Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“No, I didn’t change because of her. This is how I am, and I just became more like myself after I met her.” Jovan’s blank gaze seemed to soften at the mention of Flossie.
“You’re wrong!” Eloise argued frustratedly, “You once said that love was the most meaningless thing in the world, that it would only tie you down and weaken you! You had actually defeated Halston back then, and if you had just been more ruthless, you would have been heading Guajardo Enterprise, but… you became a fool for that woman, and gave up your blood and eyes to Halston. He’s out and about now, but we have to cower in a corner and lick our wounds. Even something simple like looking at the moon is unobtainable, and it just makes me so mad!”
Jovan slowly clenched his fists, unable to deny it. Eloise was right-in the past, he was rational and never let love blind him. In fact, he used to laugh at all those lovestruck fools, feeling that they would amount to nothing because they gave up so much for the sake of love.
Unexpectedly, he had now become the very person he had once despised.
“Would you make the same choice if you were given a second chance, Mr. Guajardo?” Eloise asked carefully.
“I don’t know,” Jovan replied honestly. “People will only do stupid things for love once in their lives. I’ve already done it, and I don’t know whether I would do it again if given the chance. Who knows? Maybe I’d become a villain and defeat Halston so I could make Flossie mine. Haha!” Jovan chuckled, knowing that was how he used to be. He had no idea why he had chosen to save Halston back then, willingly throwing himself into this endless abyss just to give Flossie peace of mind.
“Umm… Would you be willing to try if you had the chance?” Eloise continued slowly.
“What do you mean?” Jovan frowned and turned to her.
“I’ve been keeping something from you lately. Your parents and I were looking for suitable eyes for you all over the world, and recently, we just found a pair. If you’d like, we can arrange the transplant for you,” Eloise explained. She had to get his consent for the surgery, because if he disagreed, everything would be pointless. He was different now, so Eloise and Jovan’s parents didn’t know if he would agree to such a drastic change.
“I’m going to have eye surgery?” Jovan’s face lit up in eagerness, and it was like watching a wilted flower come back to life.
“Yes, it’s scheduled to take place in three days, and a specialist will come to the manor to perform the surgery. What do you think?”
“The eyes are a match to my body?” Jovan was still in disbelief. “My parents have been searching for ages, but they never found anything. Did they really finally succeed?”
“Maybe fate feels that you’ve suffered enough,” Eloise said vaguely.
“Can you tell me more about the donor? Is it a man or a woman? Is the donor a Guajardo too?” Although Jovan was elated, he was still cautious. Nothing in life was free, after all.
“Well… that…” Eloise trailed off, not expecting Jovan to be concerned with who the donor was. She thought about it for a while, then casually lied, “It’s a poor female student. When she saw our advertisement, she submitted her check-up report, and we found her suitable.” If Jovan learned that the donor was Flossie, the very person he risked his life to protect, there was no way he’d agree to the surgery.
“Oh, a poor female student…” Jovan didn’t doubt it-there were many people who were forced to give up their bodies or organs just to survive. “Pay her well if she really agrees to do it. In fact, I’m willing to be responsible for her and her family for the rest of their lives,” Jovan declared righteously. Although he wasn’t generous by nature, he would repay others’ kindness so he wouldn’t owe them anything.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get it done. Does that mean you’re willing to undergo the surgery?” Eloise didn’t expect things to go so smoothly, and her eyes shone with delight.
“Why not?” Jovan frowned. “I’m not a masochist, and who would want to be blind? If I regain my sight, I’ll have the confidence to go back and make her stay with me!”
“Umm, the first thing you’ll do when you regain your sight is snatch Ms. Ellsworth back, right?”
“Of course!” Jovan said firmly, then continued, “I’ve become more certain of my feelings for her, and I don’t regret my decision. I won’t give up a chance to be with her.”
“Well… I hope everything will go well.” Eloise tried to keep her tone calm, wondering how he would feel if he knew that the donor was Flossie. He’d definitely go mad and regret having the surgery, but Eloise had no choice. She and Jovan’s parents couldn’t bear to see Jovan in such low spirits anymore. Jovan could only make it up to Flossie after he grew stronger. Besides, Flossie owed him his sight since she had been the reason he lost it anyway. Jovan’s sacrifices for Halston had caused him a lot of suffering.
“Can you arrange for me to meet that female student before the surgery? I would like to thank her in person.” Jovan was looking forward to the surgery, and sincerely wanted to thank the benefactor who would give him a new life.
“Umm…” Eloise hesitated, not knowing how to turn Jovan down.
Jovan immediately picked up on Eloise’s hesitation and asked, “What’s wrong? Is it inconvenient?”
“No, it’s just that… Is it really necessary that you meet her?” Eloise initially wanted to come up with an excuse to reject his request, but he would surely get suspicious if she kept saying no.
“Of course,” Jovan said earnestly. “She’s going to bear the suffering I’ve been going through for the rest of her life if she gives her eyes to me. She’ll practically be giving me a new life, so of course I have to meet my benefactor.”
“Okay, I’ll arrange a meeting for the both of you then…” Eloise felt it was best that she let Jovan meet Flossie for a while before the surgery to erase any suspicions. “I’ll ask her to come to the manor at ten o’clock tomorrow morning so the both of you can talk.”
“You’ve done well, Elly.” It was the first time Jovan praised Eloise openly. He turned his face towards the sky and took in a deep breath, feeling like freedom was already in his grasp. “I’ll be able to see the moon in a few days.”
Eloise pushed Jovan back to his room and waited for him to fall asleep, then went to the basement again.
Flossie was still paralyzed from the waist down, but remained calm. She looked as if she was patiently waiting for the surgery.
“I’ve just spoken to Mr. Guajardo, and he’s agreed to undergo the surgery in three days. However, I… didn’t tell him that you’re the donor,” Eloise explained to Flossie.
Flossie opened her eyes and looked up at the white ceiling, smiling bitterly. “Of course, you can’t tell him. He won’t say yes if he knows it’s me. After all, he only agreed to give up his sight for my sake.”
“You’re right. You’ll just be returning Mr. Guajardo’s favor. As for the rest, it’s between you and Halston. He should be held responsible for you since he owes you a pair of eyes,” Eloise said rather sharply. Although she was surprised by Flossie’s consent, she hadn’t forgiven her entirely. After all, it was Flossie who had put Jovan in this position in the first place.
“I don’t need anyone to be held responsible for me because I caused it. I’ll be responsible for myself.” Flossie had never thought of asking Halston for help after giving up her eyes. In fact, she had already studied Braille in case she ever needed to return Jovan’s favor one day. She had been through many hardships, so even if she lost her sight, she knew she would still make a name for herself.
“You’re quite a rational person. No wonder Mr. Guajardo is so obsessed with you.” Eloise stared at Flossie curiously, feeling that she was quite an exceptional person. Many people would have gone crazy at the thought of losing their sight, and they would surely try to run away, but it seemed like Flossie had accepted her fate and would take charge of her life nonetheless.
“With all this bad luck I have, I have no choice but to be optimistic,” Flossie smiled and said calmly.
Eloise felt her suspicions fade, and told Flossie, “Mr. Guajardo wants to meet the donor and talk to her. I already set the time for tomorrow morning, so could you… pretend to be a poor female student?” Eloise could always get a female student to act, but she felt that it would be a great regret if they didn’t meet.
“Sure.” Flossie was looking forward to it. “I’ll lose my sight in three days; I won’t have any regrets if I get to see the outside world before then.”
Pity engulfed Eloise when she saw how despondent Flossie was. “Listen, I don’t want to do this either but the problem is there aren’t any suitable eyes for Mr. Guajardo except yours. It’s our only option.”
Don’t worry about it. I told you that it’s what I owe to Jovan, and I’m willing to return the favor.”
“Fine, you both will meet tomorrow morning then,” Eloise said and breathed out a weary sigh.
Flossie had a restless night, her mind plagued with worries, and on the other side of Beach City, the same thing was happening to Halston.
Xavier had told Halston that he couldn’t get through to Flossie’s phone, so Halston had tried calling Flossie too. When he couldn’t reach her either, uneasiness filled him. However, he soon saw her Facebook status-a photo of her holding sunflowers and smiling tenderly with the caption ‘You’re the only one I love’.
Halston knew that was what sunflowers meant, but he couldn’t help but feel like it was Flossie confessing her love for him on the Internet. Why had she posted that? Was she trying to give him a hint? Being the arrogant person he was, Halston commented on Flossie’s status for the first time.
[Where are you?]
However, Flossie didn’t reply to his comment. Halston knew it was logical since they were no longer a part of each other’s lives, but Halston couldn’t accept it. He felt that something was amiss. It was two o’clock in the morning, but he still called his assistant. “Elijah, help me track down Flossie’s current location.”
Rubbing his eyes, Elijah stifled a yawn and said helplessly,” I’m an assistant, Mr. Guajardo, not a hacker. How am I supposed to find her location from a Facebook status?”
“I don’t care what you do, but I want her location before dawn.” After that, Halston ended the call and went to sleep.
Elijah stared at his phone, wondering what he had done wrong.
The next morning, Jovan had woken up early and let Eloise shave his beard. He changed into an expensive outfit, and looked so energetic and bright that you wouldn’t be able to tell he was blind.
The appointed location was the outdoor garden on the top floor of the manor. It was quiet and peaceful, and had a nice view of the entire manor. It was also the place Jovan liked best.
“Is she here?” Jovan asked anxiously as he sat down on the chair.
“Yes, she’s here.” Eloise pulled Flossie to the balcony. She wasn’t worried that Flossie would try to escape or expose her true identity to Jovan; she would have done that long ago if she really wanted to.
“Where is she?” Jovan asked Eloise eagerly.
“She’s sitting in front of you. Just take your time and talk to her…” Eloise patiently explained.
There were two lounge chairs and a small tea table on the balcony. Both Jovan and Flossie sat across from each other, tea and fruits on the table between them.
“Please leave us alone, Elly,” Jovan ordered Eloise, who was standing nearby.
“Just ignore me, Mr. Guajardo. I won’t disturb you.” Eloise wasn’t worried about Flossie, but she was scared Jovan might realize something, given how smart he was. Letting them meet was already very risky.