It wasn’t long before he saw her status update—that was posted about fifteen minutes ago—that stated, ‘Seriously ill. I’ll be canceling any scheduled work and activities to rest in the meantime. Please do not disturb me till then.’ Attached to the status, was a picture of half her face, looking extremely pale and sickly… What the hell was she doing? Due to Zivon’s silence, Ava’s tone grew worried as she asked, “…Zivon? Why aren’t you saying anything? What’s wrong with Jenna?” Quickly snapping out of it, Zivon then exited the webpage before replying, “Don’t worry, grandma, she simply has a cold. With that said, I’m hanging up first.” After hanging up, Zivon got to his feet before striding off to his study to find Xavia. To his annoyance, he soon found out that she had locked the room door! Why was this woman so keen on treating him like a pervert or outlaw?! Understandably angry, Zivon then growled in a commanding tone, “Open the door, Xavia.” Even though she couldn’t see hi
“Miss Lockhart told me to look into this matter sometime back, young master, and this is a photo from that night… It should be noted that the surveillance camera ended up damaged, resulting in a portion—in the middle—unable to be repaired. Regardless, madam and I have reviewed the footage countless times, and in the end, we discovered that there was an unidentified man in black present on the second floor that night. This photo just so happened to be taken by one of the personnel, and we have a feeling that the incident is related to him…” Upon hearing that, Zivon turned to look at the photo… True enough, there was a man with a cap dressed fully in black in the photo. Though his face couldn’t be seen clearly, it was pretty obvious that this was the man’s goal. After all, who in the right mind would dress like this for a birthday banquet? As he thought about it, Zivon recalled Xavia stating, ‘That man almost humiliated me.’ There was a pretty good chance that this was their man. W
Zivon was absolutely terrifying this close up, and his tone reminded her of a beast lurking in the darkness, waiting to swallow her whole… As if that wasn’t enough, Xavia was left slightly stunned now that she knew that he had seen her with these clothes that night. She had made sure to carry the garments on her back too… Still, what did any of this have to do with him? Why was he so angry? Whatever the case was, she was instantly saddened just recalling what he had done that night. With that, she was prompted to say, “…You wouldn’t believe whatever I said anyway, Young Master Burton. Since that’s the case, why even bother asking me to elaborate?” “…You wouldn’t have believed yourself either if you were in my shoes… Regardless… I’m giving you a second chance to explain yourself. Do it properly,” commanded Zivon. This was a clear warning, and anyone who knew Zivon in the slightest would know that he never gave others second chances… Despite the seriousness of his tone, the corne
“If you go with that, then you’ll surely be able to sufficiently support Yulia and give her a good life and education. So, what do you say?” added Dolly. Xavia, for one, knew that Dolly had a point. Truth be told, she had been so upset and uncomfortable that day that she wished her grandmother was there to hug her. Since she couldn’t get that, she ultimately decided to broadcast herself making some embroidery in hopes of lifting her mood. Thankfully, despite being in the twenty-first century, many people appeared to enjoy her broadcasts, endlessly praising her craftsmanship. Though that made her happy, Xavia—after a slight pause—eventually replied, “…But I look just like Jenna. If people found out what I looked like, endless disputes would surely be sparked, and I really don’t wish to live such a complicated life. I just want peace and quiet…” “…Hmm… Then… you can just be like Buddha! Look, once you return, I’ll help you film your videos! That way, you can amp up your video qua
After hesitating briefly, Xavia took a deep breath before picking up and saying, “…Hello?” “If anyone calls asking about the news, just politely decline them. I’ll handle the rest,” replied Zivon who’s attractively low voice sounded just as captivating through the phone. Despite the havoc online, he sounded oddly calm and composed. Xavia, for one, had anticipated that he was going to be a complete mess as he asked for her cooperation to put on an act. This… was far simpler than she could have ever anticipated. He truly had a royal air around him… Whatever the case was, Xavia simply said, “…Not to worry, I still have a little professional ethics, so I won’t say anything unnecessary. Honestly, I was just about to post a status update to clarify the situation.” Zivon was honestly slightly surprised to hear that. However, he quickly shook the feeling off as he replied, “There’s no need to do so. Regardless, I’m a bit busy, so I’ll be hanging up first.” Before Xavia could reply, Z
Feeling helpless, Xavia simply took in a deep breath before changing into a clean set of clothes. Following that, she headed downstairs to start looking for Zivon… Soon after, Xavia arrived at the colorful and lively Night Paradise Bar… With so many sexy girls dancing seductively to obnoxiously loud, and trendy music, it was clear that this was the kind of place where couples and people in pursuit of excitement would come to… With that in mind, to think that even Zivon would come to such a place. Then again, his private life was always more chaotic than what he showed on the surface… After grumbling about it to herself, she eventually made her way to the private room that was attached to the earlier text message… Upon entering, she was surprised to see that aside from Zivon, Chace, Zayne, and Fiona were there as well. Fiona herself was seated right beside Zivon, smiling—even more dazzlingly than the colorful lights—the entire time as she conversed with him. The two definitely loo
...What the hell? That order was directed to Fiona?! Fiona herself had gone pale from surprise and confusion. With that, she asked in an aggrieved tone, “…But… Why, Brother Zivon…?” “There are still plenty of people looking for hot news to write about. If they find you here with us, it’ll surely leave you with a bad name,” explained Zivon in a faint voice. …So that was it! He simply didn’t want her to be referred to as a third party! With this new understanding, Fiona beamed with joy as she replied, “I knew you’d never mistreat me, Brother Zivon! Regardless, I’ll be taking my leave first, then. Let’s meet again another day.” Following that, Fiona grabbed her satchel bag and swayed it as she headed for the door, making sure to glace triumphantly at Xavia before finally leaving the room… Though Fiona was now gone, Xavia couldn’t help but remain silent. After all, she had honestly assumed that Zivon had told her to stay out of kindness. Just when she thought that he was finally
“Regardless, after obtaining all that power, he immediately took the chance to propose to Bianca. While it may have seemed like he was torturing her, the truth was, he was actually torturing himself. What more, Bianca was the one who suggested the divorce, claiming that she had enough of him. It was the only reason why he set her free back then…” “Either way, though the divorce felt liberating at the start, when he eventually saw Bianca with some other man, his heart was fully pierced. With all that said, I honestly think that without Bianca in his life, Chace will never feel whole again. You know, I even heard from Chace’s butler that he often drinks alone these days, and he needs sleeping pills just to get sufficient rest… While you may think I’m exaggerating, if you were there when he told us his story, you would’ve felt equally saddened…” explained Zayne. Truth be told, even Xavia was having a heavy heart after hearing all that. To think that the ruthless Chace would have such
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