, she was still choosing to put her future on hold just for the sake of her family, huh…? What a truly wonderful woman… His train of thought was cut short when he heard Maison say, “I like that idea, Mommy! You know, I’ve spent so much time reading and building models that I’m worried that people will start thinking that I’m a nerd fro
Lea Saltman suddenly walked up to Maison and handed him a bunch of candy while saying, “You don’t look like a nerd at all, Maison! You look handsome with your glasses on!” Upon hearing that, Xavia was just about to chuckle when Neal Xenos walked up to Lea and added, “If you’re giving your candy to Maison, then you can have mine!” Ignoring him, Lea replied, “Hey, can I follow you on your family trip, Maison?” Shaking his head, Maison then said, “Sorry, but this is a family-only trip… Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to bring home a souvenir.” Though slightly bummed, Lea nodded obediently. This prompted Neal to reply, “You still have me, you know? We can play games together at the park!” “How childish!” retorted Lea before running off to play with Yulia, leaving Neal slightly stunned. Why was playing at the park childish? Especially for their age? It took him a while, but he eventually walked up to her again and said, “…Then… I’ll just play with whatever you want to, Lea!” Their i
Sneering in response, the woman scoffed, “Hah! I’m Fiona, idiot!” “…W-what? But you look nothing like her… Is that a mask?” “Oh, if only that were the case! But no, this is my real face that I ruined just so that nobody would recognize me anymore! So that I could get close enough to you to finally have my revenge…! Well, Xavia?! Are you afraid yet?!” Naturally, Xavia was. To think that Fiona had waited so long just to strike back! Vengeance truly was a terrifying thing! Either way, since Zivon wasn’t stirring from his sleep, Xavia immediately attempted to make a distress call… but before she could even hit the call button, Fiona added, “Don’t even try to call your brother for help. There’s no signal this far out at sea, and even if you manage to initiate an emergency satellite call, it’ll take him at least twenty minutes to fly a helicopter over! By that point, I’ll already have exacted my revenge…!” Now panicking more than ever, the frightened woman began yelling his name… B
Eyes widening in shock, the frantic mother was quick to yell, “S-stop! Stop it! Please…! W-we need to save her…!” Following that, the weakened woman desperately crawled toward the window… alas, she wasn’t even able to prop herself up! Sneering in response, Fiona retorted, “Relax, bitch! There are three more children left to toss out!” With that said, she began tossing Maison, Yulia, and finally Frank out without the slightest remorse! By this point, Xavia had screamed so much that her throat had started to bleed! It was clear that the trembling woman had already been thoroughly broken down, but even so, Fiona wasn’t satisfied yet! Revealing a dagger that had been hidden under her skirt, the evil woman walked up to the bed that Zivon was on before saying, “I genuinely loved you, you know…? Just why did you have to be so ruthless to me, hmm…?! You only have yourself to blame for this! Remember that fire I caused to fake my death last month? Had you come over to check on me back
That was the last thing that the crying Xavia was able to yell before both she and Fiona crashed beneath the waves. During her final moments of lucidity, she couldn’t help but think about Fiona’s words… True enough, she had been the one who had posted their route map on social media to keep everyone informed about her trip… Alas, it was now far too late to realize that she hadn’t unfriended Fiona back then! That aside, Fiona’s comment on her insistence of having no guards around was true too! At the time, Xavia had firmly believed that she knew enough martial arts to defend herself… but now that all this had happened, she realized just how powerless she truly was. To top it all off, the part where she had fed her own family the poisoned seafood was true too. Just hours earlier, Fiona had walked up to her and told her that they had just caught some fresh seafood, which led to Xavia agreeing to have some with her family… If only she had paid a bit more attention to Fiona’s face, th
Her mind was a mess, but one thing was for sure. She had returned back to the day when she first met Zivon… Which meant that she could prevent all the upcoming tragedies that would’ve occurred because of her! Was this God showing mercy on her…?! Xavia’s train of thought was cut short when her phone suddenly rang… It was Zivon. He was probably calling again to check on his takeout’s status, right…? Shaking her head, she ended the call before muting her phone… and following that, she sent him a text. ‘Apologies, but I’ve met with an accident so the delivery will be late. You should receive it within half an hour with the help of my friend. Again, apologies.’ Upon reading that, Zivon instantly squinted. Checking on her location, he realized that she was just nineteen meters away from him! To think that she had lied to him so blatantly! ‘You only have five minutes. Fail to do that and I’ll close down your shop!’ …This really was the overbearing Zivon from the past, huh…? Even so,
Fast forward to the next day, Jenna really showed up… and beside her, was Zivon! To think that she had brought him along! The truth was, Jenna had wanted to show Zivon just how lowly her sister was compared to her so that he would potentially treat her better… and after taking a deep breath, Jenna forced a smile and said, “Zivon, meet my twin… Xavia, meet your brother-in-law.” Not even daring to look him in the face, Xavia lowered her gaze as she replied, “I-it’s a pleasure to meet you… That aside, I have something else to attend to now, so I’ll be taking my leave first.” Watching as Xavia walked off, Zivon couldn’t help but squint before saying, “…You never told me that you had a twin.” Gulping slightly, Jenna replied, “S-she grew up in the countryside, so the both of us aren’t that close…” That aside, it seemed that Xavia really had partaken in a marriage, so… She now had one less rival to deal with. Pleased by that thought, Jenna then began leading Zivon away from the scen
“…Am I just expected to wait for a chance for her to wake up, then…?!” “…A-about that… There’s a chance that she may turn into a full vegetable if this goes on for long enough… B-but that’s the worst-case scenario, so…!” “…What did you say…?!” growled the infuriated Ian as he crashed a vase onto the floor! “Ian, calm down…” muttered the worried Tiffany. “How am I expected to calm down when all this bullshit is happening…?! I knew it! I shouldn’t have sent them off without guards…!” howled Ian, prompting Tiffany to purse her lips before hugging him tightly. “…Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll wake up. Speaking of which, I heard the doctor saying that Zivon’s condition had stabilized… Maybe he’ll be able to bring her back once he’s up?” “Y-you heard correct, and that’s a great idea! I’m sure he’ll be able to help!” replied the doctor. “Then what are you waiting for…?! Go make sure he wakes up as soon as possible, then!” retorted Ian, prompting the frightened doctor to nod before
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