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
Looking at the bespectacled man, Xavia couldn’t help but feel that Keith looked… tranquil? In a way? Not wanting to trigger him again, Xavia carefully asked, “…Um… K-Keith…? Are you alright…?” Turning to look at her with a deep—but calm—gaze, Keith stared at her in silence… Before eventually managing to say, “…Are… you in a hurry…?” Though Xavia was unable to tell what Keith was feeling, she honestly replied, “…I am… It’s already half-past five and Yulia’s just finished school… I need to head back to make dinner for her…” It was also Zivon’s birthday, though she didn’t dare tell him that… Regardless, Keith—who knew that he needed time to process his thoughts right now—then replied, “…Alright… You head back first…” This left Xavia rightfully astonished. Was… he actually this easy to talk to…? He wasn’t even going to talk about what had happened back then…? While it was surprising, Xavia wasn’t about to say no to that. With that, she ended up saying, “…Alright. Get some rest th
His voice was brimming with anger and dissatisfaction, and it made Xavia feel like a tiny deer facing an infuriated wolf… Weakly lifting her cell phone, she then forced herself to say, “I… I didn’t leave… It’s just that… this is my first time being in a relationship, and I have no idea how to coax an angered boyfriend… I was just looking things up on the internet to see how to make things right… Maybe… you’d like to choose which method for me to use…? There’s a lot listed…” Her reply made the corners of Zivon’s mouth twitch. So… she hadn’t been planning to leave? She… had been planning to search for ways to please him instead…?! With this context—and the fact that Xavia looked so innocent and weak right now—, Zivon couldn’t help but feel his wrath dissipate… In the end, he dragged her into the room and pressed her against the wall… before giving her a fierce kiss! This, of course, caught Xavia off guard! He had been furious just seconds ago! Why was he suddenly kissing
While Xavia’s initial gift preparation provided physical comfort, the one she had just given him provided a more spiritual one… and in the end, Zivon’s eyes couldn’t help but darken as he slightly clenched his fists… Xavia, for one, was unable to tell what he was feeling. Had she been too reckless…? Had he not expected this step to come so quickly…? Perhaps he didn’t have long-term plans at all…? In the end, Xavia couldn’t help but apprehensively say, “…I made that throughout the afternoon while I was waiting for Keith to wake up at the hospital… If you don’t like it, you can just treat it as an ornament or something-” Before Xavia could even finish her sentence, Zivon suddenly hugged her tighter before saying, “I love it. I was just thinking that you should’ve added another small puppet in… If you had done that, then the gift would’ve been twice as meaningful…” …W-was he implying that he wanted a baby…?! Before the blushing woman could even snap out of it, Zivon was alrea
The second she touched his arm, Maison pushed her away! Watching as Xavia fell to the floor, Zivon furrowed his brows before quickly helping her up. Following that, he frowned slightly while staring at the boy before ultimately fishing his cell phone out and giving Zayne a call… Zayne arrived shortly after, and by that point, there was already a door between Maison and the two adults. Suffice to say, it was a deadlock situation… Either way, Zayne was prompted to ask, “What’s going on here? How did this happen to the little precious again? Could Miss Lockhart not pacify him either…?” Xavia knew that he was asking since in the past, she had miraculously been able to pacify Maison… However, Xavia was also aware that it was the sight of her and Zivon being together that made the child feel betrayed… Though she felt helpless in the situation, she had no choice but to elaborate the situation to Zayne… and by the end of it, Zayne was rightfully shocked. To think that Zivon
While he agreed that the children looked similar, why would Jenna choose to keep Maison yet abandon her daughter? That aside, when Maison investigated Yulia’s background before this, there didn’t seem to be a problem either. With that in mind, Zivon was prompted to say, “…There are nearly one point four billion people in Darlsbury. With that in mind, I think there’s a pretty high chance of bumping into a lookalike, don’t you think?” …Was that really the case…? Zayne, for one, doubted that such a massive coincidence could happen… Zayne’s train of thought was cut short when Xavia walked up to them and asked, “…Young Master Xenos…? Are both of you talking about Maison’s condition…?” Turning to look at Xavia, Zayne paused for a moment before asking, “…If I may, is Yulia really the child of your brother and sister-in-law, Miss Lockhart…?” Upon hearing that, Xavia instantly felt a lump in her throat. The truth was, she had only stepped forward since she had overheard them tal
From where he stood, he could see the insides of the brightly lit, unlocked study room… and inside, were Zayne and Xavia treating Zivon’s many wounds! Upon closer inspection at the seated man, there were wounds all over his arms, chest, and even his thighs…! If the message that he had earlier read from Yulia’s phone was true, then that meant that Zivon had really harmed himself just to keep himself in control… and that realization greatly stunned the now dismayed Maison. Had he actually been misunderstanding Zivon this entire time…? That aside, the wounds on Zivon’s body already looked so serious… to think that he had even bit him just now…! Zivon, for one, never liked showing his wounds to anyone, yet at this moment, he was baring them not only to Xavia, but also to Maison… Though he looked slightly depressed, Zivon was prompted to say, “I didn’t want you to see me do that that night, which is why I went off to another hotel… Thinking back, I should’ve told you first with ho
In the end, she averted her gaze before replying, “I-I don’t even want to bother with you anymore…!” Looking at how exasperated his woman looked, Zivon couldn’t help but smile slightly… As for Zayne, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Alright, enough talk! Kiss!” Upon hearing that, Bianca and the kids also chimed in, “Kiss! Kiss! Both of you, kiss!” When she heard all that, Xavia couldn’t even force herself to remain angry… In the past, Xavia had frequently been told to kiss Zivon as well, though that was only because she was still pretending to be Jenna… Now, however, things were different. She was being told to kiss him as herself. As Xavia…! Now extremely flustered, Xavia wanted to refuse… but before she could even say a word, Zivon had already pulled her toward him and given her a deep kiss! As the children exclaimed in awe, Xavia found herself reddening beyond comparison…! Did this man not understand the meaning of reservedness…?! Though the scene was joyous, Cha
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