Soon enough, he was in his usual lab coat, and as he was working on his new project, he heard his curious co-worker ask, “What’s that, Professor? I don’t think I saw anything like it in our project list…” Not even bothering to glance back, he indifferently replied, “A little personal project.” …Oh? Now everyone was even more curious! “…You know, if you’re working so diligently on it, we at least know who you’re making it for…” “Right? Mrs. Burton sure is a lucky woman! I wonder if it’s her birthday or anniversary…” Raising a slight brow, Zivon eventually looked up and replied, “…Do you all want to work overtime?” Naturally, nobody wanted that, and they awkwardly bowed before hurrying off, causing the lab to fall silent once more… As the brilliant mind continued working tirelessly on the project, Xavia herself was busy organizing her work with Bianca and Dolly’s help. Eventually, Dolly couldn’t help but ask, “…Honestly, why the big rush? It’s not like you have anniversar
After getting out of the car, Xavia told him to look the other way… and seconds later, he felt Xavia’s hands covering his eyes. He didn’t question it, and after being led for a while, he heard Xavia say, “Alright… I hope you like the surprise…” Following that, she removed her hands, revealing a large, brilliant structure that almost seemed to glow… and at the very top, the words, ‘Xanon World’ were presented in gold-plating… How had such a massive project gone unnoticed by him this entire time?! Especially when he was so close to this place! Sensing his confusion, Xavia explained, “So… I had a little help from Chace for this. Basically, I had him block out all news about this place for the longest time, but putting that aside, you should know that I designed every inch of this place! Come on, I’ll give you a tour!” While listening to her explanation, Zivon couldn’t help but smile wider and wider… After all, he couldn’t imagine just how much thought and love she had put into mak
It took him a while, but he eventually rubbed his temples before muttering, “…I know I told you to always strive for the best, but… Is this really where you should be putting your time into…?” Chuckling in response, Xavia replied, “Sorry, but I’m afraid you’re still not aware of my genius… See, this heart-shaped glass building has a height of exactly nine-hundred and ninety-nine meters, which makes it the tallest building in the world! Even Chace told me that this building is record worthy, so… As my lover and teacher, don’t tell me you’re still dissatisfied after witnessing such a grand feat…?” Squinting slightly, Zivon pulled Xavia close before saying, “…Are you sure you want to be this cheeky with your professor…? Hmm…? Looks like a little punishment is in order…” Just like that, his lips were already on hers, and Xavia found her eyes widening! To think that he’d kiss her out of the blue! Well… Whatever. After rolling her eyes, she then began returning the kiss… And by the t
Watching as all that happened from below, Zayne couldn’t help but mutter, “…Can we leave yet?” “I am, at least. The last thing I want is to disrupt their romantic moment,” replied Bianca as she began walking off. Upon hearing that, Chace quickly ran up to her and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a surprise on our anniversary too! I won’t be outdone by other lovers that easily!” Rolling her eyes, Bianca replied, “As long as it’s a gift from the heart, anything is fine.” Being the businessman he was, Chace had always given her opulent gifts such as luxurious yachts and even helicopters! However, none of them really felt like they were given with much thought about her… She’d rather have something simple but heartfelt… Sensing how unimpressed she was, Chace then said, “…You know I’m a businessman, not an inventor like Zivon, right…? Maybe I should pick up a trick or two from him…” “Sounds good. I’ll be waiting then,” replied Bianca, leaving Chace slightly speechless. That had
The more she thought about it, however, the more she realized that Zayne had… changed. Sure, he was nowhere as great as Zivon was, but… compared to before, Zayne was no longer the carefree man that she used to know. At the end of the day, she was the only one who had barely improved after all this time… Since she wasn’t replying, Zayne couldn’t help but smile helplessly as he added, “…What? Have you given up on loving me…?” Upon hearing that, Dolly simply shook her head. After all, that wasn’t the case at all… She simply felt like that was a slowly increasing distance between them, but… She didn’t know how to put it into words. Even if she could, she felt that saying it would only make it seem like she was overreacting… At the end of the day, weren’t all lovers meant to slowly drift away like this? Well, almost all… Zivon and Xavia had the real deal. Since she still wasn’t replying, Zayne eventually muttered, “…Look, I don’t know if you think that I’ve been ignoring you on purp
Fast forward to the day of Xanon World’s grand opening, Xavia received a plethora of awards as expected. Naturally, this meant that there were reporters plaguing her from left and right as well… “Did you design everything yourself, Mrs. Burton?! Did Mr. Burton help you at all?!” was one of the questions, and before Xavia could reply, Zivon suddenly stood right next to her! “She designed everything as a gift to me… Truth be told, I’ve just learned about this building recently as well.” “So she did design everything! How impressive! May we know what prompted you to create this grand structure, Mrs. Burton?” Smiling in response, Xavia replied, “Sadly, that’s a secret that only my husband and I know…” “Aww… Well, you heard her, folks! That aside, what do you think about her gift, Young Master Burton?” “Easily the third best thing I’ve ever been given. The second, being the kids she blessed me with, and the top… Well, her giving herself to me,” replied Zivon, instantly bringing
On the very next day, Dolly suddenly called Xavia out… and when they finally met, she was quick to say, “Congratulations on your grand success, Xavia! Let’s celebrate by taking a trip together!” “…Huh? Don’t tell me you’re still quarreling with Zayne and using me as an excuse to escape…” muttered Xavia. Shaking her head, Dolly replied, “No, no, we’re all good now… We’ve already agreed that he’s the breadwinner while I’m his bimbo, so there’s really nothing else to worry about. That aside, I just felt like we haven’t had a proper trip in like, what? Two years? After all, you’ve been busy with the kids, and well… all that had happened. So? What do you say? A trip with all of us together…” After giving it some thought, Xavia pursed her lips before muttering, “…I’d… rather not…” Recalling Fiona’s assassination attempt, Dolly was quick to say, “…I assure you that the same won’t happen again, especially now that we know better… If you’re still worried, however, feel free to get your
...But… Just the memory of Zivon getting stabbed, and the kids being thrown out into the sea… It was just too much…! “…How sure are you that this place is safe…? Sure, we no longer have any notable enemies now, but I really can’t afford to face another Fiona incident…” Upon hearing that, Chace replied, “Not to worry, we did a thorough security check, and the only crew members on board are people that we already know. No outsiders.” “Indeed. Zivon would never let lightning strike twice, and if something bad does happen, then feel free to end things with him!” added Zayne, prompting Zivon to glare at him. What the hell was he even saying?! Thankfully, Xavia found Zayne’s joke amusing enough to stop worrying for a bit… and before she could reply, Nathan walked up to everyone with a team of elite bodyguards following him! After a bow, Nathan said, “Fear not, Mrs. Burton. Aside from the bedrooms, every inch of the ship has cameras installed, so nobody is doing anything vile undete
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