Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Francine, on the other hand, had no time for him since she was preoccupied with the children. She would feed Adie, and then Abby, her joyful laughter ringing out.
‘Are they ignoring me? This isn’t possible… It’s time for me to take action!’ Halston thought.
“Quiet down.” Halston cleared his throat and declared, “I have good news.”
Everyone turned to glare at him.
Timothy, in particular, seemed unsatisfied and irritated every time he saw Halston. “Are you even capable of giving me good news? It’s most likely horrible news!”
Francine had the same annoyed expression on her face as she waved her hand dismissively. “Your grandfather and the grandchildren dislike you. Flossie dislikes you as well. Why don’t you go into your room and wait there so you don’t spoil our mood?”
“What do you have to say?” Alexander urged him frustratedly. “Make it quick. I’m too busy peeling walnuts for my grandkids to squander my time.” He fed a peeled walnut to Adie and then to Abby as he talked, then told them gently, “Adie and Abby, you should eat more walnuts to keep your brain healthy. Don’t be like your stupid father, who does things without thinking.”
Halston was stunned. Since Adie and Abby arrived, he’d lost all of his status in the Guajardo family. They only saw him as an instrument for carrying on the Guajardo family’s genes.
“You must be prepared for the news because it will excite you to the point of insanity.” Halston tried again, hoping to arouse their interest.
They looked at him for a few seconds before rolling their eyes and going back to ignoring him.
“I am reconciling with Flossie,” Halston finally said, raising his head proudly.
To his delight, his words shocked the whole Guajardo family.
“What exactly do you mean?” Timothy glanced hopefully at Halston. “Did I hear you correctly? Did you say you and Flossie reconciled?”
Francine drew in a surprised breath. “It’s true, Dad. He said that he had reconciled with Flossie!”
“I won’t believe you if you don’t have proof. You have a knack for duping me!” Timothy couldn’t believe that an idiot like Halston could gain Flossie’s forgiveness in such a short period of time.
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to ask her.” Halston turned everyone’s focus to Flossie, a smug grin on his face.
“Huh?” Flossie was astounded as well. Although she and Halston had discussed putting on an act in front of Timothy to cheer him up, she hadn’t anticipated such a sudden announcement.
She could only go along with it now that things had progressed to this point. She gave the Guajardos a fake grin and said, “That’s correct. I reconciled with Halston.”
Timothy, however, was not easily fooled. “Flossie, don’t be afraid,” he urged, his face solemn. “Tell me – did he threaten you?”
“Huh? No, he didn’t. I…”
“Then you two have agreed to lie to me!” Timothy saw straight through their plan, and sighed deeply. “You know I won’t live for long, so you decided to put on an act with him to avoid having any regrets?”
“No, Grandpa. You’ve overthinking it!” Flossie protested.
“I know your personality, Flossie. You’ve always put others before yourself, so it’s not surprising that you’d do something like this. As much as I hope you and Halston will return to the way you both were before, you must forgive him, fall in love with him again, and be content with him first.”
After advising them, the old man said seriously, “Look into my eyes and tell me you’ve forgiven him and fallen in love with him again.”
“I…” Flossie unconsciously looked away from his intense gaze as guilt consumed her, and glanced at Halston for assistance. “You should ask him, Grandpa. He is aware of everything.”
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me. Fortunately, I came prepared.” Halston scoffed, then pulled out a document from his pocket and proudly said, “This is our marriage certificate. We wouldn’t have gone this far if we were acting.”
“Show it to me!” Francine’s eyes widened as she took the certificate and carefully inspected it. She then jumped into Alexander’s arms and cried out happily, “Finally, our son is married again! What wonderful news!”
Alexander, too, couldn’t believe it and took the certificate from his wife. He looked at it for a moment, then nodded. “The words are clear, so it’s probably real.”
“Let me see it.” Timothy frowned and adjusted his reading spectacles as he perused it.
The enormous living room instantly became silent.
His gloomy countenance faded after a while, and a big smile bloomed on his face. “This is fantastic! Today is a lucky day for the Guajardos. I can now let go of my life’s regrets!”
He was certain that the marriage certificate was genuine, and based on his knowledge of Flossie, he knew she wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of putting on a show merely to make him happy.
‘Then there is only one possibility left: she has finally considered everything and chosen to forgive Halston.’ Timothy pondered.
“You two have finally matured. Take excellent care of the kids and have a happy life together in the future. Don’t argue anymore, and don’t bring up previous wrongs. If not, my old spirit will not be at peace…”
He took Flossie’s and Halston’s hands and clasped them together, saying solemnly, “I want you two to make a promise in front of me. Promise me that you will never break up again. If you do, I, as a witness, will die tragically!”
Everyone was terrified by his statement.
“What is this nonsense, Dad? Don’t be so melancholic on such a nice day,” Alexander complained.
Timothy ignored him and waited for Halston and Flossie to agree. “If it’s true love, you wouldn’t be afraid to make the promise.”
“I’m not afraid.” Halston’s steely eyes were fixed on Flossie as he spoke determinedly, “I, Halston, Flossie’s lawful husband, promise to be responsible for her for the rest of my life and to never break up with her again.”
“Good man.” Timothy was relieved that Halston had finally realized his mistake. He then turned to Flossie enthusiastically. “It’s your turn now.”
“Yes. Flossie, it’s your turn.” Halston’s eyes were filled with passion and hope.
“I…” Flossie swallowed her saliva, feeling as though she had been put on the spot. Because of Timothy’s statements, she found it difficult to concur with Halston. If she made a casual commitment and couldn’t follow through with it, she’d be cursing Timothy.
“Flossie, you said you got back together with Halston because you love each other. Isn’t it normal for a husband and wife to swear never to leave one other for the rest of their lives? Why are you finding it so difficult?”
Timothy frowned. He just wanted them to be happy.
“No!” Flossie gulped hard, smiled gently, and clasped Halston’s hand, muttering, “I hope that as Halston’s wife, I can always be happy with him for the rest of my life.”
Halston was so astonished he choked on his own spit. He stared at Flossie, eyes wide in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Flossie to say those things to him – he expected her to tell a few falsehoods and lie to Timothy.
“Flossie, have you given it serious thought? Are you willing to spend the rest of your life with me?” Halston was a born genius. To ensure her commitment, he even utilized Timothy and said seriously, “If you leave me one day, you’ll be cursing Grandpa.”
“Of course, I’ve considered it…” She raised her head and met his eyes, saying from the bottom of her heart, “If you’re willing to be a good husband, I’ll be a good wife as well. If you do not leave me, I will not leave you.”
She wasn’t sure whether she would regret her decision, but she was convinced of her sentiments right now. This was the best outcome for everyone, and she was prepared to give their relationship another shot.
As Halston said, even if there was just a one percent chance that they would be happy together, she would take it. At the very least, she was happy when Halston pledged never to leave her.
For the first time, their fingers intertwined tightly. It was also the first time they felt the same way about one other.
“Thank you so much, Flossie. Thank you for giving my son a chance. As his mother, if he tries to cheat on you, I’ll be the first to teach him a lesson!”
Francine was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held Alexander and said, “Alex, the day we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. We no longer have to be concerned about Halston weeping in the middle of the night.”
“Exactly,” Alexander nodded eagerly.
“Who knew our son could cry more than you and be a bigger simp than I am? He wept every night for four years, but now that Flossie has returned, he doesn’t have to.”
“Pfft!” Flossie couldn’t stop laughing at the mental image of Halston weeping. “It’s all right. If he starts weeping again, I’ll smack him until he stops.”
“What a great idea! You should strike a guy if he does not listen to you. The more you hit him, the more he’ll pay attention to you. That’s how I get Alexander to listen to me!”
Francine proceeded to offer her knowledge on how to tame a spouse, or more precisely, how to beat a husband into submission. “You can’t let the man get away with anything or they’ll think they’re better than you. If Halston becomes angry at you, you must punch him as hard as you can…”
