The second Xavia picked up, she heard Keith’s gentle voice ask, “Xavia? What time will your plane be arriving? I’ll pick you up at the airport.” Squeezing her cell phone tightly, Xavia eventually replied, “…My flight was scheduled at two, and I was supposed to touch down at six in the evening today… However, Maison got kidnapped before I got to board the plane, so I went looking for him and ended up getting slightly injured… I’m currently in a hospital…” Xavia made sure to choose her words carefully, stating only the most general events. Naturally, she was trying her hardest not to even mention Zivon’s name. Regardless, Keith instantly asked in a concerned tone, “…Injured? Is it serious? Send me the hospital you’re currently at. I’ll fly over immediately.” “T-there’s no need for that! I just had some glass stabbed into my back… It’s nothing major, and the inflammation should heal in about two days… You really don’t have to come over, especially since you’re busy with the green
...Was it really going to be worth it to be together with him…? Xavia found her heartbeat increasing by the second as she pondered his words… Realizing that even her breath had grown warm, Zivon ended up choosing to stop talking about this. Instead, he called for a doctor to come change Xavia’s bandages, and also to readminister more painkillers… It was only after all that that Zivon finally handed Xavia her breakfast… Throughout the process, Xavia couldn’t help but feel like he was taking extremely good care of her… It almost felt like she was extremely precious to him… Due to that, though she remained flustered, any aggravation she previously had simply dissipated into thin air… After all, this was much, much better than being condescendingly treated like a stranger… Whatever the case was, once she was done with breakfast, Zivon headed out to make a call. It was also around then when Xavia received a call from Dolly… “Xavia? Where are you? I’m… pregnant…” muttered Dolly.
[I’m already on the plane. Don’t think about it too much.][Alright.]Xavia was slightly relieved after seeing Dolly’s reply, but her heart was still in turmoil. Why was it always women who got hurt?How could Kevin be so heartless? How could he not even want his own child?“You should sleep now so you’ll have the energy to keep her company when you get to Darlsbury.” Zivon, who was next to her, suddenly spoke softly. Xavia nodded and closed her eyes, but there were so many thoughts running through her mind that she could not fall asleep. Eventually, she opened her eyes and said angrily, “Kevin is a selfish wretch who only cares about himself and refuses to accept any responsibility. I really want to find him and beat him up! If anything happens to Dolly, I’ll never let him off.” She was filled with righteous indignation.Zivon gazed at her intently, then said, “On the other hand, a man like me is hard to find and that’s why you should cherish me.”Xavia stared at him, sp
The man’s angular jawline, his Adam’s apple, and his well-defined collarbone was right before her. Everything in her view was so attractively masculine!Xavia’s small face instantly flushed red. “Sorry, I don’t know how I ended up in your arms. I might have been dreaming when I was asleep and sleepwalked.”She desperately tried to come up with an excuse, but Zivon just looked at her and said casually, “I carried you.”What?He carried her?Xavia stared at him in shock, and her suspicious gaze seemed to be silently asking him if he did anything to her while she was asleep.Zivon, however, found her actions adorable and smiled slightly. “You were feeling uncomfortable sleeping on your stomach, so I let you sleep in my arms. Nothing else happened. Were you hoping that something did?”So that was it!Xavia blushed and shook her head quickly. “No…” It was just that this position was too intimate.Xavia shifted her body to get off him, and it felt like electricity sparked wherever
Xavia arrived at the hospital. As expected, Kevin was there, next to Dolly who was sitting on the hospital bed.Dolly’s face was pale and tear-stained. She looked very small and pitiful.Unexpectedly, Kevin took out a document bag and said coldly, “There is a property deed inside as well as a cheque for five million dollars. Abort the child and the both of us will no longer have anything to do with each other in the future.”Ruthless and direct.Dolly was startled. “Kevin, I…I don’t want to abort the child. It’s still a life after all. Don’t treat me like this, please.”“Pfft.” Kevin scoffed and said cruelly, “I already told you not to have any expectations from the very beginning. There is no future for us. You were the one who shamelessly wanted to stick to me but now, you’re expecting me to take responsibility for you? Stop dreaming. Take the property and the cheque, and live your own life.”Kevin walked away as soon as he finished speaking. There had been no affection or remo
Boom! There was a loud sound as the figure crashed to the ground. The ground trembled slightly and a red liquid started to stain the pavement.Someone had jumped off a building!Xavia’s legs went weak and she instinctively stepped forward.It was a woman. Her limbs were twisted awkwardly and her face was pale.She seemed very familiar…“Dolly!” Xavia’s heart-rending scream pierced the night sky.Xavia's throat felt tight, and her body was trembling as she rushed over. She dropped to her knees and hugged Dolly. “Dolly! Dolly, wake up… How could you do this? Dolly, hurry up and tell me this is all a dream. Dolly…”Xavia kept calling out to her but there was no response—the person in her arms had lost consciousness.“Ahh! Dolly!” Xavia collapsed to the ground, her body shaking with silent sobs.How could the person who had just told her she wanted to start her life all over again end up like this?How could the girl who had spent more than ten years by her side jump off a buil
“Are you crazy? Go take your meds if you’re sick! Get out!”Clang!Xavia threw the bucket at Kevin's head. “Hey! What's wrong with you?!”“Xavia Lockhart, don’t go overboard!”The Lockharts were angry and anxious.Kevin glared at Xavia fiercely as he stood up. “Do you have a death wish? Do you think I won't dare do anything to you just because we're related?”Xavia did not back down as she glared back at Kevin. After that, she swallowed painfully, then forced herself to say, “Dolly jumped off a building…”“What has anything about her got to do with—What did you say?” Kevin's eyes widened when he realized what she said. He was stunned as he asked slowly, “She…jumped off a building?”Xavia clenched her fists tightly and snarled, “Yes! She almost died and they are trying to resuscitate her now, but she might not make it! Are you satisfied now? This is what you wanted, right?!”“Kevin Lockhart, you’re not human! You don’t even want your woman and child! You can just rot in priso
Startled by that, Xavia couldn’t help but frown slightly as she turned to face him. Zivon himself was prompted to say, “Kevin’s inside… and she needs some time to be alone with him right now.” …True enough, Xavia knew that Dolly probably needed Kevin’s company more than anything else at the moment… However, that was all the more reason she needed to head in there. With that, Xavia simply replied, “Don’t worry, I’m only going to say a word or two.” Following that, she entered the operation room… and shortly after, she was greeted by the sight of a pale-faced Dolly lying on a hospital bed, a plethora of medical instruments stuck all over her body… Looking at her terrible condition, Xavia couldn’t help but think how much love could change someone… After all, the pitiful girl before her right now used to be so lively and comforting, just like a cheery sunflower… Pursing her lips, Xavia shook the thought off before walking over to Dolly’s side… Holding onto her friend’s hand, Xa
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