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
At this very moment, Xavia was utterly terrified of Keith, even when he wasn’t touching her…! Averting her gaze, Xavia simply retorted, “…And why should I trust you? Do you think I’m stupid or something?” Smiling as he raised her chin, Keith simply replied, “I’ll drop off and pick up your daughter from school every day… I’m saying this since until you figure everything out, you’re not leaving this room…!” Before Xavia could even reply, Keith had already slammed the door behind him! Naturally, Xavia immediately attempted to follow after him. However, the door simply wouldn’t budge! “Open the d*mned door, Keith…! You utter jerk of a man…!” yelled the desperate woman as she continued trying to break free. Keith, however, simply ignored her pleas and continued making his way downstairs… Once he got to the foyer, he stood before the mirror and began straightening his hair and suit… and once he was done, he turned to look at his assistant—who was standing behind him—before saying,
Looking at the injured and cowering woman in the corner—who honestly looked like a fearful hedgehog—, the assistant simply sighed before saying, “…It’s useless to struggle, Miss Lockhart… I was like you too at one point, you know…?” …What? Watching as Xavia frowned, the assistant then added, “You see, when I first entered the Burton Group for an internship, my goal was to become Young Master Burton’s personal assistant. Unfortunately, there were many people competing for that position, and Mr. Miller was one of them. Since Mr. Miller was acquainted with Young Master Burton, he had a head start.” “While I can’t say that I was the best out of the bunch, I still remained diligent with my work. At one point, even Young Master Keith saw my worth, and I couldn’t be happier… Regardless, I eventually got transferred and I finally had the opportunity to work under Young Master Burton. Naturally, that meant that I also scored a better opportunity to get promoted. However…” “When Keith he
Upon hearing her voice, Zivon turned to look at her… and when he saw the red marks beneath her collar, his gaze instantly deepened as he said, “…It seems I’ve overestimated you.” Xavia could sense the raw emotion in his words, and upon looking at the mark beneath her collar, she could help but feel her heart skip a beat. While many women in the twenty-first century were more open-minded with their bodies, Xavia wasn’t one of them. The only other times she had undergone intimate contact with men was that night four years ago… and that night in S City… Both of which she had hoped would lead to a lifetime of love… However, they were incomparable experiences to what Keith had done to her last night… His actions had been traumatizing… Regardless, if Zivon truly loved her, then he wouldn’t resent her… With that in mind, she should muster her courage to take that one step! Hell, she was even willing to take fifty steps for him, so that they’d provide equal amounts of effort in their rel
Once the two men were downstairs, Zivon commanded, “Don’t tell anyone about this for the time being. If this information gets leaked, then I’m sure you know the consequences.” His threat was dangerous and terrifying… After all, until things were taken care of, he didn’t want anything happening to both Xavia and her baby. Regardless, upon hearing that, the doctor quickly looked down before muttering, “D-don’t worry, Young Master Burton… I definitely won’t reveal anything…! However…” As the doctor’s voice trailed off, Zivon gave him a glare before growling, “Say it…!” Trembling in response, the doctor quickly replied, “I-I will…! B-basically… Not only is Miss Lockhart’s body weak, but it’s rather peculiar as well… She only has one kidney, you see, and from what I’ve gathered, she has a blood clotting disorder as well…!” “I’m sure you already know this, but when regular people bleed, their blood will start clotting in a while. However, people with blood clotting disorders are un
With how badly her voice was quivering now, it was evident that she was in shock. He… actually wanted her to abort the ‘child’…? When he saw her eyes dimming, Zivon simply didn’t have the heart to tell her that she’d never be able to conceive another child for the rest of her life. Holding her in his arms, he then comforted in a soft voice, “…It’s… not the right time for this child, Xavia… If he’s birthed, not only will it be detrimental to your health, but it’ll also negatively affect your reputation and current situation… With that said, please don’t be saddened and be sensible about this, alright…?” …Be sensible about this? Looking at how calmly Zivon was distinguishing between the pros and the cons, Xavia felt like he was just dealing with the situation like he was dealing with work… and it instantly made her heart go frigid as she asked, “…Not the right time? When’s the right time, then?” Her question made the corners of Zivon’s mouth twitch. She had a blood clotting disor
Sitting in his office, Zivon ended up smoking a cigarette… and another… and another… and soon enough, he had smoked every last cigarette in the box. The box itself was fairly new, and still had twenty sticks last night… With that in mind, it only made sense why Zivon’s throat now felt uncomfortable… Whatever the case was, it was at four in the evening when Zivon finally decided to take a shower in the lounge. Following that, he changed into a clean suit before heading back to the old mansion… To his surprise, Xavia was nowhere to be seen. Hadn’t he told her to wait for him in the private court…? …Did she take it that badly? Was she planning to run off with the child?! Terrified by the thought, Zivon then quickly attempted to give Xavia a call… Thankfully, she picked up, and he immediately asked in an anxious tone, “Xavia? Where are you?” Upon hearing his worry-filled voice, Xavia somehow felt even more upset than before. After all, before this, his words and actions made it fee
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