...However, the good mood was quickly disrupted by the ringing of a phone. Zivon, for one, really didn’t want to part his lips from Xavia’s. With that in mind, he was just about to end the call… when he realized that Sophia was the caller. Raising a slight brow, Zivon sighed before saying, “…Sorry, but I need to take this call…” …Why was he saying it like she was expecting him to do more?! Her cheeks all red, Xavia quickly muttered, “…There’s no need to apologize, just pick up the call already…!” Watching as she then silently curled in his arms, Zivon couldn’t help but smile as he answered the call… The second he picked up, Sophia immediately said, “I’ve already clarified things on the internet, Mr. Burton. That aside, I have some information that I thought you’d like to hear. Don’t worry, it’s nothing major.” Sophia had always been an upfront woman who spoke her mind. If Zivon didn’t like her, then she wasn’t about to pull any cheap tricks to garner his fancy. However, she w
Now that the two had divorced, Xavia could hug Zivon like this with zero hesitation. She could finally enjoy her time with him… With how pleased and embarrassed she was, Xavia had initially thought that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. However, it didn’t take long before she fell into a deep slumber… Zivon himself continued hugging the sleeping woman for a while… until ultimately heading to pay Yulia a visit… Upon arriving at the intensive care unit, Zivon was just about to open the door to Yulia’s wardroom when he overheard the night shift nurses enthusiastically talking about her… “That adorable child looks just like a doll!” “I know, right? Still, with how well Mr. Talton cares for her, I wonder what her relationship with him is…” “I had the same thought! After all, though the hospital is already short on beds, Mr. Talton managed to arrange an entire room for the child… That aside, they even arrived at the hospital together. It makes me wonder if the child is Mr. Talton’s il
His reply left Xavia speechless. If she could figure it out then she wouldn’t be asking! Seriously though, what had gone wrong? As far as she could remember, she had played all her cards right, and she had even taken the initiative to kiss him! Hell, she had also made sure not to burden him before he left! For god’s sake! And they said women were hard to understand! What a headache…! Regardless, it was later that day when Xavia received a call from Anthony. He wanted her to at least make Stefan some stomach-nourishing porridge, and since Stefan had helped her quite a bit, Xavia saw no problem with that. With that in mind, she soon arrived at his villa… but strangely enough, Lily wasn’t there to pester her. In fact, the entire villa was devoid of sound, and it almost seemed as though no woman had ever lived here… Though she was surprised, Xavia quickly shook the thought off and began preparing some porridge for Stefan. It didn’t take long before she was done, and she had just writ
Upon hearing that, Xavia momentarily froze. How could she have forgotten! After catching his breath again, Stefan explained, “Look, I just have a bit of stomach deficiency and lung fever, nothing major… I’ll be fine after resting for a few days…” Naturally, Xavia couldn’t stop herself from continuing to worry. After all, he had helped her a lot, and she always hoped for the best for him. With that in mind, she was prompted to say, “…Look, I’m staying in S City in the next few days anyway, so I’ve made my decision. I’m preparing three meals per day for you until then, and you’re not allowed to refuse. If you do, then I won’t ask for your help ever again. Deal?” …When she put her mind to it, this girl could really sound authoritative… In the end, Stefan couldn’t help but smile helplessly as he replied, “…As long as you don’t trouble yourself too much…” He was saying this since he wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to recover… He didn’t have much time left, so the fact that he was b
Taking his phone out, Zivon then sent Xavia a text, stating, ‘What are you up to?’ Following that, he walked over to Yulia’s side while waiting for her response… Alas, even after half an hour, there was no reply. Raising a slight brow, he then gave her a call… but she never picked up. Feeling worried now, he left the ward before giving Nathan a call… and the second it connected, Zivon was prompted to command, “Find out where Xavia is. ASAP.” “…Very well, Young Master Burton,” replied Nathan despite still being a little sleepy. After all, it was the dead of night! Regardless, it was only a short while later when Nathan reported, “…Miss Lockhart is apparently at Villa No. 8 in Palazzate, Young Master Burton… But the villa’s owner is…” Hearing how hesitant Nathan was being, Zivon was prompted to sternly ask, “Who is it?” “…I-It’s… Stefan…” muttered Nathan… and almost immediately after he said that, the butler could feel the air around him freezing. Gulping, Nathan quickly ad
With all that in mind, it was clear that he wasn’t sleeping at all! The man was most probably just ignoring her in his anger…! Now that she knew all this, she turned to look at the nurses again before saying, “Please look after Yulia for a bit longer. I… need to do something.” Following that, Xavia quickly dashed outside and gave Zivon a call… However, no matter how many times she called, he didn’t pick up! Now feeling rather anxious, she was prompted to text, ‘I know you’re in S City now, Young Master Burton. Please answer my calls… It isn’t what you think between me and Brother Stefan…!’ When Zivon received the message, he was already flying high in the starless night sky… Due to how frequently his phone kept lighting up, he ultimately couldn’t help but glance at the screen… and when he saw that she was calling that man ‘Brother Stefan’ again, he winced slightly before muting his phone. Nathan, for one, had caught a glimpse of the message as well, and he couldn’t help but fee
Shaking her head, the smiling nurse then said, “Well, yes, but in a good way. Due to how much her condition has improved recently, she was finally able to open her eyes again this morning!” Upon hearing that, Xavia’s eyes widened as she exclaimed, “R-really?! I-I’m heading to her ward, then…! T-thank you…!” Following that, Xavia dashed to the intensive care unit… and the second she entered, she was able to see Yulia with her eyes open, looking slightly dazed and scared. This prompted Xavia to run over and say, “Y-Yulia…! Don’t worry, Mommy’s here…! Oh, thank god my baby has finally woken up again…!” As Xavia wept tears of joy, she finally felt her tremendous burden being lifted… Only God knew how terrified she had been that her child would end up like her grandmother… Comatose for years and dying shortly after waking up…! Either way, now that she was up again, Xavia’s first thought was to give her daughter a tight hug…! Unfortunately, with all the equipment surrounding her, X
With that in mind, Xavia quickly shook her head before saying, “You’re not a trouble at all! Also, while we’re on the topic, please start taking better care of your stomach and health in general! I had a friend who died from stomach cancer, you know…?” Upon hearing that, the speechless Stefan’s lips twitched a little. Thankfully, Xavia was too preoccupied thinking of her dead friend to notice the change in his mood… Regardless, after she left the villa, she placed her ego aside and sent a message to Zivon, stating, ‘Please remember to rest and eat on time…’ It didn’t take long for Zivon to see the message. However, he made sure to check on the message his assistant had sent him as well… and he couldn’t help but frown when he saw that his assistant had sent him a picture of Xavia leaving Stefan’s villa! Zivon was pretty sure that he had told her to deal with their relationship last night, yet in the end, she still went to his villa this morning…! It didn’t help that she only tex
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