Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“But I’m his sister! We’re bound by blood. I’ll keep it a secret and pretend not to know, I promise.” Flossie nodded eagerly.
“Hah… Miss Ellsworth, please don’t make things difficult for me. This secret pains him more than the scar on his face, so we should just let it be. There’s no point in reopening old wounds.”
“But this wound will only get worse. How long does he plan to hide it?” Flossie argued stubbornly.
“This…” Chase leaned back in his chair, looking around guiltily.
“If this really is the thorn in his side, I need to see his wound before I can treat it.” Flossie looked at Chase imploringly.” You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? His actions are often extreme, impulsive, and even twisted. If he keeps fighting Halston, one of them will be sacrificed one day, and that’s not something I want to happen.”
“I agree with you, I don’t want unnecessary death either. I want this rivalry to end too,”
Chase said hesitantly.
“Then tell me, Chase. What’s been troubling my brother?” Flossie asked, gripping Chase’s arms earnestly.
Chase was silent for a while, then finally heaved a long sigh. “Forget it. Miss Ellsworth, I can tell you if you really want to know. I believe that you’re the only one in this world who truly cares about him and wants him to be happy. I won’t regret it as long as he can resolve that hatred of his. Even if he wants to punish me for it, I’m willing to take the risk…” The man abruptly gulped down his beer, then started to talk about their past.
“You know that he was abandoned when he was young, right? After that, he got adopted by a poor couple in that small fishing village. The couple already had a son and a daughter, so they were very reluctant to adopt my boss.
Because of that, they used to hit and scold him all the time, and they also didn’t give him food and made him do heavy labour every day.” Chase had also grown up poor in that small fishing village, but because he was the only son in his family, he had lived a worry-free life.
“When we were young, the boss was very handsome, and everyone could easily tell that he was a rich, young heir. He was very popular among our group of youngsters, and we all had a lot of fun together. After a while, he and I became good friends. Sometimes, I would steal food from home for him to eat.” Chase smiled vaguely as he recalled those memories.
Thank you, Chase. You must have been a ray of light in my brother’s dark childhood. No wonder you both are so close.” Flossie saw Chase as her brother’s saviour, so she was very grateful towards him.
“No, the light in your brother’s life back then was Miss Joanne Garcia. Unfortunately, that light was not only his redemption… it was also his destruction. The thorn in his side for all those years was also brought on by Miss Garcia.” Many years had passed since then, but whenever Chase thought of Joanne, complicated emotions bubbled up in him. Love, but also hatred, were among them.
“Joanne Garcia,” Flossie echoed slowly. Quinton had always talked about his past in the village, describing his crazy foster father, violent foster mother, and arrogant elder brother…
But he had never mentioned Joanne.
“She was the young daughter of the boss’ foster parents, and was also the only one who saw him as her family…” When Chase talked about Joanne, his gaze softened, like he was talking about something wondrous. “Joanne was petite and delicate like a doll, and always smiled ever so sweetly. Like my boss, she looked like a child from a rich family, so the both of them were quite out of place in that small fishing village. Maybe that was the reason why
Joanne and my boss were close. Joanne would use her small body to protect him whenever he was scolded or beaten, and wouldn’t allow anyone to bully him… One time, my boss had been slashed by his crazy elder brother, and in the middle of the night, Joanne and him went to every house to beg for help. Some cruel fishermen drove them away as if they were jinxes, so she kneeled in front of their house to humbly ask for help. In the end, thanks to her, my boss was saved.”
“Looks like my brother had a guardian angel protecting him. As his sister, I can’t help but feel ashamed.” After Flossie heard about Joanne and Quinton’s past, she became very curious about Joanne. She yearned to meet the angelic woman to thank her properly
“Yes, Miss Garcia was wonderful. She was like a pure flower -simple and naive without any malice in her. She was my boss’ motivation to survive. Eventually, he gained enough power to leave the small fishing village, but he suppressed his talent and capabilities just so he could be with her. He stayed in that tiny village and became a humble fisherman…”
“What happened afterwards? Where did she go? Why didn’t my brother mention her?”
Flossie had so many questions.
“After that…” Chase frowned and murmured, “That wicked brother of hers bullied her, so my boss beat him up and ran away with Miss Garcia. I was a rebel too back then, so I went with them. We were just broke kids at the time, so we decided to go to the chaotic
Water Dock to survive. We then risked our lives to establish Carmine Pawnshop.”
“Quinton really is amazing… All of you were.” Flossie could not imagine how three penniless youths established
Carmine Pawnshop in that land of chaos. It was the border of three countries, and was full of savage people.
Only they knew the pain and hardships they had to endure.
“Miss Garcia and I were ordinary, but your brother was something else. He was handsome and charming, and even though we had nothing, he managed to secure a whole lot of orders, especially ones from female customers. Soon, Carmine Pawnshop grew by leaps and bounds, and his reputation as the Night Demon also grew…”
Chase smiled sadly at the memory. “At that time, Joanne was our princess, and as her knights, we protected her from the evil in the world. She enjoyed a pampered life without learning the ways of the world, and maybe that was what gave a villain the chance to use her.”
“Villain… Who was that?” Flossie had a name in mind, but she prayed and hoped that it wasn’t the case.
“Miss Ellsworth, you’re not stupid. I’m sure you can guess who it was…” Chase grimaced as he was forced to recall that unfortunate memory. “That year, Carmine Pawnshop was at the peak of its glory, but at some point, it butted heads with the Guajardo family’s industrial chain.
Halston had just taken over some of his family’s properties at that time, so he saw Carmine
Pawnshop as a way to prove himself. Both parties fought each other for many years, but it was neck and neck…
“The Guajardo family did well in legitimate businesses, but they weren’t used to underground dealings. They couldn’t fight my boss since he was more experienced in that area, and he had been overtaking them the whole time, but the situation soon changed… thanks to the cunning Halston. He found my boss’ weakness-Miss Garcia, an innocent and gullible young woman. He approached her and bewitched her until she betrayed my boss.”
Chase clenched his fists tightly, his lip curling in anger.” Initially, my boss had the upper hand during the great battle at sea that year, but Miss Garcia stabbed my boss to protect
Halston before Halston slashed his face. Desperate and downcast, he jumped into the sea, and Miss Garcia went missing after that…”
“What?” Flossie was dumbfounded, and couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Is Halston…
really that cunning and wicked?
“Hmph! Of course.” Chase snorted in disdain. “He’s just a sanctimonious and disloyal man who’ll do anything to get what he wants. He was so shameless that he even tricked and fooled a pure, naive girl! Even if he behaves differently and does a lot of charity now, he can’t hide the fact that he’s rotten to the core.” Chase’s opinion of Halston was similar to his opinion of Joanne-though he hated the man, he couldn’t deny that he respected him very much too.
After all, he had been Halston’s subordinate for four years at some point. During that time, the despicable man seemed… not as despicable as Chase had thought. It was very conflicting.
“The light that saved him turned out to be a knife that stabbed him… Joanne’s betrayal was a fatal blow to Quinton. No wonder he hates Halston so much!” After listening to Chase’s explanation, Flossie finally understood Quinton’s character.
A betrayal by the person you loved the most was the worst – it could turn even the most innocent person into a monster.
Joanne and Halston were the reason why Quinton was this way today. If it had happened to her, she might have become more extreme than Quinton if the light she cherished became a poisonous snake that bit her. She would have long hacked that person into pieces and gotten rid of them.
“I guess Joanne is the cause of my brother’s bitterness and resentment. Maybe he can be saved if we find Joanne and resolve the hatred between them. We can also put an end to the grudge he holds for Halston…”
“It’s not that simple.” Chase shook his head. “I also thought of that, but no one knows where
Joanna is. Some people said that she jumped into the sea after my brother, and others said that Halston had killed her. Some even claimed that she had been sold to the black market and was doing human shows. I hired a lot of people and used a lot of connections to look for her, but I couldn’t find her.”
“It’s fine. I have a way to find her.” Flossie sounded firm. She would pay any price as long as it could help her brother be free of his hatred.
That night was destined to be a sleepless one.
Xavier, who had carried Leia out of a bar, was having a difficult time too.
“Let go of me! You’re nothing but a scumbag who tricks female college students and gets them pregnant! I’m going to expose your crimes so all the women in Beach City can see your true colours… If you don’t let go of me, I’m going to call the police. Help me! He’s trying to kidnap me. Help me call the police!” Leia yelled, then slapped Xavier’s face and punched his stomach. It was unknown if Leia was truly drunk or if she was just pretending, but they attracted a lot of attention.
“Damn it! Woman, keep quiet. If you shout again, people will think I’m a pervert and arrest me!” Xavier hissed in her ear and tried to cover her mouth, but she bit his hand hard.
Xavier howled in pain and was forced to let go of her.
After Leia regained her freedom, she ran onto the street haphazardly.
“Stop making a scene! It’s late, how do you have so much energy?!” Xavier ran after her, gasping for breath. He quickly realised that this woman could be very energetic if she wanted, even though she was always dispirited and languid. He was quickly becoming exhausted.
“Don’t come near me, you scumbag! You always upset me… I don’t want to see you again!
Get lost!” She turned around and yelled at him with tears running down her cheeks. She was sober now, and was well aware of the fact that Xavier was her drug. If she became addicted to it, it would definitely harm her.
Hence, she tried her best to suppress her desire and give him up even though she yearned to throw herself into his arms and kiss him
“Hmph! Of course.” Chase snorted in disdain. “He’s just a sanctimonious and disloyal man who’ll do anything to get what he wants. He was so shameless that he even tricked and fooled a pure, naive girl! Even if he behaves differently and does a lot of charity now, he can’t hide the fact that he’s rotten to the core.” Chase’s opinion of Halston was similar to his opinion of Joanne-though he hated the man, he couldn’t deny that he respected him very much too.