Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Okay, I’m not worried then,” Flossie said, letting out a sigh of sigh of relief. The thing she had feared the most was facing Halston if his family had been involved in the attack on the Ellsworths.
“It’s getting late; go to bed early. As for that guy… Keep him if he can help you, but don’t rely on him too much. It might not end well.” Quinton knew that he couldn’t change Flossie’s mind, so he just let her be.
“So you’re okay with us being together? You won’t object anymore?” Flossie was overjoyed. She thought that she would never get Quinton’s approval since he and Halston had been enemies in the past, but unexpectedly, her brother had allowed it.
“What’s the use of me objecting to it? You have the final say, and I’ve thought it through. He nearly killed me that year, and I nearly killed him after that. In the end, he saved me, so! think we should just let bygones be bygones.” Quinton’s grudge had faded after his successful face recovery surgery, and after two near- death experiences, he realized that he was just lucky to be alive. Besides, he didn’t want to stand in the way of his sister’s happiness.
“Thank you, Quinton. I feel better with your support,” Flossie said gratefully, her eyes watery. She had been so scared to tell him, but he had taken it surprisingly well.
“I didn’t say I support you both; I need to go home and see if he’s truly reliable. Ask him to buck up. If I’m
“I didn’t say I support you both; I need to go home and see if he’s truly reliable. Ask him to buck up. If I’m dissatisfied, I’ll make him leave!”
“Okay, come home quickly then. I’ll wait for your decision.” Flossie smiled, and ended the call.
On the other end of the line, Quinton sighed. There was still a lot of preparation that needed to be done. He had to find the capsized ship first to have enough power for the upcoming battle.
After Flossie put the phone away, the room was silent.
Flossie could not see Halston’s expression, so she asked hesitantly, “Halston, are you… upset?” She knew that Quinton’s words were quite provocative, and it might have bruised Halston’s ego.
“Yes, I’ma little unhappy,” Halston confessed with a downcast voice.
“Well, I’ll apologize on Quinton’s behalf. He can be stubborn at times, and he doesn’t know our situation. He shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“That’s not why I’m unhappy.” Halston sounded aggrieved.
“Huh? What’s the reason then?”
“Since I’m your servant, I should always be near you so I can protect you… so why do I have to sleep in the backyard? I can’t bear to leave you!” Halston complained. He had been wanting to ask her about this for a while now because he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to sleep with her in his arms. Since she was feeling bad for him now, thanks to Quinton, it was the perfect opportunity to ask about it.
Flossie instantly knew what Halston wanted, and said bluntly, “No way!”
Defeated, Halston went to rest in the storeroom in the backyard alone, yearning for Flossie. The minute he entered the room, his mind went back to the strange sketch of his mother that he saw, and he decided to search the room to find clues. After all, if something had happened between Flossie’s father and Halston’s mother…
Flossie and Halston might actually be siblings.
After locking the door of the workroom, he checked the books on the bookshelf until he found something that looked like a diary. He picked it up and found that it was locked. It seemed inappropriate to take a peek at his father-in-law’s diary, but at last, his curiosity won out. Generally, people used the birthdays of their loved ones as passwords, so Halston tried Flossie’s father, mother, and her birthday, but the lock did not open.
“Could it be my mother’s birthday?” At the thought of it, anxiety overwhelmed him. If the password was his mother’s birthday, the possibility of him and Flossie being siblings would be much higher.
Francine’s birthday was the 31st of March, and she was a typical Aries. She always spoke her mind and had a bad temper, but she had a kind heart. Halston tried keying in Francine’s birthday, and… the diary unlocked.
“Oh no…” His mind went blank, and he took a deep breath. His fingers were cold, but he forced himself to open the diary and read it.
(X month X Day. It’s a sunny day, but I’m feeling sad. It’s been five years since I separated from Francine, and though I thought I had moved on, one gaze from her at the charity ball was enough to make my heart race. I can’t calm my mind… I know I’m a terrible person—I’ve been blessed with a good wife and a cute daughter, but I just can’t let this go. I guess that even if the sun is down, the moon can’t be replaced.”
Even if the sun was down, the moon couldn’t be replaced? What did that mean? So Halston’s father-in- law still thought about Francine even after getting married and having kids. Wasn’t that considered an emotional affair?
Halston calmed himself down and kept on reading the diary.
The subsequent content of the diary was normal, and there was nothing more about Halston’s mother. Most of it was about Flossie’s family, and from those entries, Halston could picture Flossie’s childhood. Flossie lived in a very loving family. Her parents were gentle, and they spent a lot more time with her compared to other parents in rich families.
[X month, X Day. It’s sunny, and I’m feeling good. Today, Flossie turns three, and she’s getting cuter every day. Compared to the other kids, she loves playing with Legos, and she even assembled over five hundred Lego blocks in two hours! I feel like she’s going to be an expert in programming]
[X month, X Day. It’s sunny, and I’m excited. Flossie is turning twelve today, and my wife said that she’s now a young woman. No wonder she kept hiding in the washroom today.
As her father, I don’t know what to feel. It just seems like girls are bound to suffer more in this world. I’m worried sick at the thought of her graduation, wedding, and childbirth. I just hope she’ll get a good husband who will take care of her when I’m gone.”
Halston inhaled deeply, his eyes tearing. He felt guilty knowing that he hadn’t been a good husband to Flossie—he had failed to protect her and give her a peaceful life. “Mr. Ellsworth, I’m sorry for letting you down. But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to her. I’ll protect her well from now on,” Halston promised, closing his eyes.
The thick notebook was filled with a lot of notes, but Halston didn’t find anything else about Francine until he reached the last page. Strangely, half of the page was torn off, but the remaining half of the page revealed a shocking truth.
[I got a letter, and to my surprise, it was from Francine. I didn’t dare to read it for a long time, but when I finally did, I regretted not reading it sooner. In the letter, Francine told me a secret that she had kept buried deep in her heart. I learned what a scumbag I was and how much trouble I’ve caused her. She was actually pregnant the year we broke up, and the child is mine. His name is…]
Halston’s head throbbed when he saw that torn page, and he didn’t know what to do. Halston’s mother and Flossie’s father had had a child together, and the child’s identity was a mystery that only Francine and Flossie’s late father knew.
Halston could either search for the torn page or Francine’s letter… or he could speak to his mother.
Halston stopped overthinking and called Francine, unable to bear the suspense.
It was past ten o’clock at night. Francine was wearing a facial mask and was about to go to bed when she got Halston’s call. Francine answered the call and asked urgently,
“What’s the matter, son? Did you make peace with Flossie? Are you getting along well with her? Did anything bad happen?”
“I’m doing great, and Flossie… is good too. But I found something.” Halston sounded somber.
“I knew it—bad things will happen if you get together with her. You both might be incompatible, but luckily, I got two charms from the fortune teller. You and Flossie should wear them to stop the bad luck,” Francine said enthusiastically.
Nowadays, she started to believe in superstitions, and wanted to eliminate all the obstacles between Halston and Flossie.
“That’s fine. We’re good, and we always will be. I just wanted to ask you…” Halston hesitated briefly, then asked, “What was your relationship with Flossie’s father?”
“What relationship?” Francine was stunned, not expecting that Halston would ask her that.
After composing herself, she answered coolly, “What do you think? We’re in-laws, of course.” “Just in- laws?” Halston didn’t believe her—only two people who were madly in love would experience the kind of things recorded in Flossie’s father’s diary.
Francine and Flossie’s father were surely more than in-laws.
“Are you doubting me?” Francine sounded calm but dignified.
“There are a lot of things I don’t understand, and I’m scared…” “You’re scared?” Francine laughed and said meaningfully, “You don’t have to be.
You and Flossie aren’t siblings.
If you were, I wouldn’t have tried to pair you both up.” “Does that mean that you did date Flossie’s father in the past?” Halston asked directly once he realized his mother knew what he was talking about.
“Yes, I did.
Is that important?” Francine heaved a long sigh as if she was recalling past memories, then said sadly, “He’s no longer alive, and I’m not young anymore.
Why do you have to bring it up if we can just keep it in the past?” “But…” “It’s late, son, and I’m getting old.
I need to rest.
Just remember to get along well with Flossie, and make sure there’s no feud between her family and ours.” Francine just tried to dispel Halston’s worries since it was the only thing she could do.
She could not expose anything else.
After all, the scar was finally healed and was about to be forgotten, so there was no point dwelling on it and going through that pain again.
“Okay, Mom, you’d better rest early then.
Come and see Adie and Abby if you’re free.