With how icy his words were, Fabiola simply clenched her fists before continuing to leave… Meanwhile, Neal could be seen standing before his office’s window, staring down at the tiny world below… “…We need to arrive at the Robinson Group by nine-thirty to sign the deal, so we had best made a move…” Pursing his lips when he heard the word, Robinson, Neal put out his cigarette with a sigh before heading over to meet Hanley… After flipping through the documents for a while, Hanley signed the contract before saying, “Feel free to contact Mr. Castell whenever your group runs into any issues regarding the project.” “May this be a fruitful collaboration… Also, may I add that you have quite the nightlife, Mr. Robinson…!” growled Neal who had clearly noticed the hickeys on Hanley’s neck. Feeling the marks on his neck, Hanley’s gaze softened a little as he replied, “What can I say? She just loves clinging to me…” “…What? Are you talk
In the end, Fabiola vomited several more times… and once all of it was out of her system, she finally dozed off again… After staring helplessly at her for a while, Neal eventually got her a glass of warm water before slowly spoon-feeding it to her… and once he was done, he began cleaning her face with a warm towel. Following that, he began cleaning up… And after everything was all tidy again, he couldn’t help but return to her side and start reminiscing about all the happy times they had together as kids… This girl had always been a passionate one, and no matter how many times he rejected her, she’d always be back on her feet the very next day… Oh, how things had changed… It took him a while, but he eventually muttered, “…Didn’t you tell me that you’d only ever love me, Fabiola…? What happened…?” All of a sudden, the sleeping woman grabbed his hand and muttered, “Hanley… You jerk…” …She was even thinking about that man in her sleep? Just how close were those two…? Just th
Clenching his fists, the infuriated man growled, “…Revoke all of Wanda’s bank cards…! And warn her never to ever appear before me again!” …Wait, what? Did that bitch trick him as well? Now that she finally saw the whole picture, she was prompted to ask, “…Since this is genuinely a misunderstanding, why don’t you-” “There’s… No point explaining things to her when her heart is no longer with me…” He genuinely looked worn out, and though Lea felt sympathetic, she knew deep down that there was nothing more that could be done… Fast forward to the next morning, Fabiola awoke with a splitting headache… and when she finally sat up, she was surprised to find out that she was on her couch instead of the floor… What’s more, her room was now spotless. What on earth had happened? Her train of thought was cut short when Lea walked up to her with some broth in hand… “Finally awake? If you’re wondering about the room, Neal cleaned it up for you…” …What? Sensing her surprise, Lea added, “
Squinting slightly when she heard that, it took her a while to reply, “…It’s not as easy as that. I was serious when I said that I no longer wanted to marry you.” Pursing his lips, Neal then said, “…Alright, assuming you truly do like him… I still have a right to be your friend then, right? With that said, cut the politeness…” Upon hearing that, Fabiola simply lowered her gaze and began eating her cake, causing Neal to frown a little. Though dejected, he reminded himself that this was how he had always treated her back then… and if she could wait for him for so long before giving up, then he was going to make sure that he did the same! Fast forward to a few days later, Fabiola was invited to the nineteenth Aplos Swimming Competition, one of the greatest swimming competitions in the country. Anyone who won would then represent the country in the international rounds in hopes of bringing Aplos greater glory. Knowing that, Fabiola took a deep breath before agreeing to participate…
Upon hearing that, Fabiola instantly fell silent… and since she was no longer struggling, Hanley quickly took the chance to carry her to the changing rooms to start treating her wound… Watching as he gently began patching her foot up, Fabiola couldn’t help but mutter, “…Are you this kind to everyone?” Raising a slight brow, Hanley replied, “Not everyone can make me kneel.” …Though she knew that much, she also couldn’t forget the hickeys on his neck from that day… and after clenching her fists, she smacked a nearby bag against him while snapping, “Liar! You clearly loved your ‘friend’ just as much, so stop pretending and leave my life already!” Her attack genuinely hurt, and after pursing his lips, Hanley pulled her into his arms before saying, “Were you not the one who suggested the marriage and agreed to sign the divorce papers? Tell me, just what am I supposed to feel?” “…Y-you’re the one who initiated the divorce, and you’re the one who kissed her, so you’re clearly the ba
...So she would rather make him suffer all that pain rather than back down a bit? Though slightly disheartened by that, Hanley simply shook the thought off before saying, “…True enough, it is fitting for a princess to be prideful… Regardless, if another misunderstanding ever occurs, then please allow me to address the issue before turning me down… Is that agreeable?” “…Deal!” replied Fabiola who was now feeling much better. Her parents had constantly reminded her to never lower herself too much for others, and… Now that she had made a fool of herself in front of Neal, she wasn’t about to let Hanley have the last say too! Looking at the prideful woman, Hanley couldn’t help but smile for a bit… But after a while, he couldn’t help but ask, “…You thought I was unfaithful, but… Have you been faithful to me as well?” Without the slightest hesitation, Fabiola declared, “Of course, I have! Sure, I may appear carefree, but I’ve never ever done anything inappropriate with Neal! In fact,
As Fabiola blushed even more, she failed to notice Neal standing right outside the room, a towel and water bottle in his clenched hand… It made him think about all the times that Fabiola had done the same for him… and in the end, he walked away without another word. Unbeknownst to him, Cleo had been staring at him from afar, and after a sigh, she shook her head. If only he knew what was really up… Regardless, after handing Fabiola some new clothes to change into, Hanley headed to the balcony… and once he was there, he realized that there was a message waiting for him. ‘How are things going with Fabiola?’ After squinting a little, Hanley quickly replied, ‘We’ve made up. We won’t be divorcing.’ Just as he had deleted both messages, Fabiola appeared… and when she saw Hanley’s fingers tapping away, she couldn’t help but ask, “…Are you texting her again? Don’t tell me it’s her birthday or something.” Chuckling in response, Hanley replied, “Zero, seven, zero, seven… That’s my pho
As she was wondering how to proceed with this, she was surprised to hear Neal add, “Naturally, Mr. Robinson is invited as well.” Upon hearing Hanley agree, the shocked Fabiola was quick to say, “A-are you sure? My siblings can be overbearing, you know…?” “I mean, I’ll have to meet them sooner or later… That aside, I believe that you’ll protect me…” “…That’s true… Don’t worry! I’ll make sure they won’t force you to drink too much!” With how close the two seemed, Neal couldn’t help but purse his lips… It wasn’t long after when the trio arrived at the massive rooftop of a luxurious hotel… and as it turned out, the clearing had a sky garden that had been decorated all over with bright fairy lights, bouquets, and even balloons… As they made their way toward the other Burtons, they heard Yulia exclaim, “She’s really awesome to be able to make it to the finals!” “That, she is… She may be bad at studies, but she’s literally perfect with everything else!” replied Maison. Frank h
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