“…But… how is this possible…?” muttered Xavia. After all, it had been late last night and they were even in a room! How did someone manage to photograph them?! From Xavia’s reaction, Dolly—who had already suspected that it was her—was prompted to exclaim, “So that really is you! What on earth is going on between you and Young Master Burton? Despite how much you two argue on the surface, are you this intimate with him behind the scenes? How far have you two gone?” …How far had they gone? They hadn’t done a thing! Feeling a headache coming, Xavia was prompted to say, “…Just… give me some time off… I’m hanging up…” Once the call ended, Xavia got up and headed to the bathroom to get a change and apply her makeup. She was planning to deny that the woman in the photo wasn’t her. However, it didn’t take long before several knocks could be heard at her door! Following that, Xavia heard someone yell, “Miss Xavia? Miss Xavia! Are you in? Please open the door and tell us if you were the o
Shortly after, the door burst open and a sea of reporters immediately rushed in and began taking pictures! However, to their surprise, Xavia was nowhere to be found. The only person who had been in that room was a child! “Is that Little Master Burton…?” “My god! Is that really him?!” “Little Master Burton, did you sleep alone last night? Or did you sleep with your aunt? She’s a woman that looks a lot like your mommy…” Despite the fact that they were well aware that the boy was extremely young, the questions kept on coming. From the reporters’ point of view, the boy was probably old enough to understand their questions. With that in mind, they were sure that he was also more than capable of nodding or saying a few basic things. To their dismay, Maison simply stared blankly and wordlessly at them! “…Why isn’t he saying anything?” “Yeah, what gives?” “Little Master Burton, I’ll give you this sweet if you answer this question. Did someone tell you not to say anything…?” asked
When a surprised Nathan was prompted to exclaim “Y-Young Master! Miss Lockhart is on the trending tab again…!” “…What is it about this time?” After staring wide-eyed at the screen for a bit, he eventually said, “…You’d… better take a look at it yourself…” Taking the large tablet that Nathan handed to him, Zivon soon saw the words, ‘#Xavia Lockhart admits to being in a relationship!’ Attached to the post was a picture of Xavia and Keith holding hands. With Keith looking so gentlemanly and Xavia so delicate, it truly was an eye-catching photograph. Together with the image, was some text stating that Keith had said, ‘Xavia and I are passionately in love…’ Xavia, of course, had agreed with that statement, and the fact that even their arms were hooked made the duo look quite enviable. Regardless, as usual, the commenters were immediately riled up by the post. ‘Making an official announcement now, of all times? Trying to turn everyone away from the scandal?’ ‘That actually make
...Together with Keith in the middle of the night? So Keith went to her again after leaving them? As he thought about it, Zivon couldn’t help but wonder if—contrarily to him—Xavia had kissed Keith without any resistance… The thought of it alone was enough to shroud his eyes in abysmal and suffocating darkness… Already cracking from the pressure, Nathan cleared his throat before asking in a tiny voice, “…Do… you still think we should deal with the news, Young Master…?” Glaring coldly at Nathan for a while, Zivon eventually replied, “…No. Pick Maison up at noon and bring him home.” …Zivon was really angry this time… After all, he didn’t even want the little master to be in contact with Xavia anymore… Regardless, Zivon wasn’t the only one upset. Jenna was equally displeased when she saw the news. After all, not only had Keith publicly acknowledged his relationship with Xavia, but that b*tch was also slowly gaining more popularity than her these days! Bad popularity was still pop
“It’s a reporter who usually releases breaking news on Tuesdays. I’m assuming he realized that you were gaining popularity lately, which led to him create all sorts of news about you. After some investigating, I’ve managed to obtain pictures of him meeting and bribing your foster mother as well. He has accomplices from his studio as well. Regardless, if you need evidence, I have it,” replied Lily. …What? It was just a reporter this entire time? Understandably surprised, Xavia was prompted to ask, “…Are you sure this information is reliable…?” “I am. Look, things work differently in the entertainment industry. Having popularity in the news is like being granted a well-paid occupation. With that said, even if there was nothing to report about, he’d have tried to create trouble. That reporter is more ruthless than you think, and if my guess is correct, he should also be the person who took the photos last night. You really need to be more careful these days…” “…Alright. I appreciate
“…Chairman Talton is a really great man… To think he’d actually speak up for you on the matter…” said the moved Dolly—who was now hugging Xavia—in between sobs. Even if they had posted any information or evidence, nobody would’ve believed them given their reputation. This, of course, was different when Stefan was doing it. After all, nobody would ever doubt his words. Regardless, the most touching thing of all was the fact that Stefan was willing to help Xavia—at the expense of his status and position—in the first place. That aside, nobody would ever continue destroying Xavia’s reputation from here on out… Dolly, for one, was particularly pleased about this. After all, only god knew how upsetting it had been for her when she kept seeing Xavia getting scolded in the past few days… “Don’t you see, Xavia…? We have people watching over us too…! We won’t be bullied anymore…!” Though she didn’t immediately reply, the redness in Xavia’s eyes said it all. While it was true that she w
Removing her mask, Xavia replied, “I’m here to meet Chairman Burton. Step aside.” With how commanding her tone was, the guard immediately backed off. This… was young mistress Jenna, right…? Xavia herself didn’t bother telling him who she really was. Instead, she quickly made her way upstairs before heading toward Zivon’s office. Once she was there, she pushed the door open before asking in a rather loud tone, “What’s the meaning of all this, Zivon?” To her surprise, Xavia was greeted by the sight of several senior executives—all wearing suits—staring at her in shock. Why the hell were there so many people here?! The executives themselves were wondering why ‘Jenna’ was not only barging into Zivon’s office, but also speaking to him in such a tone! When had she obtained such a temperament?! Realizing that Zivon himself was seated at his desk—with his usual prestigious and frigid posture—, Xavia froze for a moment before eventually saying, “…Apologies, you can resume the meeting
Though anyone else would’ve found her tone to be powerful and slightly intimidating, Zivon simply raised a brow before replying, “I don’t want Maison getting along with half-hearted people who are emotionally confused.” …What? Her eyes now widened in disbelief, Xavia couldn’t help but exclaim, “Who are you calling half-hearted and emotionally confused?! Are you sure you’re talking about me?!” “Did you not return home to look for your first love? Then why are you dating Keith now? May I remind you that you’re also still in touch with your previous lover. Is that not a textbook example of an emotionally confused person?” said Zivon, leaving Xavia momentarily speechless. There… There were reasons for all that! But… how was she going to explain it all to him…? Upon seeing that Xavia couldn’t refute, Zivon simply placed the cheque before her as he said, “Leave.” Though his voice was extremely commanding, Xavia was discontent with leaving like this. Before she could reply, however,
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