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
Rolling her eyes, Xavia then replied, “Is a heartbreak even that easily solved? If it is, you wouldn’t have leaped off that building back then.” Gulping in response, Dolly then said, “H-how could you add salt on my wound…? Either way… After all that’s happened, I’ve truly moved on! I’ll never be a bootlicker in any of my relationships, ever again! Hell, I’ll probably be a scummier lover than Kevin ever could…!” “Jokes aside, if you don’t want to become like me, you should stay true to your heart, yet simultaneously keep a little distance between you and him. Make him chase after you and give you attention, and be careful not to sink too deep to keep the relationship afloat…” concluded Dolly. It was just too bad that she had to learn all this the hard way… Dolly had taken too much of an initiative, and she had loved way too hard… In the end, she was reduced to nothing but a toy for that man… Either way, not wanting Dolly to continue being upset, Xavia quickly attempted to change
Kevin never said things he didn’t mean, and it was common knowledge that he loved Jenna. He’d never allow anyone to ruin Jenna’s happiness… Even so, Xavia didn’t want to just retreat like this. Taking a deep breath, she then retorted, “…If you leak this out, I’m sure the media will have another field day once I share that Dolly leaped off a building because of you. I may as well tell them that you refused to claim responsibility for your child as well.” Her statement left Kevin shocked. To think that she was still resisting him…! After a brief pause, Kevin retorted, “…Understand that I’m giving you a chance now. You should know that your behavior is immoral!” Naturally, Xavia knew that. Why else had she been beating around the bush with Zivon for this long? However, she was about to compromise with Kevin. With that, she looked him straight in the eyes as she replied, “Oh? We’re talking about immorality now? Why didn’t you consider that when you told Dolly to abort your chil
“…It’s getting late, so you should take a shower and get some rest. I have to send Yulia to school anyway…” Turning to look at the clean suit on the table—that had been properly ironed by hotel staff—, Zivon replied in a slightly awkward tone, “…Alright, but before you get busy… Do approve my friend request on WhatsApp…” His embarrassment was understandable. After all, he was the one who had blacklisted her, yet here he was, requesting to be added as a friend again. Regardless, his statement made Xavia feel slightly relieved. After all, since he bothered asking her about this, then it meant that things were going to work out, right…? Though Xavia wanted to reply, Zivon had already hung up since he was worried that he’d take too much of her already busy schedule. This, of course, caused Xavia to feel slightly disappointed. Just why did she have to be this emotional…! Was this even her anymore?! Scratching the back of her head in annoyance, she ultimately shook the thought off
Due to Zivon’s constant ruthlessness, Jenna no longer felt the need to pretend to be gentle. Instead, she was now firmer and more determined than ever. The tense atmosphere was nothing short of fiery, and Zivon couldn’t help but glare at her. To think that the usually gentle and reserved Jenna would actually be so persistent with such a request. Staring profoundly at her, he eventually replied in an icy tone, “…At least once? Haven’t we already slept together about four years ago? If I recall, you weren’t even intoxicated that night. With that said, does that experience not count?” Upon hearing that, Jenna instantly froze. That moment four years ago…! Nervously digging her fingers into her palm, Jenna knew that he was referring to the time he had slept with Xavia! That wasn’t her at all! Quickly attempting to calm herself down, Jenna then said, “…Y-you were intoxicated back then… It’s different. I want you to sleep with me while you’re sober.” Sneering condescendingly, Zivon th
As it turned out, she had just uploaded a new status about ten minutes ago! The status contained a picture of sunshine on some grass, and it was captioned, ‘Nice, breezy day with gentle sun.’ Regardless, the fact that she had the time to post a status meant that she had the time to have seen his message! So why hadn’t she replied?! Now extremely annoyed, Zivon quickly sent her a message, stating, ‘Are you pretending that I don’t exist or something? You should know that this isn’t how people maintain relationships.’ Moving back to Xavia, she had just arrived at the studio—after sending Yulia to school—when she heard her message notification ring. Upon reading Zivon’s message, she could instantly tell that he was irked… But it wasn’t like she had done it on purpose! ‘…Come again? I was simply washing up when you sent the message. Following that, I got busy preparing Yulia for school and forgot about it… I did, however, remember later on, though I didn’t reply since I didn’t want to
It was at that moment when Xavia realized just how difficult it was to like a married man… How had things even come to this…? Either way, upon seeing Xavia’s response, all Bianca could do was comfort, “Don’t worry, it’s still early in the day… I’m sure he has something planned for you.” Truth be told, by this point, Xavia didn’t even care whether she was going to receive a gift or not. All that was on her tormented mind was Jenna. While she was jealous of her sister, she also knew that she was being immoral by being in this relationship. In a way, the pain made her feel like a piece of steak that was perpetually being grilled… It was a depressing feeling, and the misery stayed throughout her journey to the shooting area… Looking at how saddened Xavia was—and not wanting their videos’ quality to be affected—, Bianca was honestly tempted to ask whether Xavia wanted to get some rest today instead… but when they arrived at the site, she realized she didn’t have to. “X-Xavia, lo
‘That aside, I’m currently trying to complete my work, as well as Jenna’s affairs, sooner so that I can head back as soon as possible.’ Truth be told, Xavia missed him quite a bit, though she never wanted to admit it before… Now, however, she simply couldn’t stop herself from replying, ‘…Alright… I’ll wait for your return.’ …Wait for his return… Upon reading that, Zivon felt his gaze softening… and after a while, he sent Jenna a message, stating, ‘Let’s finish what we talked about before we get back to Darlsbury.’ When Jenna received it, she couldn’t help but raise a slight brow. Was he seriously sending her a message when they were in the same suite? That aside, the more eager he was to end things with her, the more unwilling she felt! This couldn’t go on…! She needed to bond with him and get pregnant with his child if it was the last thing she did…! With that, Jenna quickly replied, ‘I’ll be the one choosing the drug, and you won’t have any complaints about that, right?’
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