Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Flossie, I advise you to stop this wishful thinking. I may fancy you, but not enough to do this. Don’t test my patience, and submit to me. Else… Don’t blame me for forcing myself on you!” Jovan spoke cruelly, intentionally trying to show Flossie just how heartless he could be.
“Good, don’t be soft-hearted. If you do, I can’t possibly repay you then.” Flossie teared up and smiled at him, contrary to her usual annoyance towards him.
“Don’t worry, I won’t, even if it means I have to cut ties with you!” Jovan swore to the skies, devoid of a single sliver of mercy.
Half a month later, Halston opened his eyes slowly and met with a white ceiling above his head.
“I… Am I dreaming?” His voice was weak, his lips pale.
It was as if he had a long, long nightmare, one that included all his veins and bones being completely rearranged. It was a pain that he would absolutely never forget, especially with how close he felt he was to death.
“S… Halston, you’re awake! How… do you feel?”
Next to his bed were Seraphina, Francine, and many others from the Guajardo family, looking at him expectantly.
“Mom, when did you come here?” Halston asked softly, looking towards the tearful Francine.
“Halston, you… you can see now, right?” Seraphina waved her hand in front of him, asking carefully and excitedly.
Halston turned to look at the woman, flashing a gentle smile as a single stream of tears trickled down his face.
“I think so, yes.”
“This is great! Do you know how long we’ve waited for this day? Thank you, God, for showing us this miracle!” Francine wailed as she hugged Halston.
“Son, you must have suffered so much lately! It’s all my fault for letting those bad people bring you harm! Let’s focus on living our best lives now, okay?!” Alexander sobbed as he wiped his tears.
“I’m sorry for worrying all of you.” Halston coughed gently, his handsome face expressing solemnity.
He scanned his surroundings as if he was hoping to meet the person he longed to see all this while. However, only his family and friends were there, and he spotted no unfamiliar face.
“What are you looking for, son?” Francine quickly asked, noticing that he was spacing out.
“I…” Halston groaned and asked, “Wasn’t I in Greenwood Sanatorium? Who sent me here?”
“Well…” Francine and Alexander shared a glance, not certain if they should reveal the truth.
Seraphina held his hand and kissed him gently. “Oh silly, Uncle Alexander, Aunt Francine, and I did! We even thanked Mr. Walker and the rest of the staff. They’d all been through hell just to take care of you, after all.”
“Just Mr. Walker and the staff?”
“Who else could it be?” Seraphina lied without batting an eye. “We discussed with Mr. Walker and found a great doctor to help you regain your sight! I still can’t believe it really worked!”
“But I remember…” Halston furrowed his eyebrows, feeling inexplicably disappointed. “I remember someone else taking care of me. She was also the one who’s been frantically looking for a cure for my eyes too.”
“Oh, I know. You must be talking about Miss Ellsworth, right? ” Seraphina knew that she couldn’t hide this from him no matter how much she wanted to, so she mentioned the woman voluntarily.
“Where is she?” Halston’s eyes lit up slightly, asking enthusiastically.
‘If I remember correctly, we made a promise to each other that day. I had to get a good look at her once I regained my sight.’
Such anticipation was exactly why he was finally motivated to cooperate with their treatment methods.
He had held this newfound hope deep within his heart, hoping to see her once he opened his eyes.
And yet… She wasn’t here.
“She went on a round-the-world trip with Jovan. They got into a big fight, but they made up not long ago. Now their love for each other is as sweet as honey!” Seraphina exclaimed nonchalantly
“A round-the-world trip?” The man’s expression darkened.” Were they in such a hurry?”
‘We made a promise that I’d get to finally meet her once my eyes get better! But now she just left without even saying goodbye!’
Flossie Ellsworth, you liar!’
Francine and Alexander’s expressions stiffened. They seemed to have something to say but stopped themselves in the end.
“Son, it’s an amazing thing that you regained your vision, so stop thinking about such negativity. You just need to know that everyone who loves you is here. Just act like you slept for a very long time, and now you’re awake. Everything’s fine now!” Francine comforted him, her heart aching.
“Yeah, you merely woke up from slumber. You’re okay now. Stop thinking about those insignificant people. We’ll be here for you, supporting you, always.” Seraphina hugged the man, speaking as if she was trying to brainwash him.
“Alright.” Halston nodded, not allowing himself to think any further.
Half a year later, in a small town of West Varangia were several small wooden houses with pointed roofs. Like a fairytale, these beautiful structures were built along the tall mountain ranges.
The loveliest house among the rest was at the foot of the mountain. There were rows and rows of sunflowers swaying in the wind, basking in the sunlight within the large front yard.
In the very middle of the garden was a handsome man in a wheelchair. As the sunlight brushed against his skin, he lifted his face to take in the wonderful scent of flowers. His expression was filled with bliss.
“Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?” Flossie asked gently, caressing Jovan’s knee over the soft blanket.
“I’d like to have some of your coffee.”
“Okay, get some more sun for now. I’ll go make you some coffee.”
Before leaving, the woman bent down and kissed him softly on the forehead as reassurance.
“Thank you, my love.” Jovan squeezed her hand. His voice filled with happiness as sweet as honey.
It had been six months since Jovan cooperated with the Bloodletting and Bone Fumigation Therapy. Although he lost his ability to see and walk, he had never once regretted his decision, even when breathing started to feel exhausting.
To him, sacrificing himself to receive love and affection from the woman of his dreams was certainly a worthy trade.
Flossie, on the other hand, was grinding coffee in the kitchen. She was focused, as much as how she used to make coffee for Halston.
Despite having been so long ago, she still blamed herself for everything that happened and was consumed by regret every single day.
She knew that it was simply selfish to have Jovan risk his life to save Halston. Since she had ruined the man’s life, she was willing to do anything for him, and even that wasn’t enough as atonement.
At the time, international news happened to be playing on the television in their living room.
“According to reports, the current CEO of H Group, Halston Guajardo, will be taking his fiance, Seraphina Murphy, on a three-month-long honeymoon. Their first stop will be Banrea, a beautiful town in West Varangia known for its fairytale-like landscape…”
With a loud crash, the coffee mug shattered upon falling to the ground.
Flossie’s heart thumped in her ribcage as if she had been injected with adrenaline. Before this, she had been rather depressed and couldn’t feel much. It had been quite a long time since she felt her heart pound as hard as it just did.
“Darling, are you okay?” Jovan asked nervously as soon as he heard the commotion from the front yard.
He wanted to get up, but as a crippled person, he wasn’t able to walk properly, nor could he see what had happened. He couldn’t do anything at all.
“I’m fine! The mug just slipped out of my hands!” Flossie then took a deep breath to calm herself as much as possible.
After making a new cup of coffee, she switched the television off, expressionless. She didn’t even spare the dashing man on the television a single glance.