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
He was suddenly surrounded by the six boys who had lost in the basketball game! Raising a slight brow at Donny, their leader, Neal asked, “…What do you want?” Sneering in response, Donny scoffed, “You have an attitude problem, Neal! Do you really think that you’re that great just because Fabiola loves you? Hell, even though you keep pretending that you don’t care about her, you won just now just to impress her, didn’t you? How pretentious!” The truth was, Donny had always loved Fabiola, but… due to how much she loved Neal, all he could do was take care of her like an elder brother. Alas, that bastard Neal didn’t seem to appreciate her at all! He had been holding back his rage for ages, and now that all this had happened, he had to finally beat him up for good! To his annoyance, Neal simply replied, “First of all, I had no intention of impressing her. Secondly, just admit that you’re pissed because you lost!” Now enraged, Donny immediately launched a punch straight at Neal’s c
Moving back to Neal, he was already starting to lose consciousness… but moments before he passed out, he noticed someone swimming toward him… A girl… But… Who was it…? That was the last thought he had before passing out… Since Fabiola had lived on that island for so long, she was a competent swimmer, and in no time at all, she had grabbed Neal! Following that, she began swimming him toward the side of the pool… and thankfully, it wasn’t long before they were both on land again. Looking at the pale boy’s face, the terrified Fabiola did her best to calm down as she said, “N-Neal? Neal! D-don’t worry, everything will be fine!” After saying that, she immediately began performing CPR on him… but despite her best efforts, he simply wouldn’t wake up! Just what was she to do?! In the end, she got so desperate that she opened his mouth and began blowing air in… and thankfully, that worked! Seconds later, Neal vomited a mouthful of water out… and after coughing for a while, his breathing
As romantic piano music continued playing in the flower-filled hall, the suited Neal finally made his appearance… and after staring at everyone with his phoenix-like eyes, he finally said, “…As most of you already know, I’ll be proposing tonight… and the person I’m proposing to has been by my side ever since I was a child. She’d always support me tirelessly, and… I think it’s about time she received the recognition she deserves.” Watching as the young man revealed a giant diamond ring, the crowd immediately went into a frenzy! “My God! He really managed to buy that limited-edition ring! He must truly love her!” “Gosh, I can only imagine how giddy the princess must be feeling right now!” “Right?! Hurry up and confess already…!” It was no secret that Fabiola had been madly in love with Neal for years now, so really, it made sense that her charming prince would finally propose to her in the end! Despite all the envious gazes around her, Fabiola paid them no attention. After al
“You…! You’ve crossed the line, Neal…! You of all people know how much Fabiola loves you, yet you still chose to be with her best friend instead…?! How could you do this?!” roared the furious Lea, leaving Neal slightly speechless. Not wanting Neal to get scolded like that, Wanda took a step forward and said, “He’s not to blame! I am-” “That goes without saying! You already know how hard Fabiola has tried to win his affection throughout the years, but here you are, still acting like a little bitch-” “That’s enough! Just vent your rage on me and leave Wanda alone!” roared Neal as he hugged the teary-eyed Wanda. “You…! You…!” growled the dissatisfied Lea who could not believe what was happening right now! Despite all the shouting and chaos, all Fabiola could see was Neal hugging Wanda… and the longer she stared, the icier her lonely heart became… It was shortly after when Neal brought Wanda home, and the second he entered the house, he heard Zayne yell, “You fool…! How dare yo
Since Xavia had shouted rather loudly, Neal was able to hear that statement… and after a slight frown, he was prompted to ask, “…She what?” After an awkward silence, Zayne eventually sighed before muttering, “…It kind of makes sense after what happened today…” Clenching his fists, the worried Neal eventually grabbed his car keys before striding off, completely forgetting about Wanda in the process… It was about half an hour later when Neal arrived at a bar… and upon entering, he was immediately greeted by a familiar voice rapping, “Check it out, yo! Come on, let’s get this party fiery!” Standing amongst a crowd of dancing people, was Fabiola enthusiastically hyping everyone up… and though Neal was glad that she was safe and sound, he quickly shook his head before taking a deep breath and walking over to her… Before he could reach her, however, a man got to her first and asked, “Oh, fair lady, may I have this dance?” Wanting to continue drowning her sorrows with fun, Fabiola
Feeling slightly uncomfortable when he saw her like this, he eventually muttered, “…Hey, I’m sure you’ll find a better man, plus I’ll still continue caring for you as I always have…” Smiling wryly in response, Fabiola simply began looking out the window… and soon enough, she was fast asleep… Fast forward to the next morning, Fabiola awoke to a headache… and before she could register where she was, Yulia suddenly popped into view and asked, “Fabiola? You’re awake! How do you feel…?” Maison himself was quick to say, “Don’t be sad for that scumbag, Fabiola! I have plenty of friends to recommend to you who are way better than him!” It took her a while, but Fabiola eventually gritted her teeth before replying, “…No. I’ve promised myself that I’d win his affection, and I’ll make sure that happens! I’m trying again and again, even if it kills me!” Following that, she quickly got up and began preparing herself to head to the Xenos Group’s headquarters, leaving her brothers and sister
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