D*mn it, what was wrong with her?!He was Jenna’s husband!Overwhelmed with guilt, Xavia did not know how to reply to him.[Talk to you later, something came up.] A new message from Zivon popped up, and Xavia heaved a sigh of relief. However, she was also very curious. What could have happened at this late hour of the night? He was sleeping with Jenna and they were acting as if they were trying for a second child to fool Lady Burton, right?When Xavia recalled what she had seen when she accidentally walked in on them the other day, the butterflies in her stomach instantly disappeared. Her heart felt heavy, and it was almost as if it was difficult to breathe. In the end, he was still someone else’s husband.Why did he have to make her feel so many things?And what right did she have to feel jealous or get upset if he was with his wife?After that, Zivon sent several messages to Xavia but she did not read them or reply to them.She couldn't keep this up—she could not share a
It took them three hours of filming to finish everything.However, right after they finished filming, something very unexpected happened—the power in the house went out! Even stranger was that there was electricity everywhere else!“Xavia, could…could it be that…” Bianca's tone was shaky and fearful.Xavia instantly knew what Bianca wanted to say. “You’re thinking too much—there's no such thing as ghosts. Besides, a girl that Zivon would like is surely someone good, and she would not be trying to scare us. I will go out and check the main switchboard; It could be a short circuit.” “Okay.” Bianca followed Xavia out to the main switchboard and watched anxiously as she opened it up. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest.Ever since she had gotten divorced from Chace, Bianca had been very independent. She thought she was quite capable, but looking at Xavia now, Bianca suddenly knew what it meant to be truly self-reliant.After checking the main switchboard, Xavia frowned. “Stra
As for Xavia, she spent the rest of her time juggling between taking care of her child and thinking of the design, all while she was working… Fast forward to the next afternoon, Bianca was finally done rendering the video that they had previously filmed. Feeling pleased with herself, Bianca then turned her office chair while joyously saying, “The video’s perfect, Xavia! Come have a look! I have a feeling that this is going to go viral!” After watching the video, Xavia realized that Bianca hadn’t modified it that much. She had only added music, some filters, and also Bianca’s voice. Even so, Xavia had to admit that the informative video was already relaxing enough to watch on its own, and it really didn’t need any further editing. Still… “…While the video’s great, are you sure there’s going to be a market for this…?” Nodding in response, Bianca then replied, “While you may have grown up making mochi in the countryside, I’m quite certain that city-dwellers know nothing about th
Truth be told, Xavia had been too eager—to ask for help with the survey—to give the person inside a good look earlier… Now that she could see him, however, Xavia found herself momentarily frozen on the spot. The man inside had a big belly, and his chubby face had an expression that suggested that he wasn’t a good person… Quickly snapping out of it, Xavia then said, “…U-um… I’m sorry, but I’m only looking for female surveyees…” “Oh, come on, we’re all human in the end. Besides, you’ll be able to get a more comprehensive view from a different perspective if we proceed,” replied the man as he gestured for her to enter. Seeing that Xavia was still slightly hesitant, the man handed her an empty glass before adding, “I won’t give you a hard time. Just get me a glass of water from the water dispenser and I’ll complete the survey for you, simple as that.” Since he sounded so sincere and enthusiastic, Xavia ultimately decided not to think much of it. Besides, getting him a glass of wate
Though Xavia’s excuse was sound, her body language was all Zivon needed to see to know that she was feeling guilty. With that, Zivon was prompted to reply, “…Is that so…? And here I thought you were trying your best to avoid me again…” Upon hearing that, Xavia could feel that he had completely seen through her, and it only served to make her feel even more guilty… Watching as she gave an extremely awkward smile, Zivon eventually added, “…Either way, accompany me for a meal. I haven’t eaten since lunch.” “…Huh? Why did you skip lunch?” asked the surprised Xavia. Staring straight into her eyes, he simply replied, “Let’s just say a little someone ruined my appetite by making me worry.” ‘…Did my silence really mean that much to him…? All I did was ignore his messages for a bit, right…?’ Xavia’s thought was cut short when she felt Zivon grab her hand before leading her upstairs. …His hand felt warm… Little by little, the heat was transferred into her own hand, and it soon ma
With that, Xavia took the chance to say, “…Um… I still have other things to do, so I’ll head off first while you two discuss things-” “Before that. Show me your phone,” interrupted Zivon as he gestured for her to hand it over. Unsure what he was up to, Xavia simply complied… After taking a look at it, Zivon then asked, “So… how many people do you need for this video post-viewing survey?” Though she wasn’t sure what he was trying to do, she simply replied, “Ten people is good enough…” “That’s all?” replied Zivon as he forwarded the video to his phone… Following that he tapped on his own phone for a while… and shortly after, he looked at her before saying, “I’ve sent it into a group chat. There are about a hundred people in there, and they’ll all reply in a bit.” This left Xavia momentarily speechless. That’s right. Why hadn’t she considered making an online survey?! No wonder he had called her foolish! “…Thank you. I’ll be heading off to update Bianca on the situation,” re
Keith, for one, saw dropping Zivon’s call as a sign of guilt. After all, what was it that couldn’t be said in front of him? With that in mind, Keith’s breaths were shallow throughout their journey back to the North Court… Once they were there, Xavia quickly got out of the car before saying, “I’ll be bringing Yulia over.” Before she could even begin making her way to Zivon’s home, however, Keith yanked her by the wrist before saying, “No. Follow me.” Following that, he dragged her into the house and slammed the door behind him. He didn’t stop dragging her till they got to his bedroom door. There, he kicked the door open before tossing her onto his bed! Now having a hideous expression on his face, the infuriated man snarled, “So, you’re now actively flirting with Uncle Zivon just because you’ve made up your mind not to love me…?! What happened to the six-month agreement?! What the hell does he have that I don’t?! Why does everyone love that man?!” With how different Keith now w
Even when she repeatedly rejected and tried to distance herself from him, he was fine with continuing to pursue her… But that didn’t mean that she could just trample all over his feelings…! It was at that moment when the car stopped right outside Zivon’s home… “…We’ve arrived, Young Master Burton…” Glaring frigidly at Nathan, Zivon then growled, “…Take care of the kids.” Following that, he rushed toward the North Court! He needed to ask her what he truly was to her, and the answer needed to be crystal clear…! Standing in the dark, a puff of cigarette smoke rose into the air… and then another… and another… The night felt longer than the past thirty years of his life, and by the end of it, there was a small mountain of cigarette butts piled up… Though the night was torturous for Zivon, the same went for Xavia. In fact, it was only at six the next day when she finally awoke again… Her entire body ached… Yet when she saw Keith applying medicine on her, she instantly shrieked in
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