Cleo had served Fabiola ever since she was a child, and after clenching her fists, the woman was prompted to growl, “Please allow me to teach that man a lesson, Miss Burton…! It’s simply unthinkable that he’d just leave after all that you’ve done for him!” “…No, it’s fine… He probably had something serious to attend to-” “That’s not the point! He’s constantly humiliated you despite knowing who you are, and don’t you think that’s just sad? What would your parents feel if they learned about this…?!” “…Well, as long as they don’t know, then everything should be fine, right…? Anyway, go take the day off… I… need some time alone…” …Was there any hope for this foolish girl…? Unsure what to even say at this point, all Cleo could do was nod before closing the door behind her… Now that she was alone again, Fabiola’s smile turned somber as she turned to look at the food that had already grown cold on the table… Damn it… So what if she was the princess? She had literally everything in t
Naturally, Fabiola fell silent, not only out of embarrassment, but also because the pain just kept getting worse. Dismissing her silence, Hanley then carried her back to her room… and when he saw the state of chaos that it was in, he frowned a little before gently placing her on the bed. By this point, the pain was so unbearable that Fabiola couldn’t help but scream, “It hurts…! Please…! Make it stop…!” Wrapping a blanket around her, Hanley replied, “Be good and stay strong for me… I’ll be right back.” Though Fabiola typically hated asking for help from strangers, this was no typical situation, and all she could do was curl up into a ball as she waited for his return… It was shortly after when the door creaked open again, and this time, Hanley had a sanitary pad, some honey water, a warm patch, and even a chocolate bar in hand… He… even considered getting her those unnecessities…? Watching as she stared wide-eyed at him, Hanley handed her the honey water before saying, “Your
From feeding her honey water to soaking her feet in warm water, he had been extremely gentle and careful with her throughout the night… and honestly, it was nothing short of mystifying for her. After all, to think that that nobleman, of all people, would know how to care for a woman suffering from menstrual pains… Did he have a lot of experience with women? More importantly, Neal couldn’t hold a candle to him at all! Speaking of Neal… …Sure, he had left last night, but… She knew that he had been momentarily seduced by her last night. That meant that he felt something for her! Since that was the case, she simply needed to double her efforts! It was later that afternoon when the front of Neal’s company was scattered with rose petals in the shape of a heart… and before anyone could realize what was going on, Fabiola, who had a red, strapless gown on, began walking down the petaled path toward the building… By this point, Neal had gotten out to see what all the commotion was about… a
Pursing his lips, Neal took a deep breath before growling, “…You may have a right to pursue your love, but I have the right to turn you down as well. With that said, please stop messing my life up!” “You… What? How have I messed-” “In every way possible! Have I not been clear about how I don’t want to be in a relationship with you?! Why do you insist on making things awkward between us?! Now put that ring away already and start acting like a princess for once!” retorted Neal before running after Wanda, leaving the shocked Fabiola momentarily too shocked to even respond. As for the others witnessing all this… “Has… Has he lost his mind…?!” “Indeed! How could he reject someone as wonderful as the princess?!” “I really can’t understand his thought process!” As everyone stared pitifully at her, Fabiola eventually clenched her fists before heading over to her car and driving off furiously, making sure to toss the rings into the nearest ditch along the process… Moving back to N
“…What? But why?” “Well… She’s honestly this clingy with you because she doesn’t communicate with other men much… With that said, if she falls for someone else, maybe… Just maybe she’ll move on from you… I’m sure you have plenty of friends to recommend to her, right?” Pursing his lips a little, Neal eventually replied, “…You should know how prideful she is, so… Well, the probability of this working is…” “So, what? We let her continue having her way? If so, just give up on me already… She’s already a Frankston and her father is the Great Young Master Burton! Sure, I’m your girlfriend, but right now? I feel like a mistress instead… Just let me rot here…” muttered the helpless Wanda. Squinting slightly, Neal replied, “…Didn’t I tell you to stop that? Regardless, it’s true that I need to have another serious talk with her…” “…You’ll do it?” “I will, but… At the end of the day, she’s the one who will make the final call.” Nodding slowly in response, Wanda then hugged him tight
Fishing out a photo from his pocket, he then extended it out and asked, “This is you, isn’t it?” …True enough, it was her. What’s more, it was the picture that she had stuck in Neal’s room without asking for his permission first! Was all this really just an attempt to get her on a blind date?! Noticing how pale she now looked, the man walked up to her and added, “…Hey, relax. Sure, I’m a bit on the older side, but I know how to treat a lady, and I promise to always cherish you. What’s more, I won’t expect you to treat my kids well immediately. I know how hard it can be for stepmothers, after all.” Eyes widening even more, Fabiola replied, “You… You’re divorced…?! And you already have two kids?!” “Indeed. I’ve made all this clear from the start so… Wait, why do you sound like you don’t know any of this-” “Because I fucking don’t!” snapped the enraged Fabiola as she shoved the man away from her before fleeing without another word! Once she was a safe distance away, the trembl
Following a brief pause, Hanley replied, “…Could you be implying…?” “Do you not want to be with me either?” interrupted Fabiola as she glared at him. Doing his best to hide his smile, Hanley replied, “On the contrary, it would be an honor to be given a chance to marry such a fine lady…” After a brief pause, Fabiola then said, “…Then prepare all the relevant documents by tomorrow. We’re registering our marriage as soon as possible.” “Very well…” Fast forward to the next day, Hanley appeared before her as promised, and after showing her the documents, he was prompted to say, “Sure about this, Your Highness?” Naturally, she wasn’t sure about it at all. She had only said all that last night due to how angry she was, but… Considering what Neal had already done to her, she may as well! With that, she forced a smile before replying, “I never go back against my word.” Smiling in response, Hanley then held her hand before saying, “Since that’s the case… I’d prefer it if we didn’t
“T-that’s not the case at all!” exclaimed Fabiola who had run a background check on Hanley and learned that not only was he a great businessman, but he had two Phds as well! If anything, he was overqualified! Shaking her head, she quickly added, “I-it’s just… we’ve only met a few times, and we don’t even know each other that well, so-” “Then we’ll just get to know each other more from now on.” …How was she even supposed to counter that…? Since she couldn’t reply, Hanley smiled before saying, “Putting that aside, do have a taste of my cooking… Don’t worry, if it isn’t to your liking, then I’ll just try again.” Nodding slightly, Fabiola then gave a slight taste… and to her shock, it was absolutely delicious! Had he actually made this on his own?! Her silence made him add, “Don’t worry, I can accept criticism…” Shaking her head, all Fabiola could do was smile awkwardly before continuing to eat… But sadly, her appetite wasn’t there at all. After all, she couldn’t help but won
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