After a brief pause, Dolly then added, “…Don’t tell me this is because of Jenna… Do I need to remind you that Jenna was the one who impersonated you in the beginning? Had she not done that, you and Young Master Burton would’ve had a second or third child by now! That aside, how could you not appreciate a good man like him?” “Are you waiting till you meet a heartbreaker like Kevin instead? Or until the day Young Master Burton walks out of your life? Crying won’t do you any good then. Regardless, we only live once, Xavia… So be a bit more courageous with your love life for once…” concluded Dolly, leaving Xavia momentarily speechless. Truth be told, after Dolly attempted to commit suicide, Xavia was now more terrified of love than ever. In a way, love was like poison. Once touched, there was no escaping it… However, she knew that Dolly had a point. She only had one life, and she really needed to be more courageous… Feeling conflicted, confused, and slightly frustrated, Xavia eventua
His question momentarily stunned Xavia. Truth be told, if she could, she didn’t even want to think about it, though that was pretty much impossible by this point... Still, there was no way she’d be able to come up with an answer in such a short amount of time, so why was he so keen on forcing it out of her…? Looking at how silent she had gotten, he knew she still didn’t have an answer… Just as Zivon was sighing, the waitress returned with some juice… and to the waitress’s surprise, the two had grown awkward in his brief absence. Hadn’t they been all lovey-dovey just seconds ago…? Whatever the reason was, the waitress was too happy to see Young Master Burton and Jenna to care. How lucky to be able to meet them in person! She had to get their autographs—and maybe even some pictures of them—once their awkward mood went away! As she was busy thinking about it, she ended up tripping… and that sent the juice flying toward Xavia! Thankfully, Zivon was quick to react, and he instantly go
...But this was Jenna they were talking about… Looking at how doubtful Xavia was, Zivon then smiled as he said, “What? Don’t you trust my competency? You’re one of the first to be doubtful of my capabilities, you know?” …With how confidently he had said that, it almost seemed like there truly was nothing in the world that he couldn’t solve… Then again, this was the almighty Zivon that everyone feared… The same Zivon who had helped the Burton family’s business go international, thus allowing them to rise to become one of the richest of the rich… Perhaps… a small matter like this really wouldn’t be all that tough for him…? Xavia’s train of thought was cut short when Zivon patiently asked, “Any other worries or questions?” This, of course, caused the already speechless Xavia to panic a little. With how charming his eyes were, it took considerable effort for her to be able to mutter, “…Can… we really do this…? I… won’t end up like Dolly…?” “You won’t. If that day ever comes, then
...Patience? Why… did he sound like he was describing how he ate women…?! And why the hell was she being so dirty-minded tonight…?! Throughout the meal, Xavia simply ate with her head lowered, barely even saying a word… and once she was done eating, she quickly wiped the corners of her mouth before saying, “W-well… It’s quite late now, so you should really head back to get some rest, Young Master Burton… Don’t worry about me, I’ll just hail a cab and pick Yulia up while I’m at it…” Yulia had been with Bianca for the past few days. After all, Xavia didn’t want her child to know about suicide at such a young age. Either way, upon hearing that, Zivon couldn’t help but raise a slight brow as he asked, “Aren’t you forgetting something?” …What? Was she…? Just as Xavia was about to ask what it was, Zivon added in a deep voice, “I secretly accompanied you back here, you know? Nobody else knows I’m in Dalrsbury. I’ve greeted your parents as well, but that aside, I still have to return
As Zivon stared at her, Xavia couldn’t help but feel her anxiety grow… After all, she now realized that if she suddenly refused to take a shower, then didn’t that mean that she was clearly overthinking? With that in mind, she eventually replied, “…I… think I’ll take a shower after all…” muttered Xavia before quickly re-entering the bathroom and locking the door. It was at that moment when Zivon noticed just how badly she was blushing… and it didn’t take long for him to realize what was happening. Smiling helplessly, he then got a clean bathrobe from the closet before knocking on the door as he said, “You forgot your bathrobe.” …She had gone insane, hadn’t she? How could she have forgotten something that important! Thank god she hadn’t undressed yet! Quickly opening the bathroom door, she then reached out for it before saying, “T-thank you…” Looking at her in a gentlemanly way, he simply replied, “You’re welcome.” Following that, he sat on the couch and began reading a newspap
Her tiny voice was filled with spite and discontentment, and though Zivon was initially astonished, he couldn’t help but snicker in the end. To think that she really thought that he was being distant… Her mind was… unique, to say the least… Either way, upon seeing him smile, Xavia came to the conclusion that he only thought of her as an easily controllable toy. Naturally, this made her so angry that she didn’t even want to look at him! Watching as she began packing up to leave, Zivon quickly pulled her into his arms before asking, “Are you really that mad…?” Choosing not to give a response, she simply struggled to free herself, though this only caused Zivon to grab her tiny waist even firmly. After a while, he calmly explained, “I wasn’t ignoring your or anything, nor did I change my mind. I simply had my reasons for remaining silent…” …Reasons? Like hell there were! All men were liars! With that in mind, Xavia continued trying to wriggle free as she retorted, “Bullsh*t.” In
Gently patting her on the head, the man then dotingly said, “I’ll be heading there soon… You can just get more rest in the meantime… You don’t need to send me off…” With how caring he was being, Xavia couldn’t help but feel like she was now fully in his grasp. No wonder so many girls preferred older men… As they said, the more mature a man was, the more attractive they became…! Shaking the thought off, Xavia then mumbled, “…Alright… Remember to have a good breakfast and take care…” “…That’s all…?” asked Zivon in a rather sensual tone. …What else was he expecting? After thinking for a while Xavia replied, “…Um… Send me a text once you’ve arrived…?” When Zivon didn’t say anything, Xavia added, “…D-don’t get kidnapped again…?” “…Your emotional quotient is truly something else… Forget it…” muttered Zivon as he gently tapped her nose before giving her a peck on the lips… Following that, he said, “A goodbye kiss was the correct answer.” …So that was it! It really hadn’t occur
The one calling was Dolly. Figuring that Dolly was probably still emotionally unstable—since she had just recovered—and worried that something must have happened to her since she was calling this early in the morning, Xavia quickly picked up before asking, “Hello? Dolly? What is it?” “…Hmm? Well someone sounds sweet today… Did you gulp down a jar of honey this morning? Jokes aside, is it because you finally mustered enough courage to confess to Young Master Burton yesterday?” asked the nosy Dolly. Feeling herself go slightly pale, Xavia then replied, “N-no…! Stop spouting nonsense!” “Oh please, your tone is a dead giveaway. Either way, come over and accompany me already…! I’m bored to death here, and the doctors are out of their mind too! You know, they told me that I had a bad record, so they didn’t even allow me to go for a walk downstairs! That aside, I have some good news for you…” said Dolly. “…Good news? Either way, I’m coming over immediately,” replied Xavia as she qui
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