“What are you-” Before Jacob could complete his sentence, she suddenly began kissing his lips! Eyes widening in shock, he was prompted to ask, “…What do you think you’re doing?” “Was… drugged in the bathroom… Need to kiss to feel better… Help…!” Pursing his lips, Jacob shook his head before saying, “…Hang in there. I’ll get you a doctor as soon as possible!” Alas, with how remote the place was, he couldn’t manage to get his bearings at all, even after ten whole minutes of running! Just where the hell were they…?! By this point, Ellen was drenched in sweat, and after squirming a bit more, the addled woman muttered, “Are you… not a man…?! Help me already…! Don’t worry, sleeping around is common among those in my country, so just do it…!” Though Jacob was far from a conservative man, he really didn’t want to sleep with her in her current state. After all, wasn’t this akin to taking advantage of her? Sadly, she was already kissing him again, and he had no choice but to slow dow
...As if that would be an issue with this irresponsible woman! With that, he simply rolled his eyes before coughing a few more times. This prompted Ellen to touch his forehead before asking, “…You know, I don’t mind following you to a hospital first-” “No need for that,” interrupted Jacob, leaving Ellen slightly irked. After all, what kind of attitude was that when she was only trying to be nice? Before she could say anything, however, she suddenly remembered that she was the reason that he was like this in the first place… and in the end, she chose to remain silent. As they approached the departure lounge, Jacob pursed his lips before handing her another ticket as he said, “…If you ever need help in the future, don’t hesitate to ask us for help.” Raising a slight brow, Ellen took a while to reply, “…If you want me to stay so much, just say it to my face.” “…Will that make a difference?” “It could,” said Ellen with a smirk. Upon hearing that, Jacob couldn’t help but purse
When the two finally arrived at Darlsbury, they immediately headed to the hospital… and upon seeing them, Zayne was quick to complain, “There you two are! Come help me convince this madman to take better care of himself! His body is in shambles, and it doesn’t help that I’ve yet to find a proper cure! I’ll only be able to make progress if I get more time with him around, but he keeps trying to leave to find Fabiola! Speaking of which, how did things go?” “…We… managed to find more info, but that aside, is it possible to have a doctor follow him around at all times? Will that help?” asked Ellen. Shaking his head, Zayne replied, “Negative. He really needs to stay put if he wants to recover.” “…I see. We’ll try our best to convince him, then,” said Jacob, prompting the trio to enter the ward together… Upon seeing the two, Zivon, who had been leaning against his bedrest, couldn’t help but squint. After all, even if they only wanted to help, the fact remained that they had knocked h
Before Ian could even think of what to say, Xavia took a deep breath before saying, “…If this is regarding Fabiola and Von, please just tell me already so that I don’t have to worry even more…” …Wait. She… hadn’t actually overheard anything, had she? Hiding his sigh of relief, Ian eventually replied, “…Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if it regards the two. Speaking of which, have you spoken to Zivon recently?” “…Every day, actually, though… Sadly, there hasn’t been much progress, and I have a feeling like his texts are getting more and more repetitive… It worries me, honestly…” Sensing her anxiety, Ian was quick to reply, “Hey… Don’t think too much about it, alright? I’ll ask Jacob if he’s found anything more later on, but for now… You’re supposed to take Yulia to her dance class, right? Hurry up with your meal or you’ll be late…” “…Yeah, you’re right. I completely forgot about that… Um, I’ll go attend to her first. We’ll continue this talk later.” Watching as she ran off, Ian
Though everyone was relieved to hear that, they all knew that this was only the start of the battle. With that, Zayne was put in charge of Xavia and Zivon’s healthcare while Ian, Jacob, and James began scouring the nation in hopes of locating the buyer. Although Zivon chose to mostly remain silent, his gratitude was apparent… and on their way home, Zivon made sure to tell Zayne not to tell Xavia about his condition. Naturally, Zayne nodded and promised that as long as Zivon cooperated, he would too. There was a brief silence after that… and eventually, Zivon asked, “…How do I look?” “Like a corpse,” joked Zayne with a chuckle. Rolling his eyes, Zivon replied, “You know why I’m asking.” “I do. Don’t worry, you look healthy enough for her not to suspect too much…” said Zayne just as the car came to a stop in front of the villa… At the time, Homer and Yasmin had been playing with the children in the yard… and when they saw Zivon leaving the car, their eyes instantly widened.
Leaping into his arms, the ecstatic woman immediately called out his name, prompting Zivon to smile before giving her forehead a kiss… Trembling slightly from his kiss, she watched as he began kissing her lips next… and though he was as domineering as usual, he was also gentle, and this stopped her from even trying to resist. God, how she missed him…! If only they could stay like this forever…! Unbeknownst to the two, Yulia had been watching this entire time, and the child couldn’t help but awkwardly avert her gaze. She knew she should probably just remain silent, but… At the same time, she missed her father dearly too! Naturally, Zivon hadn’t forgotten about her, but… Now that Xavia was in his arms, it was immensely difficult for him to part lips with her… After what felt like forever, the kiss ended and Zivon stared straight into her eyes as he said, “…I really miss you… Please let me stare at you for a bit longer…” Blushing in response, Xavia meekly replied, “I-I missed yo
Taking a deep breath, Zivon added, “…Basically, I want you and the children to take better care of yourselves from today onward… Is that doable?” Slightly caught off guard by his request, Xavia replied, “…But I’m perfectly healthy-” “I know, but… I just want you and the kids to go for occasional check-ups, alright…? I really don’t want to risk any more than we should…” …True enough, they had already suffered plenty… And in the end, Xavia pursed her lips before nodding. Smiling in response, Zivon then patted her head before reaching out for her clothes… and after flinching a little, Xavia asked, “…W-what are you-” “Hmm? I just intend to do your laundry for you… Unless… You’re feeling frisky…?” replied Zivon with a chuckle, prompting Xavia to blush. Sure, they were married, but… honestly, they hadn’t done it all that much, which was why she was still a little shy when it came to such topics… Still. “…I could do your laundry too…” Pausing for a moment, Zivon replied, “…It’
Eyes widened in horror, Xavia couldn’t help but gasp when she saw all the wounds littered across Zivon’s chest! What the hell had he gone through…?! With how shocked she looked, Zivon couldn’t help but purse his lips before saying, “…Xav, listen to me-” “How did you get these…? Tell me everything now…!” interrupted the trembling Xavia who seriously couldn’t believe that he’d keep all this from her. Feeling helpless, Zivon sighed before explaining, “…I had to go to many dangerous places at the start just to get a hint as to where Fabiola could be… And one of the places was a dock. Basically, I was under the guise of a fisherman for a while, and since fishermen typically look beaten up… well, these wounds are self-inflicted. I just wanted to make them believe me…” Thanks to that, he had been able to blend in with the others at the dock, which prevented Joseph from sensing his presence for the longest time… Though Zivon said it so casually, Xavia’s heart still throbbed as she ge
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