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
“…Why did you only take close-ups of me?” Raising a slight brow, Zivon replied, “Isn’t photography all about the people in the pictures? And with how stunning my wife is, it only makes sense for me to take portrait photos of you…” “…Hey, the point of taking vacation pictures is to have the scenery in the background so that we can recall our fond memories. Don’t even think about sweet talking your way out of this one!” “Fine, fine, I’ll just take more, then…” Sadly, his scenery shots were… mediocre at best, and Xavia ended up shooing him away and telling Dolly that they should just take their own photos. As expected, Dolly agreed, and within seconds, the women were gleefully snapping away and praising each other’s shots, leaving the men speechless. Oh well… In the end, the trio simply sat in their sun chairs and enjoyed the view of their girls having fun all the way till evening came… With how glorious the evening rays were, Dolly couldn’t help but jump around like an enth
It was then that Xavia finally realized just how intimate their pose was… and after blushing a little, she quickly squirmed away before grumbling, “…I-if you’re not going to take this seriously, then I’m leaving!” Chuckling in response, Zivon then slipped his phone back into his pocket before pulling her close again as he said, “What? I’m only thanking my teacher for helping me get better… What’s wrong with that…?” …This man…! Biting his lower lip, she then grumbled, “…That’s for not taking things seriously…” Though he flinched a little, Zivon quickly smirked as he replied, “…Well, if you don’t want to be called teacher so much, then consider calling me that instead…” …She couldn’t even remember the last time that she had called him that, yet… the more she considered his words, the more awkward she became… and after a while, she shook her embarrassed head before grumbling, “…You like roleplay that much, huh? Since that’s the case, I have a perfect name for someone who demands s
As previously stated, Fabiola had only agreed to go to school to get closer to Neal… and so far, that determination had managed to carry her all the way to the sixth grade. With that, she started the day just like any other; by nibbling on her daily cupcake from her father and waiting outside the school gates for Neal… She had done this so much that the students no longer found her behavior odd… However, her actions also made her fall victim to some teasing and bullying… “Waiting for Neal again? I bet he’s grown so tired of you that he decided to come late!” Glaring at the cheeky boy, Fabiola snapped, “As if! He’s deeply in love with me, and if you keep spouting nonsense, then I’ll place a toad in your school bag!” Naturally, the boys weren’t about to continue taunting her, and they quickly ran off… Following a grunt, Fabiola was just about to continue munching on her cupcake when she suddenly heard the revving of a familiar engine… and upon turning around, she couldn’t help
Fast forward to Valentine’s Day, Fabiola took the effort to dress up in a nice, pink dress before heading over to the florist to get some flowers… Upon seeing her, the boss couldn’t help but ask, “Getting flowers for your Mommy, Sweetie?” “Nope! Daddy already got her flowers… I’m getting some for my future husband! Oh! These look nice! I want one please!” Chuckling in response, the boss then shook his head before saying, “Alright, little lady… Happy Valentine’s to you two!” After thanking him, Fabiola paid for the flower before running off with it. She remembered just how happy her mother had been when she saw her father’s flowers… Neal would definitely have the same reaction, right? In the end, she remained excited throughout her journey to school… and when she finally saw the boy of her dreams, she ran up to him and exclaimed, “Happy Valentine’s day, Neal! May we have many more Valentines to come!” Since she was now in class, the rest of her classmates quickly laughed at
Holding her friend’s hands, Fabiola asked, “Wait… You come to school by bicycle, right?” Feeling slightly embarrassed, Wanda muttered, “…Yeah, I do… Why?” Smiling widely, Fabiola replied, “Can I borrow it for a day?” She had once seen a couple riding a bicycle together and had found it incredibly romantic… Maybe that would be her ticket to getting Neal to finally fall for her! It was shortly after in the teacher’s lounge when Fabiola’s teacher could be heard asking, “…You want to take another leave? When your academic performance is already this terrible? Are you even trying anymore?” “Hey, it’s Valentine’s, so it’s natural to have a day off!” “…What?” “…Don’t worry about it, Miss! Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow, bye!” replied Fabiola before running off, leaving her exhausted teacher speechless. This couldn’t go on… She would have to have a word with the girl’s parents! Either way, since Fabiola had no idea how to ride a bicycle, she soon walked over to Neal’s classroom
From that day onward, Fabiola stopped bothering Neal during schooling hours… and instead, she’d pull Wanda along to the basketball court to cheer on him! “Go, go Neal! You can do it you’re the best!” Understandably envious because of her cheering, one of the fatter boys couldn’t help but grumble, “…Hey, cheer on the rest of us too…” “Hah! As if I’d cheer for someone who can’t even reach the hoop!” Naturally, this left the other boys speechless, and Fabiola simply continued cheering Neal on, even though he was too focused on the game to even bother with her right now… Alas, this only made Fabiola cheer even louder, and the other girls who were there couldn’t help but scoff, “Hey, you’re a natural megaphone, you know that?” “Right? It’s like you’re the entire cheerleading squad!” Upon hearing that, Wanda meekly muttered, “U-um… Maybe tone it down a little…” Rolling her eyes, Fabiola replied, “No way! He’s too cool to deserve anything less, and I won’t listen to those jeal
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