The thought of it alone made her feel a cocktail of emotions, including repulsiveness, apprehension, nervousness, and even difficulty in breathing. Needless to say, her feelings of repulsiveness stemmed from the incident that had taken place that night… The memory of it had honestly been a constant thorn in her heart… As for her nervousness, well… It was the dead of night and no matter how she looked at it, it was always going to be awkward for a man and woman to be sharing a bed… Xavia’s train of thought was cut short when she heard the ‘click’ of an opening door… and soon enough, she was greeted by the sight of Zivon’s tall and slender figure. Despite wearing only a black bathrobe—adorned with dark patterns—, it somehow made the dignified Zivon look even more provocative and seductive than he usually was… Regardless, upon seeing Xavia, Zivon couldn’t help but raise his brows in surprise as he asked, “…And what are you doing here?” Xavia herself clearly wasn’t expecting Zivon
The last few pictures of the gif showed Zivon carrying her through a bustling crowd with several colorful lights blinking in the background. With how beautiful each frame was, it almost felt like the gif was part of an expertly shot movie! Even the netizens—in the comment section—were in awe as seen by their comments stating, ‘Quarrel? What bull sh*t! They look so lovely together!’ ‘Hah! I’ll eat my own shoe if these two break up!’ ‘It was clear as day that Young Master Burton was simply raising her chin back then! To think that some people are actually blind enough to say that he was trying to hit her!’ ‘How odd… Our comments kept being pushed down at the start… I’m sure it’s because some distasteful individuals are persistent in trying to ruin his reputation!’ ‘Is this Young Master Burton’s way of responding to all the rumors? What an absolute chad!’ ‘Holy cr*p! I’d kill to get a high-res version of this gif! I’m replaying it at least ten thousand times!’ ‘Same here!’
Ignoring Zivon’s silence, Ava happily asked, “Either way, where’s Jenna? Hurry and get her to join you!” “…She was up late last night so she’s still sleeping,” replied Zivon truthfully. …Slept… late last night?! That sentence alone was enough to make everyone’s imagination run wild! ‘Husband! Husband! Did you make Jenna work hard last night?!’ ‘She’s still awake but you’re already awake… What great physique you have, husband!’ ‘Oh god… Am I the only one having dirty thoughts…? Something’s wrong with me…’ ‘:’c I want to sleep late with my husband too…!’ ‘Husband, pay attention to me! I’m crying here…!’ After reading through some of the comments, Zivon—who had never really interacted with his fans before—couldn’t help but raise a slight brow. Husband? Great physique? Work hard? Were girls these days this unreserved?! Grabbing a glass of water to calm his nerves, Zivon was just about to ponder further into that thought, when out of the blue, a strange remark caught his
Upon feeling her touch, Zivon momentarily narrowed his eyes before looking away from his documents. Looking at her with a slightly helpless gaze, Zivon was prompted to say, “It’s already eleven in the morning… How much longer do you plan to sleep?” Hearing his soothing voice, Xavia couldn’t help but frown slightly. It was… already eleven? And that voice… Zivon?! To Xavia’s horror, the second she opened her eyes, she realized that not only was he seated right beside her, but she was also hugging him! Immediately jolting away from him, Xavia was prompted to ask, “…Why are you still here?” There was zero joy in her tone, and this was pretty much how she had talked to him ever since the night of the banquet. It was like she was constantly trying to keep her distance from him… Still, Zivon was already used to her attitude, so he simply placed his documents down before calmly replying, “Grandma’s told us to host a live broadcast. With that said, go get a change first.” Since Xavia
‘Extricate’ she said… What a strong word… Furrowing his brows slightly, Zivon then asked in a slightly angered tone, “…So you’re saying that your current situation is making you suffer?” Why else would she use that word? Staring straight into his eyes, Xavia simply replied, “I hope you remember that I’m only holding onto my sister’s title for the moment. If you haven’t realized, I’ve been forced to do things I don’t wish to this entire time, Young Master Burton. With that said, what makes you think I’d enjoy any of this? I’m honestly praying, even in my sleep, for Jenna to wake up as soon as possible by this point…” Zivon was understandably displeased to hear that. After all, any other woman—in her situation—would’ve surely prayed for Jenna to remain unconscious for much longer! Why was she so keen on resisting him?! “…Even if you’re unwilling to do all this, I hope you remember that you’re the one who brought all this trouble to yourself. With that said, you’re not exactly a v
Moving back to Xavia, she soon arrived at Lockhart Mansion… Upon entering, she was instantly greeted by the sight of a fuming Mrs. Lockhart who immediately reprimanded, “Why have you returned? And you returned in a taxi of all vehicles? Are you trying to imply that the Burtons don’t have a car? Or that the Lockharts are too poor to afford one? It truly seems that you’re trying your hardest to disgrace us!” As usual, there wasn’t the slightest hint of motherly love from Xavia’s heartless foster mother. While Xavia hadn’t expected much from her, it was still depressing to hear all that. With that in mind, Xavia simply replied, “Apologies, but unlike Jenna, I don’t exactly have doting parents, nor do I have a driver’s license. In fact, unlike her, I’ve never touched a luxury car in my life, so that further lowers any chance of me learning to drive. With that said, even if you call me an embarrassment, isn’t it all because of your own doing?” “You…!” growled the furious Mrs. Lockha
The person who had done the deed was none other than the chisel-faced Kevin who had just returned. Looking gloomy as ever in a black, custom-made suit, Kevin then growled, “Did you just curse Jenna to remain in a coma for the rest of her life?! To think that someone as disgusting as you exists!” Xavia herself—who clearly hadn’t expected to get slapped out of the blue—could only glare at him as her right cheek burned with pain. Had it not been for her high self-restraint, she would’ve surely stabbed him to death by now…! Furious to see how resentfully Xavia was glaring at him, Kevin then added, “…The hell are you looking at? Was any of what I said wrong? Regardless, your wish won’t come true! After all, I’ve managed to hire a doctor from abroad, renowned in treating comatose patients!” Following that statement, a tall, robust man entered the room. Though the doctor didn’t say a word—as he greeted everyone by giving them slight nods—, Xavia couldn’t help but notice that the man sta
...Most probably not. After all, she had been fine and dandy for over twenty years now! Zivon’s condescending and cruel attitude only served to make her more certain of her final choice as she said, “I’ll do it.” “Slow down, Miss Lockhart, there’s really no rush. You should go back and properly understand your blood type first. You can give me your answer after thinking about it for a day. Here’s my business card,” replied the doctor as he handed her a card before turning around to leave… Looking at the white card, Xavia read the clearly-printed words, ‘Matthew Rudner, Medical professor.’ A pleasant name for a pleasant person… Whatever the case was, her answer was most probably going to be the same regardless of when she gave it. Her train of thought was cut short when Mrs. Lockhart’s voice suddenly asked, “What did the doctor say to you about the treatment plan, Xavia?” Turning to look at her mother—who was eagerly making her way toward her—, Xavia couldn’t help but feel a pan
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