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
With how well everyone seemed to be getting along, Neal couldn’t help but lower his gaze. It didn’t help that Fabiola only had her eyes on Hanley this entire time… Just how had things gotten to this point…? In the end, he drank glass after glass of wine to drown his sorrows… and after what felt like forever, he raised his glass to say, “…Congratulations on your victory, Fabiola… I’ll… Be leaving first…” Watching as he drunkenly began to leave, the worried Fabiola was tempted to at least see him out… but before she could leave, Hanley held her hand and muttered, “Stay… The last thing I want is for you to be with your ex on the day we made our relationship public…” It wasn’t like she wanted to do anything with Neal… She was simply worried as a friend. However, before she could explain, Lea suddenly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s fine. You guys carry on.” Relieved to hear that, Fabiola nodded before saying, “Got it… That aside… Were you jealous…?” “It’s simply my way of
With how much Fabiola’s eyes were sparkling, her siblings were left completely speechless… After all, this was the first time they had ever seen her being this clingy… It took him a while, but Frank eventually rested her head against his shoulder before saying, “…You moved on rather quickly.” “I mean, how could I not have when he’s so sweet…?” …She had completely fallen for him, huh? Sure, Neal didn’t deserve her, but not even Frank wanted Neal to see her like this… That man would probably feel like dying… Alas, with how much Neal had drunk, he was pretty much halfway to the afterlife. Looking at how distraught her boss was, his assistant couldn’t help but take his phone and key in Fabiola’s number… but before she could even hit the call button, Neal glared at her and growled, “Don’t butt into my affairs…!” Pursing her lips, the assistant replied, “…We both know that she’s still concerned about you, so this is your best shot and revealing the truth-” “Hah! The only perso
Blushing slightly, Fabiola replied, “…Well, there’s nothing wrong with me wanting to stare at my husband, so there!” Chuckling in response, Hanley then said, “Doesn’t change the fact that I’m feeling distracted…” “That’s on you…” “I suppose…” “…You seem to give in quite easily… Makes me wonder how many women you’ve been with for you to end up this smooth…” “As I’ve said before, you’re the only one I’ve been with.” “Liar. With how attractive and wealthy you are, I’m sure you’ve had plenty of fans! You could probably have an entire football team of girls if you properly counted them!” “…Should I be happy that you’re that confident in me? Or mad that you’re this unwilling to believe in me…?” asked Hanley as he pulled Fabiola into his lap. Before the embarrassed Fabiola could reply, Hanley added, “Hmm… Why don’t we run… a virginity test?” “…W-what?! How do you plan-” “You can’t seriously tell me that you don’t catch my drift…” interrupted Hanley as he gently caressed he
Clenching her fists, Layla retorted, “He… He’s only allowing you to do as you please because of your status-” “Stop fooling yourself. He clearly loves me, and I can assure you that he wouldn’t even mind if I turned his office into my personal garbage dump!” “…Don’t get too cocky! You know, I’ve heard that you’ve never been good at studies! With that said, I hope you know that Hanley only likes intelligent women!” Smirking in response, Fabiola replied, “Sorry to bust your bubble, but not even my parents have ever been bothered by that. Hanley doesn’t care either, so why should you?” “You…! Listen, Hanley and I have been engaged since we were kids, so stop giving yourself false hope!” Though Fabiola paused for a moment, she eventually replied, “…And? You say it like that’s going to make him love you.” Before the infuriated Layla could even think of a witty reply, Fabiola tossed some snack wrappers at her before adding, “Go do something else already instead of bothering me!”
“...In what way does that count as compensation?” grumbled the blushing Fabiola. Chuckling in response, Hanley replied, “I mean, normally I’d give more, but… As punishment, I’ll restrict myself to only one…” Despite his romantic sentiment, Fabiola pursed her lips before saying, “…Denied! If you aren’t going to suggest a proper one, then how about you go mountain climbing with me?” Raising a slight brow, Hanley took a while before replying, “…I still have things to attend to today, so… Could we hold it off till tomorrow?” Though slightly displeased with his answer, Fabiola eventually said, “…Fine. But it has to be tomorrow!” Smiling in response, Hanley replied, “Appreciated, Your Highness…” Knowing better than to continue bothering him, Fabiola then left him alone… But it was around noon when news about him caught her attention again. Fabiola had been idly browsing through social media at the time when suddenly, there was breaking news regarding Hanley and Layla! Essenti
It was around then when Neal arrived at Fabiola’s home with a gift in hand… but to his surprise, he only found her housekeeper there. Upon being asked where she was, the housekeeper respectfully replied, “Ah, she headed off to go mountain climbing up the Alcier Tips earlier in the afternoon.” Raising a slight brow, Neal decided not to think too much of it and simply left the gift on her table… However, just as he was about to leave, a news broadcast suddenly blared from the playing radio… “An avalanche has been reported at Alcier Tips, and the general public is advised not to approach the area for the time being. Moving on to other news…” Naturally, Neal’s mind immediately began racing after hearing that! Fearing the worst, he quickly tried calling Fabiola… But even after a minute had passed, she still hadn’t picked up! Watching as the anxious Neal began bolting toward the door, the housekeeper couldn’t help but ask, “M-Mr. Xenos! Slow down, where are you-” “I’m off to find
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