With how gentle and charming his voice was, there was no way Xavia could stay mad! What’s more, he had gone through so much just to divorce Jenna! Hell, he even had to face Xavia’s hatred over her misunderstanding…! To top it all off, he had stayed out all night while smoking, which was probably why he hadn’t even had the time to change his wounds’ bandages…! Just thinking about all that made her want to slap herself… Shaking the thought off, Xavia then buttoned his shirt and suit up again while saying, “…Let me bring you to the hospital to have this wound properly looked at.” “That didn’t answer my question…” Pouting slightly, Xavia then replied, “…I wouldn’t be showing concern for you if I were still angry. I’ve already apologized too, so how clear do I have to make myself?” The woman was as haughty as ever, yet Zivon couldn’t help but beam with joy. Now smiling, he gently pinned her against the wall before giving her a gentle kiss… It always felt good to reclaim what on
...She had blacklisted his number, right…? If so, how was she going to contact him? It was at this moment when Xavia—who had just arrived at the roadside—realized this issue as well. She had planned to update her location to Zivon, but she simply couldn’t text or even call him! From the looks of it, Maison had set up some kind of app to prevent her from contacting that man… The problem was, she had no idea how that app worked! Thankfully, Xavia was soon able to lend a passer-by’s phone to give Zivon a call… and the second it connected, she immediately said, “Zivon? It’s Xavia… I’m at the intersection near the corner of the project site.” “Got it,” replied Zivon as he quickly drove over… Once she was in his car, Zivon couldn’t help but frown as he asked, “…You even changed your number last night to avoid me?” “…I… didn’t… I simply blacklisted you, though Maison went a step further and installed some app that would almost permanently block you… I have no idea how to deact
After finding his bath towel, she then walked up to the slightly open bathroom door before knocking… and shortly after, Zivon’s hand reached out to get it. It didn’t take long for him to walk out with his bath towel on… and as always, he looked absolutely exquisite. With distinct abs and firm muscles all over him, the man was naturally seductive without even trying, and it didn’t help that he always carried that masculine musk around him…! Thankfully, he still had wounds all over his body, so it wasn’t that embarrassing for the blushing Xavia. Shaking her head, she then walked over to one of the sofas before saying, “…You know, I can’t tell whether you applied that medicine on your own or not… but if that’s the case, then you really should head to the hospital to get those wounds checked… Better yet, get Young Master Xenos to have a look at them…” “It’s fine… These wounds are simply punishment for making you angry,” replied the prestigious Zivon as he walked over to the sofa to t
...And on it, was a text pop-up that stated, ‘Since you’re on bad terms with Young Master Burton now, you mustn’t let him know what you were planning to give him yesterday. That will only lower your dignity.’ Due to how concise the message was, Zivon was able to read the entire message from the pop-up bar alone… and by the end of it, he couldn’t help but frown. Mustn’t let him know? Lower her dignity…? What kind of gift did she have planned to have such consequences…? Since they had once been ‘married’ before, he already knew her phone’s password… and in the end, he couldn’t help but unlock it. It was his first time prying into others’ privacy, and though Zivon knew that it was immoral, he also knew that he’d never find out about the gift from Xavia. Naturally, he made sure not to stray from Dolly’s conversation with Xavia… but once he was up to date with everything, his eyes couldn’t help but glimmer like they were beautiful fireworks bursting in the night sky… To think that s
This, of course, left Xavia stunned. Did he really have to be so overbearing…?! Then again, it was his birthday today, so it wouldn’t be nice of her to be with Keith… All she could do was obey and tell Keith that Dolly was dealing with some issues, and that she had to be there for her… With her mind made up, she then sent Dolly a text, stating, ‘If Keith looks for you, tell him I’m with you, Dolly.’ ‘Got it. If you’re looking to take a break, then you can do so with ease!’ ‘Appreciate it,’ replied Xavia with a sigh of relief… However, it was then when she noticed that something was off. Had… Dolly sent her an earlier message? Taking a closer look, her eyes widened when she saw what Dolly had sent about twenty minutes ago… But… The message had been left on read. During that time, she had been making noodles in the kitchen, which meant that… …Oh god. Zivon had seen the texts between her and Dolly…?! No wonder he had been looking at her with such seductive eyes earlier…! It also
But to his surprise, it was Jenna instead. The smiling woman had a cake in hand, and upon seeing Zivon, she was prompted to say, “There you are… You suddenly left last night and you didn’t even eat your cake! Regardless, once grandma found out about that, she told me to get another one for you. Also, she said that you need to wish for a second child…” Upon hearing that, Zivon simply displayed a poker face as he replied in an aloof tone, “Don’t bring grandma up to pressure me. I haven’t even talked to you about what you did to me last night. No matter, just get out of my sight.” Even though Jenna knew that he had been disgusted with her for the longest time, Zivon had mostly remained gentlemanly, and he rarely ever told her to get lost. With that in mind, the fact that he was being so direct about wanting her to leave now made Jenna clench her fists. “…Look, I know you’re mad about that particular hallucinogen I chose, and I’m also aware that you’re upset that you can’t ask for th
Before Xavia could try her luck again, Hartley came running over to her while exclaiming, “M-Miss Lockhart…! You’re finally here…! Young Master Keith is in a terrible state of mind, so please go have a look at him…!” As Hartley pulled her over to Keith, she saw that he had wounds all over his arm. This caused her to frown—and momentarily put Zivon aside—as she asked, “…What on earth happened? Wasn’t he fine before I left? That aside, his condition has stabilized quite a bit, hasn’t it? Why the sudden episode?” Looking particularly stressed out, Hartley helplessly replied, “…About twenty minutes ago, Jenna called Young Master Keith, and she sent him a few pictures of you leaving Young Master Burton’s villa… She even said that you had spent time with him in Milan, and that you two had agreed to date…” …No wonder Keith was having an attack! While it was true that there were no feelings between them, Xavia and Keith were still technically a ‘couple’. With that in mind, dating someone
Anxiously rushing over, Hartley exclaimed, “M-Miss Lockhart…! Please stop saying such things…! Please, I beg of you…! Just beg Young Master Keith for forgiveness…! Otherwise, you’ll be dead in no time…!” Stubbornly pursing her lips as she fought the urge to pass out, Xavia—with quite a bit of difficulty—managed to growl, “…I truly do want to help you… But I have… no feelings for you at all… With that in mind… I’ve never felt happy in the least to do anything that you’ve told me to…” “To put things into perspective… A melon that is forcefully twisted will never be sweet… and what doesn’t belong to you will never be yours… If you have to strangle me to death to understand that, so be it…!” concluded the incredibly weakened Xavia. Though she was pitifully close to passing out, each word of hers was brimming with determination… After all, she had decided to bet on her life just to get her message across. In the end, Keith needed to understand how things really were if he truly wanted
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