Filed To Story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Umm…” Quinton had a heart made of stone, but Abby’s words softened him. He had not felt this way in a long time.
“Adie, Abby. Don’t be rude to Uncle Quinton. He has his reasons for wearing a mask, so don’t pester him. Besides, isn’t it cool to wear a mask?” Flossie lectured her children sternly.
Flossie knew Quinton’s face had always been a wound in his heart. It was normal for him to hide his scar, and Flossie had always respected his decision.
“It’s okay. If the kids are curious, I can take it off. We’re a family. There’s no need to be so secretive,” Quinton said and took off his mask.
Quinton had a long and deep scar across his face. It was crooked and spread from the end of his left eye to the right corner of his mouth. It was as if the scar split his face in half!
Everyone was shocked but did not say much. They cared about Quinton’s self-esteem and did not want to hurt him. However, the surrounding passers-by’s responses were hurtful – they screamed in fright and retreated a few metres away.
“Ah, monster!”
“That’s so scary! Did someone cut off half of his face? That’s terrible!”
The passersby’s reactions hurt Quinton’s self-esteem badly. He quickly put his mask back on and smiled bitterly. “Sorry for scaring you.”
“N-No…” Flossie felt sorry for Quinton and comforted him, “I think you’re very handsome. Your eyes are very much like Mom’s – gentle and determined. Your mouth is very much like Dad’s. You have beautiful lips. You’re really my brother. If we weren’t blood-related, I would’ve fallen in love with you at first sight!”
“Really?” Quinton’s eyes brightened immediately. Quinton had always wondered what his mother looked like. He had imagined it countless times, but it never felt real. However, when Flossie described her, her image immediately came to his mind and his heart softened.
“Of course. You can ask Lei too. She’s Mom and Dad’s goddaughter and often visited us. She knows Mom and Dad’s faces very well… Right, Lei?”
“Y-Yes!” Leia had been startled by Quinton’s scar earlier, but when she thought about it, Quinton actually had a handsome face. His handsomeness was no less than Halston and Xavier’s. In fact, he was even more perfect than Halston and Xavier.
Quinton’s eyes, which he inherited from his mother, looked like they held many stories. Flossie’s mother had been as famous as Francine back then. She had been the most beautiful person in North City!
“Quinton’s eyes are exactly the same as Godmother’s eyes. I was stunned, I thought I saw my godmother…” Leia said with a sincere look on her face.
“That’s great.” Quinton finally regained his self-esteem. Flossie and Leia’s praises had put a smile on his face, and he glowed like an elegant prince.
Xavier, on the other hand, said coldly, “Gee. Halston was ruthless back then and cut his face so badly. He’s like a monster. Who wouldn’t have a nightmare after seeing him?
Flossie and Leia were at a loss for words.
Xavier asked, “Why are you both glaring at me? Did I say something wrong? He knows what his face looks like. Otherwise, why would he wear a mask? He may lose himself because of your excessive praise. If he stops wearing the mask, he may scare the children. Even if he doesn’t scare the kids, what if he scares innocent passersby?”
Leia could not take it anymore and punched Xavier hard in the stomach. “Xavier, just shut up, will you?!”
“Oww! It hurts!” Xavier covered his stomach and grimaced in pain. He blurted out, “Leia! Damn! Are you trying to murder your husband?”
Immediately, Leia froze. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she stopped talking.
Xavier took a while to calm down. After that, he said solemnly, “Don’t be angry! I’m saying it for his own good!”
Then, he turned to Quinton, who had an icy expression on his face. “Quinton, haven’t you considered getting a plastic surgeon to restore your handsome face?”
“No!” Quinton gritted his teeth and replied in annoyance. Quinton was already at the limit of his patience. Xavier was just a frivolous man and another rich kid like Halston. If it were not for Flossie, he would have killed him!
“No? That doesn’t matter. Universal Entertainment may not be familiar with all kinds of business, but we’re renowned for our plastic surgery services. Nine out of ten artists in our company have undergone plastic surgery. I know a highly-skilled plastic surgeon called Ghost. He can surely save this face of yours!” Xavier said enthusiastically.
“Really?” Quinton frowned. Xavier’s words sparked a glimmer of hope in him. Who would not want to have a normal face if they could?
“Why would I lie to you?” Xavier draped his arm around Quinton’s shoulder and patted his chest with his other hand. “Don’t worry, bro. You are Flossie’s brother, so you are also my brother. I only want the best for you!”
“But you are Halston’s friend, so how good can you be?” Quinton frowned and looked at the man’s arm in disgust, restraining the urge to cut it off. Years of bloody battles had made him wary of people and unfamiliar with intimate interactions.
“No, no, no. I am no longer his brother. From now on, I will cut ties with that cold-blooded and heartless man!” Xavier crossed his arms, and smiled earnestly. “I am now your brother, so I will listen to everything you say. And I wasn’t joking earlier. If you want, I can bring you to the plastic surgeon and let him see if your face can be reconstructed.”
“Sure.” Quinton nodded, the defensiveness in his eyes fading slightly.
They got into the car and started talking happily. Quinton even warmly invited Xavier to Carmine Pawnshop to have tea with him.
Watching them from the backseat, Flossie and Leia exchanged glances in confusion.
“What is going on here? Why are they suddenly so close? Did I miss something?”
“What’s so strange about it? Xavier is very sociable.”
“But isn’t he too quick to defect to Quinton, knowing that my brother and his best friend are deadly rivals?”
“You’re right… he’s acting weird. What’s he up to?”
“There must be a conspiracy!”
“Yeah, it must be!”
Soon, they arrived at the Carmine Pawnshop.
Quinton announced that he would personally cook for them, and Xavier acted like a loyal follower as he said, “Brother, I’ll go with you. Please teach me how to cook.”
So, the two men talked in the kitchen again. They were like long-lost brothers, and their excitement was very peculiar.
Flossie and Leia sat on the sofa near the table with a bunch of fruits and snacks. The children were running around in the courtyard, casually playing with priceless antiques with a panicked Chase running after them.
“Ah, please be careful with that, Master Adie. That is not an ordinary soccer ball but one used by royalty in ancient times. It’s made of pure gold and ancient jade and is very very expensive, so please don’t break it!”
“Ah, Miss Abby, p-please don’t touch this vase. It’s a high-quality product from an imperial kiln and Mr. Ellsworth’s favorite…”
Leia, like the twins, felt like she had entered a foreign world and found everything very new. “Flossie, look at this snuff bottle. I have seen it in a museum before. I remember that the price is estimated to be around fifteen million dollars. How could you treat it like a common ornament? Isn’t it a bit wasteful?”
“This is just my brother’s hobby. There are dozens more in his display case. If you like them, I can ask him to send you a few.”
“My gosh, Flossie, you are simply too rich!” Leia pretended to wipe away tears as she complained. “Flossie, you’re literally living the perfect life! You were born into a rich family, you’re skilled at practically everything, and are currently the president of KCL. Not only that, your children are pretty and clever, and even your brother who appeared out of nowhere is a magnate. How are common girls like me going to live? Oh, but I forget about the scum from the Guajardo family that tainted your life. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. You have cut ties with that pathetic being, so you can live a beautiful life alone in the future…”
Flossie was amused by Leia’s dramatic monologue. “My dear Miss Leia, aren’t you born into a rich family? Don’t you have a powerful brother? And the most precious thing is that you have a reliable man. I am the one who should envy you.”
“Man?” Leia frowned in confusion. “Where is the man? How come I don’t know about him?”
“Stop acting. Where do you think he will be?” Flossie glanced at the kitchen, hugged Leia, and said teasingly, “Tell me honestly. How far have you and Xavier gone? When will you get married?”
“What? Stop talking nonsense!” Leia blushed immediately like a shy young girl. “I only worked with him to take care of the kids. We are not from the same world, and we’re not even friends.”
“Why does he address himself as your darling then?” Flossie smirked.
“He’s always been like this, flirting with all women he encounters. He’s simply a playboy addicted to sex!” Leia recalled the recent days they spent together and inexplicably felt annoyed. Truthfully, he had not said or done anything. It was she who had been making a fuss out of it, so he did not deserve her anger…
“I see.” Flossie got serious and patted Leia’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s not your problem, it’s his. Don’t feel pressured about it.”
“What should I do now, Flossie? Sometimes I feel like an idiot whose emotions are easily manipulated by him. I feel so powerless!” Leia confessed to Flossie miserably. “You know that I only have theoretical knowledge about romance. I have very little practical experience, and the only one I had was a failure. I really have no resistance toward a love master like Xavier.”
“Don’t worry, I know just how to deal with this kind of man. Just wait and see.” Flossie smiled ambiguously at Leia and went to the kitchen to look for Xavier.
Xavier and Quinton were no longer chatting happily in the kitchen and started poking fun at each other.