...He was clearly asking the obvious, and Lana’s cheeks somehow managed to get even redder than before. Since she wasn’t replying, James was prompted to add, “…As a doctor, I’m sure you know that holding it in for too long can affect my health, right…?” …That was true, but… “…Again, I didn’t do it on purpose, plus… You’re hurt, so it’s not like you should do it-” “It’s not in the way of the injury, so…” …How on earth had he successfully cornered her like this? How was she even expected to respond?! With how quiet she had gotten, James couldn’t help but smile as he added, “I was just teasing… No need to get so riled up…” “…That’s kind of a tall order…” “I mean, you did get a reaction from me, so it’s only fair for me to tease you back… Jokes aside, let’s get more rest…” Before Lana could react, he had already pulled her into bed with him! With how close he was, she could already feel her heart rate skyrocketing! Just as she was telling herself that things couldn’t get
Taking a deep breath, Lana forced herself to say, “…Well… Is it possible if… I don’t return to your place first…? I just… Don’t want the others to know about our marriage yet…” Though he was slightly disheartened to hear that, James eventually nodded before replying, “Fine, though… Do you plan to live separately?” …Though she’d love to, she knew that asking for that would be too much, even for James. With that, she eventually replied, “…You could live at my place if you don’t mind… It’s an apartment unit and I’m staying there alone, so-” “Deal!” interrupted James, momentarily startling Lana who was starting to regret her decision. Alas, they were legally married, so… she had to do her part to try to make things work as well…! When they finally arrived at Lana’s place, James was quick to notice that aside from all the pastel-colored furniture and wallpaper, there were wine bottles everywhere… Hell, there was even a pile of clothes on the living room sofa… It was at that moment
...She was, wasn’t she? Watching as the helpless woman awkwardly looked at him, James couldn’t help but sigh before saying, “…It’s time to let go, you know…? Plus, I’m sure that the other doctors by his side are just as capable as you are… He’ll be fine.” …He was right. She had already promised herself that she’d let go of that man, and now that she was married, there was no better time to move on. With that in mind… Why was she still feeling so worried…? …It was probably because she knew everything there was to know about Ian’s body unlike the other doctors, right? It took her a while, but she eventually replied, “…Yeah… I’ll just stay here. Um… I have some things to attend to, so feel free to do anything for the time being.” Before James could reply, she had already bolted toward her workroom… and shortly after, the door closed behind her, causing James to raise a slight brow. Just what was she working on all of a sudden…? Though curious, he didn’t want to bother her, so he
With how infuriated he was, he ended up switching his phone off… That night, he was so angry that he didn’t even have any dinner… and sadly, his anger didn’t leave even in the following days. He either spent his time gardening, playing with the kids, or cleaning up… and on the fourth day, he finally took a deep breath before checking his phone again… To his fury, however, there wasn’t a single message from her! It was clear that she didn’t care about him at all…! Just as he was wondering if she’d even remember that he existed if he didn’t go look for her, he heard one of the maids say, “Miss Presley? What brings you here?” Instantly looking up, he was greeted by the sight of Lana slowly walking into the building. So, she hadn’t truly forgotten about him, huh? Alas, the second she saw him, she simply walked up to his side before asking, “How are Ian’s wounds looking?” …So…! She was only here for Ian’s sake again…?! Now infuriated once more, James growled, “…What do you car
James himself no longer bothered returning to her place, and it didn’t help that he refused to answer any of her calls… What was she to do…? For the longest time, she had assumed that he had only wanted to marry her to escape getting married to someone else, but… It now seemed that he genuinely loved her. How was she expected to react to that…?! It was only on the third night when James finally went looking for her again… and when he saw her reading a document on her couch, he lowered his gaze before asking, “…Busy?” Instantly blushing when she saw him, she quickly shook her head before saying, “…A little… Just reading some medical documents… Um… Have you eaten…? I can cook something up for you…” Before James could reply, she had already run off to the kitchen, prompting him to frown. For some reason, it seemed like she was trying her best to avoid him… It was about twenty minutes later when Lana returned with a plate of hot noodles, and though James wanted to say something t
His train of thought was eventually cut short when his phone began ringing… and after a heavy sigh, he picked it up and said, “…Hello?” “Sir James? The flowers you ordered have arrived, so… When will you pick them up?” …Wait. Those flowers? The one for his balcony? Feeling his mood get better already, he got up before saying, “I’ll be right there.” After hanging up, he then drove over to the florist… But when he arrived, he was surprised to see Lana picking some flowers with a friend. Lana herself was startled to see him, and after freezing for a moment, she quickly shook her head before muttering, “U-um… Fancy meeting you here…” Nodding in response, James wanted to ask if she had found any flowers that were to her liking… But before he could even do so, she had already wrapped her hands around her friend’s arm and said, “A-anyway, my business here is done so see you later!” Watching as she ran off, Ian immediately felt all gloomy again. Was she going to avoid him forever…?
Unable to flee this time, all she could do was shiver as she muttered, “I-I’m not avoiding-” “Say that to my face…! I dare you! You’ve avoided me up to three times already! How much longer do you plan to do this?!” retorted James, leaving Lana slightly stunned. Thinking back, she realized that he was right… She had subconsciously been avoiding him for a while now, and she hadn’t even been doing it on purpose. Following a short pause, she meekly replied, “I-I… I’m just… anxious, alright…?” “…And why exactly are you so anxious? Regardless, I’ve given it some thought and I’ve made up my mind. From today onward, I’ll be pursuing you till you fall head over heels for me!” declared James, leaving Lana startled. What on earth was he even talking about? Following a slight pause, Lana replied, “…U-um… Was that a joke-” “Do you think I’d joke about something like this? Either way, you said you were busy, right? Go attend to your things and I’ll see you tomorrow.” “…Alright,” replied
After all, the inside of the vehicle had been thoroughly decorated with multicolored roses! From milky white to smokey pink, there were so many variants that it rivaled the beauty of the most detailed of princess carriages! Smiling when he saw her response, James then said, “I saw you eyeing these back at the flower shop so… Yeah.” Though touched by his attentiveness, all she could do was awkwardly enter the car… Once she was inside, James got into the driver’s seat before handing her a little tote bag that contained earmuffs, a thermos, and some hand warmers as he said, “Put these on while we make our way there. It’s getting cold, and I don’t want you getting sick…” “…T-thank you…” muttered Lana who really couldn’t handle all this attention anymore. Smiling in response, James then nodded before starting to drive… With how happy he looked, Lana couldn’t help but avert her gaze. After all, his smile… Kind of made him look cute… Either way, upon arriving at the office, Lana q
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