After what felt like minutes, the car finally crashed onto the ground again… and despite how violently everything was still shaking, Xavia’s mind could only focus on one thing. And that was the pained expression on her grandmother’s face…! Despite how worried and horrified she was, Xavia couldn’t find the voice to scream for her grandmother at all! It was at that moment when the old lady muttered, “…A-accident… Jenna… Pushed… me…” Before the old woman could say anything else, a gurgling sound could be heard… Soon enough, she spat out a mouthful of blood… and just like that, her grandmother’s eyes lost their glow…! “Grandma…!” howled Xavia at the top of her lungs… but it was the last thing she was able to do before her world went dark… The major accident instantly caught the attention of the local newspapers and stations, and soon enough, reports about it spread out, causing almost everyone there to talk about it… “I heard that the accident was extremely serious! In all, three
“H-Hey! Miss…!” exclaimed one of the doctors as he attempted to chase after her! However, he was promptly stopped when a tall figure walked in before saying, “It’s alright, you guys can leave. I’ll take care of her.” “…Right away, Mr. Talton,” muttered the doctor as the other doctors and nurses helplessly retreated… With that out of the way, the man then quickly caught up to the distressed woman while calling out, “Xavia, be careful.” Upon hearing that familiar voice, Xavia turned around… and shortly after, she was greeted by the sight of the gentlemanly Stefan! As her eyes glimmered with hope, she quickly tugged on his arm while exclaiming, “M-Mr. Talton…! They were lying, right?! M-My Grandma and Yulia are fine, right…?! Please Mr. Talton…! Please bring me to them…!” With how fragile she looked, Stefan couldn’t help but sigh helplessly. After all, knowing her, she wouldn’t take no for an answer… With that in mind, he was prompted to say, “…I’ll bring you there, though you’l
It was an understatement to say that Xavia was drowning in grief and agony after her grandmother’s death. Honestly, she could’ve just cried and cried till she passed out… but she refrained. Instead, she simply forced a smile as she kowtowed thrice before her grandmother’s grave… The last thing Xavia wanted was for her grandmother’s spirit to see how sad she was… Following that, she was helped down the mountain… and once they were at the bottom, Xavia told Stefan to bring her over to Yulia. On their way there, Stefan couldn’t help but worriedly say, “…I’ll be honest, you don’t look like you’re in good shape… Are you sure you don’t want to get some rest first…?” “It’s fine. I’ll be leaving for Darlsbury right after I visit Yulia,” replied Xavia, much to Stefan’s surprise. “You’re… heading back there?” asked Stefan, prompting Xavia to nod. “I know you don’t believe me, and that you were only comforting me when you said you wanted to help before, but… I assure you that Grandma wo
“…H-huh? Were you sick? Why didn’t you say so earlier!” exclaimed Dolly. “No, it’s not that… I…” muttered Xavia before pausing for a bit. It took her a while, but she eventually added, “…I’d… like to abort the child… While I’m at the hospital, I’ll also be taking the chance to recover…” After all, Xavia was still wheelchair-bound for the time being. Regardless, Xavia hadn’t mentioned the pregnancy during her time in S City at all since she hadn’t wanted Stefan to learn of the horrific events that she had to go through… Either way, the startled Dolly immediately replied, “Y-you’re aborting it…? Have you thought things through…?” Her question prompted Xavia to clench her fists. What mother would willingly forsake her own child…? “…If Jenna really is the murderer, then we aren’t a match for her powerful background and dependable supporters. Having this child with me will be a major inconvenience, especially since we may need to infiltrate the enemy’s base in order to attain th
Someone had planned for all this! Well, she said someone, but it was definitely either Keith or Jenna! With that in mind, Xavia was prompted to say, “…Let’s go, Dolly.” “Y-yeah…! Still, isn’t this great? Since you only chose to leave Young Master Burton because of the child, doesn’t that mean that you can return to him now?” exclaimed Dolly who appeared to be even more excited than Xavia. Upon hearing that, Xavia’s gaze instantly fell. After all, she knew that she had hurt Zivon far too much by this point… He’d never forgive her again. That aside, she also had a goal here, and upon finding out about it, Zivon would surely be dissatisfied… Regardless, it was near evening when Dolly began helping Xavia with her medicine in hopes that it would help her recover soon. The woman was still quite elated from the fact that Xavia wasn’t pregnant with Keith’s child, so she completely forgot to check the evening news… and when she finally decided to update herself the next morning, her eyes
Either way, the crowd was so massive that the entire road leading to the City Hall was pretty much impassable! By this point, Dolly—who was still pushing Xavia’s wheelchair—couldn’t help but worriedly exclaim, “There’s no way we’ll be able to get in there…!” Zivon had stated that he’d register his marriage certificate with Jenna in the morning… and it was now already ten. If they didn’t get in quick, then it’d truly be game over…! Even before Dolly had said that, Xavia was already feeling rather terrible. After all, she knew that she didn’t really have the right to beg for forgiveness and ask him to stay… Even so, she needed to try. She truly regretted how she had done things, and she wanted to at least try to make things right. It was at that moment when Xavia suddenly saw a familiar person through the corner of her eyes… and it didn’t take long for her eyes to widen as she whispered, “Dolly. Dolly, quick…! Push me there…!” Turning to look in the direction that Xavia was point
Xavia's heart was currently in chaos… Come to think of it, he had easily recognized her back when they met at the wedding… She remembered scolding him for being jealous of Keith, and because he wasn’t looking out for Jenna despite her being such a good woman… Hell, she had even met up with Stefan at the time due to a quarrel with him, and she recalled wanting to leave with Stefan back then… Following that, more and more memories began popping up… and each of them involved her getting irritated by him despite the fact that he had been protecting her this entire time! It was the same every time. She’d get herself into trouble, then leave him behind to clean up her mess… The truth was hard to swallow, to say the least…! Now that she finally realized all this, she found herself unsure how to even look him in the face anymore. After all, she really wasn’t worthy of his attention after doing all that…! Her train of thought was cut short when an announcement suddenly declared, ‘Apologie
Still, each of her rubs seemed to pull on his heartstrings… and in the end, Zivon instinctively pulled her toward him before giving her a kiss on the lips! This, of course, caused Xavia to widen her eyes in disbelief! Undaring to even make a move, she couldn’t help but feel that his lips were as soft as ever… Despite there being the smell of red wine, it wasn’t overpowering. In fact, it arguably made the mature man even more seductive than he already was…! Xavia wondered whether he was really awake… Aside from that, she couldn’t help but deny that she was feeling… something from his kiss. Regardless, her train of thought was cut short when she suddenly heard the vibrations of her phone. Even without looking at it, she had a good hunch that it was from Dolly… and that meant that Jenna must be coming out soon…! Trying to keep her cool, Xavia then gently pushed the man aside… only to notice that his eyes remained closed. So he wasn’t conscious after all… After staring at him for a
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