Unable to see through her emotions, Zivon was prompted to ask, “Are you angry…? I’ve done all that I can to get him to leave…” Zivon’s words were both gentlemanly and tender, a dangerous combination that would make any woman fall for him… However, Xavia knew that this tenderness wasn’t exclusively hers. He could’ve used this tenderness on countless other women. That aside, if he could give Linda away so casually, then who knew when he’d grow bored of her and give her away next? With her emotions now sorted out, she then calmly stared Zivon in the eye before saying, “…I’m not angry. I’ve simply had time to figure out the answer to your earlier question, Young Master Burton. Essentially, we’re all adults here, so it’s pretty pointless for us to be talking about feelings. After all, such feelings could be for you today, yet they could be for another on the next. With that in mind, it’s really not all that valuable.” Understanding what she was getting at, Zivon then narrowed his ey
His statement instantly caused Xavia to go pale. She… was just trying to help him out here…! It clearly wouldn’t be easy for him to explain himself if Jenna saw her like this, so if he helped her, he’d also be helping himself! With that in mind, why the hell was he being so calculative?! Xavia’s train of thought was cut short when she heard two knocks from outside, followed by Jenna saying, “Zivon…?” Cr*p. There was no time…! “Look, I’ll owe you one, so please just help me out here…!” whispered the desperate Xavia. Before Zivon could even reply, she had already closed the wardrobe’s door. Truly as swift as a fox… Still, Zivon couldn’t help but subtly smile. When he saw the exposed corner of his white shirt sticking out of the wardrobe, however, his gaze momentarily deepened. It was at that moment when Jenna walked in while asking, “Zivon…? You here…?” Turning to look at her, Zivon saw that she had a limited-edition, pastel purple suit on. Adding that to how beautiful and eleg
“If you don’t have anything else to say, leave before I get angry…” This was a clear warning, and Xavia instantly went pale. Though she still had a lot to say, no way in hell was she about to challenge his authority after hearing that! With that, she quickly grabbed a large suit and wrapped it around her before running off… Zivon himself was now exuding his oppressive aura again, and he couldn’t help but rub his temple… Moving toward his floor-to-ceiling windows, he stared down at most of Darlsbury, looking like a powerful yet lonely falcon… Seeing this, Nathan couldn’t help but feel slightly sympathetic. After all, regular people only had to consider whether they liked or disliked someone when it came to marriage and divorces… It was ironic that the wealthy Zivon—who seemed like he had the world in his hands—couldn’t even have the final say in his own marriage contract… Regardless, fast forward to evening the next day, it was finally time for their departure for Hawaii. Tho
Meanwhile, Xavia had just thrown up all of her dinner in the washroom. Once she was finally done, she slowly began washing her face clean again… It was around then when she heard a knock at the door, followed by Keith’s voice saying, “It’s me.” Though it was gentle as usual, his voice simultaneously sounded rather heavy… Not thinking too much about it, Xavia then opened the washroom door for him… and before she could even react, Keith had already slipped in and closed the door again! Following that, he pinned Xavia against the wall with one of his hands! The action hurt her slightly, and she was prompted to ask, “Y-Young Master Keith…?! What’s the meaning of this…?!” “What’s the meaning of this…? You dare ask me that question…?!” growled the furious Keith as he glared at her. Previously, even when Keith was angry, he had always remained gentlemanly… With that in mind, it was evident that he was really pissed this time…! Before Xavia could reply, Keith’s hands were already str
Narrowing his deep eyes at her, Zivon eventually asked, “…You’re not a doctor. Are you absolutely sure?” The way he said it made it seem like he doubted that she was really pregnant. This, of course, made Xavia slightly irked, prompting her to say, “I am. Why wouldn’t I know my own body? I’ll have you know that I made sure to take a contraceptive pill during our ‘little incident’ back then. That aside, it’s been ages since then and my periods have resumed.” “You’re aware that we haven’t copulated since then as well, and since I haven’t done it with Keith either, how could I possibly be pregnant? Unless you’re telling me that there’s something odd that I ate!” scoffed Xavia in a sassy tone as she looked right back at him. Zivon himself already knew that this arrogant girl would never allow others to easily have the last say. Regardless, after thinking a bit about her words, Zivon couldn’t help but notice something odd. Raising a slight brow, he eventually asked, “…You… haven’t don
It was Jenna, and she was as well-dressed, confident, and beautiful as she always was. Thinking back, Xavia truly lacked Jenna’s elegance… Whatever the case was, Keith then stared Jenna right in the eyes as he replied, “Elaborate.” “Well… Despite being sisters, we’ve never traveled together before… With that in mind, I’d like to take this chance to cultivate our sisterhood. That aside, absence sharpens love, you know? I’m sure you two get it, so let’s go, Xavia!” said Jenna as she began dragging Xavia away before the two could even react. Naturally, Xavia was extremely confused by all this. Since she couldn’t figure out what Jenna was after, she ultimately asked, “Just cut straight to the chase… What do you really want?” “Sharp as ever… Regardless, are you really pregnant?” asked Jenna as her gaze fell upon Xavia. This question again… Now slightly fed up with it, Xavia simply replied, “I’m not. After all, I’ve never copulated with Young Master Burton or Young Master Keith. Whet
Regardless, after taking in a deep breath, Xavia then placed the medicine aside and began transferring her luggage over… Fast forward to dinnertime, everyone was quickly greeted to the sight of a feast of local specialty dishes. Jenna herself was quick to act all friendly and filial by serving dish after dish to Ava. This, of course, pleased Ava, and soon enough, the smiling old woman was prompted to say, “You know what? I’m handing you that green area once we return to the city, Jenna. You can do as you please with it.” The green area was a plot of land that Ava’s natal family had left for her. It was located in the center of Darlsbury, and it was the only piece of land that hadn’t been developed yet. Though the area was currently used as a park, it was still a privileged location and was worth a lot of money. With that in mind, almost everyone at the table found themselves scrunching their faces. Though they wanted to protest against Lady Burton’s decision, they all remembere
Keith’s unwavering proclamation of being Xavia’s boyfriend made Zivon’s gaze momentarily darken. Undoing his tie and loosening two buttons, Zivon then said in a frigid tone, “…There’s no need for you to proclaim that fact if your relationship is true. Also, I know how to deal with my own affairs, so don’t you worry about me.” …How exceptionally intimidating… This was definitely a man who could kill his opponents without a second thought, and knowing this made the corners of Keith’s mouth twitch. That aside, to think that even after talking for so long, he had failed to get a satisfactory answer about Zivon’s opinion of Jenna. How infuriating…! In the end, Keith simply got a cigarette and left the room in a rage… Zivon himself simply headed into the bathroom before undressing… The warm water that soon ran down his back really helped ease his nerves… As he was showering, however, he suddenly heard a sweet and familiar voice call out, “Young Master Keith…? Are you in there…?”
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