Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“But…”
Xavier sighed exasperatedly. “I’ll ask Halston to check on her if you’re that worried.”
Flossie woke up in a large bed in a strange white room. She looked around in confusion, wondering if she was in a morgue.
“You’re finally awake. You were in a coma for three days because the drug I used was too strong. I actually thought you’d stay that way forever…” A woman’s indifferent voice came from the window, sounding as if life and death were nothing to her.
Flossie immediately turned towards the woman standing at the window, then frowned. “It’s… you.” It was the woman who had snuck into Flossie’s ward the other night.
“I’m honored you remember me,” Eloise scoffed sarcastically, as she tended to a bouquet of sunflowers beside the window. She took a pair of scissors and cut the stems of the sunflowers she had just picked, carefully placing them into the vase. It looked very beautiful.
“The master said sunflowers are your favourite, which is why he ordered me to plant sunflowers in the garden. Now, they’re all in bloom, but he can’t even see them. It’s just like his unrequited love-beautiful but unnoticed. What a shame…” Eloise said softly, her gaze cold as she cut off the stems of the flowers angrily.
“Are you talking about… Jovan?” Flossie instantly knew who Eloise meant since there was nobody else she knew that fit that description.
“You still remember him? Hmph, looks like his sacrifices aren’t wasted after all…’ Eloise’s hatred for Flossie subsided a little when she heard that.
“Is it really Jovan?” Flossie asked excitedly, wanting to move the blanket aside to get out of bed. To her horror, she found that couldn’t move her body at all. She glared at Eloise and demanded, “What did you do to me?”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a numbing drug that will paralyze you for a while,” Eloise said casually.
Sweat beaded Flossie’s forehead and she winced in pain. She couldn’t move her lower body, no matter how hard she tried. Feeling defeated, she finally stopped struggling. “Did Jovan ask you to do this? Does he want to take revenge on me?”
“No, he loves you too much for that. He gave up his eyes and blood for you, remember? He can’t bear to hurt you, so there’s no way he’d want to take revenge on you. All of this is my idea.” Eloise got up and walked over to Flossie, wrapping her fingers around her jaw and lifting her head. She stared into her eyes and sneered, “I can’t bear seeing him hiding in this isolated estate for your sake, considering the kind of man he used to be. He just indulges in his despair now, like moss growing in the dark… But what about you? So many men dote on you, but have you ever thought about the one man who’s in pain because of you?”
“I’ve wronged Jovan.” Flossie looked away, clenching her fists. “So many things have been happening lately, and I haven’t had the time to look for him. It’s my fault.”
“Hmm… You didn’t have the time to look for my master, but you had the time to meet Halston every night. You had the time to bicker with Mr. Baldwin and chat with Mr. Osborne. You were really busy… so much so that you forgot about my master,” Eloise snarled, wrapping her fingers around Flossie’s pale throat and strangling her.
“Did you know that my master came up with countless methods to kill himself while you were with Halston? His wrists were full of cuts, and no matter where I hid the razor blades, he’d find them. He used to be so strong, but now he’s weak and fragile. Do you even know what he’s been through?”
Flossie’s eyes widened in surprise, and she slowly stopped resisting. She stared up at Eloise solemnly as she strangled her, and her vision soon started to blur.
“Hmph, I won’t let you die so easily,” Eloise let go of Flossie and said coldly. “I brought you here to atone for your sins.”
Flossie coughed as her lungs filled with air again. Gasping, she asked Eloise, “How… do you want me to do that?”
“It’s simple-l want you to give your eyes to him,” Eloise said directly. “I’ve been trying to find him a pair of eyes that his body would accept, and finally, I found the answer when I saw your medical report. Turns out your eyes are pretty special, and since you owe him a favour, I’m sure it’s not too much to ask for you to give them to him, right?”
Flossie was silent for a long time, then she finally whispered,” Can my eyes really match his body?” When Halston was blind back then, she’d also tried to find a pair of eyes that suited him, but Jovan’s were the only match since they were related. At that moment, she had wanted Halston to recover so desperately that she had harmed Jovan for nothing.
Jovan’s sacrifices weighed on her conscience so heavily that they suffocated her, so she was more than willing to give her eyes to Jovan in exchange for her peace of mind.
“Of course, the doctor checked your medical information thoroughly. Your success rate is the highest, which is why I went through all that trouble to kidnap you and bring you here.” Staring at Flossie icily, Eloise asked, “I’m curious… Are you really willing to give up your eyes to him?”
“Yes, I am,” Flossie replied immediately.
Eloise raised her brows in surprise. “That was fast. I wouldn’t have spent so much effort to get those numbing drugs if I knew you’d agree that easily. They were quite pricey, you know.”
“When is the surgery?” Flossie asked bluntly.
“In three days,” Eloise answered.
“Okay.” Flossie nodded and added, “Can you give me back my phone?”
“Your phone?” Eloise scoffed. “Do you think I’m stupid? I’m not going to give you the chance to contact someone; I can’t expose this secret manor.”
“Then you’ll have to think of a way to tell my family and friends that I’m safe. If you don’t, they’ll search all over the city to find me… and then things will get out of hand.”
Eloise looked at Flossie suspiciously, not believing that someone could be that foolish. “Are you really willing to give up your eyes for him and help cover for us?”
“Willing or not, I owe it to Jovan.” Flossie sighed and added,” I don’t have to let them know if you don’t trust me, but you’ll just have to figure out how to deal with them when this becomes a bigger mess.” Flossie wasn’t bluffing Eloise-she genuinely wanted to resolve this. She’d always felt guilty because of Jovan’s sacrifices, and when night fell, that uneasiness would play on her mind. She always wondered if he was living in despair or had fallen into his enemies’ hands … or if he was dead. Thinking of all those possibilities hurt her and gave her restless nights. She no longer wanted that kind of life; she wanted to repay Jovan.
“How are you going to tell them that you’re safe?” Eloise asked carefully.
“I’ll post on Facebook…” Smiling, Flossie explained, “People in danger wouldn’t think of posting something on social media, so I’m sure my family and friends won’t suspect a thing.”
“Is that all?” Eloise felt that she could accept that.
“Yes, that’s more than enough.” Flossie nodded. Quinton was busy looking for Chase at sea, Leia was shooting a reality show on an island, and Justin had returned to North City to handle some family affairs… Flossie felt that they wouldn’t notice something was off. If they saw her post something online, they’d definitely assume she was safe.
“Sure. I’ll let you post a status.” After brief contemplation, Eloise added, ‘Til use my phone to log into your social account. Give me the picture and caption, and I’ll post it as your status. Is that okay?”
Raising her brows, Flossie replied, “No problem.” Looking around, Flossie pointed at the sunflower bouquet by the bed and suggested, “Give me those flowers. I’ll snap a photo of them.”
Knowing that Flossie couldn’t trick her, Eloise agreed and gave Flossie the bouquet.
Flossie held the flowers and made a peace sign as she beamed and took a selfie. “The picture is on your phone. As for the caption… Just write ‘you’re the only one I love’,” Flossie said slowly.
“What does that mean? Is it some kind of code?” Eloise demanded suspiciously.
“Yes, it’s a code, but it’s what the sunflower means. People will just ignore it since it’s a very popular statement,” Flossie explained patiently, wanting to post an ordinary status so she wouldn’t raise anyone’s suspicions.
“Okay, I’ll post your status later. Log in to your account first.” Eloise fished out her phone and let Flossie log into her social account.
After taking Eloise’s phone, Flossie logged in to her social account and gave her full cooperation. She could’ve easily called for help, but didn’t feel like doing so.
Eventually, Eloise grew to believe Flossie, much to her surprise. “I didn’t imagine that you would really give up your eyes. No wonder my master loves you so much… A woman like you really is worthy of the sacrifices he’s made.”
“Is that a compliment?” Looking at Eloise, Flossie smiled.” I’m not a good person-l just hate the idea of owing someone.”
“Maybe he wants that… but I won’t let him be a fool any longer.” Heaving a long sigh, Eloise continued, “It doesn’t matter who owes who, he’s the only one suffering here. If this surgery is successful, I hope he’ll be more ruthless and force you to be with him. That was how he used to do things.
Eloise had been trained by Jovan’s parents since she was young and would only serve Jovan alone. She was willing to do anything for him, especially since he knew that a neutral person like him would only be successful if they were ruthless. When he decided he wanted to do something good, he always went overboard, which was what had happened when he gave up his eyes. Eloise felt that she was at fault because she hadn’t kept a close watch on him, so she couldn’t let him go down the wrong path anymore. She had to push him to become the person he used to be- cunning and confident.
Flossie looked rather forlorn as she asked Eloise, “How did Jovan spend his days?”
“Hah! What could a weak, blind man do?” Eloise scoffed and shook her head. “Mostly, he just likes spending time in the garden, quietly enjoying the smell of the flowers. He used to be so bright and active before this.”
“It’s all my fault.” Flossie kept her head hung. “I hope he can get better.”
At night, Eloise left the room Flossie was in, which was actually the basement of the manor. The manor was built on high ground, so sunlight could still get in from the window, but the people living upstairs couldn’t hear anything from the basement because they were three stories above it. That was why Jovan had no idea that he had been living under the same roof as Flossie for the past three days.
The moon was shining brightly on that cold night, and Jovan was sitting at the manor’s balcony, feeling the cool breeze on his face. As always, sadness weighed deep in his bones, and time seemed to have stood still during these days without light. The only way he could tell if it was morning or night was by the wind that blew through the manor.
“It’s getting late, Mr. Guajardo, and it’s quite cold tonight. Should I help you back to your room to rest?” Eloise placed a blanket on Jovan and suggested tenderly.
“Let me sit here for a little longer,” Jovan murmured and raised his face to the sky. “Can you tell me if it’s a full moon today?”
“It is, and the moon is shining bright.”
“It’s a shame I didn’t watch the moon more before I lost my sight.” Jovan sighed regretfully, thinking back on all the things he had lost.
Sadness engulfed Eloise at the sight of Jovan, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks. “You’ve changed so much because of that woman, Mr. Guajardo. You weren’t this pessimistic in the past…”