Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“Stop pretending, we’re not so different. You’re doing this because you love him too. Since we’re alone here, I can freely admit that I’m a cunning and vulgar woman. Can you admit that?” Shirley lifted her chin and said righteously. 1
“I’m not you, so don’t think we’re the same!” Leia scoffed. She knew Shirley couldn’t see past her shallow beliefs, so she wouldn’t be able to understand Leia’s feelings.
“Isn’t it true? You know you’re prejudiced against me, and it’s not because I did anything bad but merely because I’m the woman Xavier cares about the most. Am I right?” Shirley sneered, continuously stressing how important she was to Xavier. 2
However, it was actually because she felt guilty.
In the past, she did not find Leia a threat, but as time went on, she became more concerned. She hadn’t thought that Xavier would fall in love with a tomboy like Leia, but… he gradually stopped loving
Shirley. She couldn’t bear to see that happen.
“I’ve got to hand it to you. If you love Xavier that much, you should take this opportunity. No one will fight you for it, and they won’t be able to defeat you either.” Leia massaged her temples wearily. She had met a lot of people, but she rarely saw someone as two-faced and cunning as Shirley. 2
“I know that this is my only chance to get Xavier, which is why I came to Ms. Ellsworth to fight for it,”
Shirley said cryptically.
Leia’s expression stiffened, and she immediately asked, “What do you mean?” “If I have the chance to give up my eyes to her, I need to ask for a favor. I’m not a saint who doesn’t ask for anything in return when I do something good,” Shirley said casually.
“So, you’re saying you’re willing to give up your eyes to Flossie?” Leia frowned suspiciously. She didn’t think that Shirley was such a generous woman.
“That depends on my negotiation with Ms. Ellsworth…” Shirley flipped her hair and smirked. “I don’t like non-profitable deals, and I’ll only negotiate with people who can afford my price… I believe that Ms.
Ellsworth is one of those people.”
“I know you won’t agree so easily.. What are you up to? You’d better tell me now. I won’t go easy on you if you dare harm my bestie!” Leia pointed at Shirley and threatened her.
“You’ll know if I agreed or not after I’m done negotiating with her. If you refuse to let me talk to her, then it’ll be hopeless. If you make me desperate, I’m not afraid of going to war with all of you. If that happens, nobody wins!” Shirley shot back. She had full control over her eyes, and if they tried to force her, she could easily ruin her eyes instead of letting them take it.
“I’m not going to argue with you. I cant leave you alone with her given her condition. I-“
Suddenly, Flossie’s voice came from inside the room and interrupted Leia.” Is that Ms. White? Just come in.” Flossie had vaguely heard their conversation since they were being loud, and could guess why Shirley had suddenly showed up at her house. Since she was the one involved, she felt it was only fair that she was the one negotiating with Shirley.
Leia opened the door and said to Flossie seriously, “Flossie, you need to rest. Just leave these issues to me. I’m sure this woman has bad intentions!”
“It’s okay, let her in. After all, this is my house, and I don’t think she’s stupid enough to try anything here. I feel like she just wants to talk to me,” Flossie said lightly so Shirley could hear her.
Shirley clenched her fists and smiled. “I told you-Ms. Ellsworth is a clever and fair person. I really do enjoy talking to people like her.” She shot Leia a glare, then strutted into the room, slamming the door shut in Leia’s face.
Speechless, Leia stared at the door. After a while, she leaned against the wall quietly, realizing her stubbornness had probably interfered in their negotiations. What Shirley said was true-Leia was biased against her, and it seemed like she was the one who was close-minded and unable to understand relationshipsn.
Shirley walked into the room and took a closer look at Flossie. To her surprise, they did look very much alike, especially their eyes. Suddenly, she understood why Halston and Leia were so stubborn about her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat at the thought of losing her eyes forever.
‘Ms. Ellsworth, I’ve heard so much about you. I always wanted to talk to you, but I never had the chance…” Shirley walked over to Flossie’s bed and was shocked to see Flossie’s ruined eyes. She frowned. “I didn’t expect to speak to you under such… unfortunate circumstances.” As far as she remembered, Flossie had beautiful eyes that seemed like they could see through people’s hearts… but now, they were gone. Shirley’s guilt made her avert her gaze timidly.
When Flossie felt Shirley getting closer, she smiled. “Do you think I look pitiful?”
“No, I don’t!” Shirley protested earnestly. “Honestly, I’m jealous of you because there are so many people who are concerned about you. You’re blessed, Ms. Ellsworth. You’ve got Mr. Guajardo, who loves you loyally, and a good friend like Ms. Osborne, who would do anything for you. Xavier cares about you and admires you too since you’re his first love, and as for me… I was born with bad luck. My parents didn’t love me, and I’m tired of working hard to survive every day. I suffered many hardships to get to where I am today.” 1
“I’ve heard about your past, Ms. White. I can only say that… I pity you,” Flossie replied calmly. She had no idea why Shirley suddenly brought up something so serious given that they had no contact with each other previously.
Shirley smiled bitterly and continued sadly, “I had nothing when I got sold to an underground casino to save my pitiful family. At that time, I thought I would die there, but unexpectedly, God made me bump into Xavier. He was the light in my darkness, and he slowly helped me out of that abyss. He held me dear to him and loved me until I became the best actress.”
“Xavier was loyal to you. Everyone in Beach City could see that, so your life isn’t as bad as you think it is. You can stop moping.” Even as an outsider, Flossie could tell that a playboy like Xavier had been serious about Shirley before he met Leia, but their relationship was complex. Destiny had brought them together, and once they had played their roles, they parted ways. It was all written in the stars, and no one could tell the outcome for sure.
“If I hadn’t known his love, I might not be hurting as much now. I was his world in the past, and it made me realize that I want that back…”
Heartbroken, Shirley held her chest, her eyes watery. “I’m back at square one now-l have nobody. I knew warmth, and now it’s gone. I can no longer tolerate the darkness, and I hope you can understand my feelings. I was forced to do a lot of things because I couldn’t lose Xavier. I dont mind being wicked as long as I can keep that warmth!”
Flossie listened to Shirley’s excuse and said indifferently, ‘Why are you telling me all this, Ms. White? Is it to prepare me, so I’ll pity you when you become a wicked woman in the future?”
“I guess you can see it that way,” Shirley admitted, then said bluntly, “I know that you and Ms. Osborne are best friends, and both of you are willing to risk your lives for each other. If I harm Ms. Osborne, you definitely won’t let me off the hook.”
“If you know it, then you shouldn’t harbor such thoughts.” Flossie’s voice grew cold and menacing, and it was hard to tell if she was warning Shirley or advising her. “If you want to win over a man, you shouldn’t rely on wicked schemes. If you know about my past with Halston, you should know that schemes will only push men away. I hope you won’t try anything, or you might lose what you want and get into unnecessary trouble.” 1
But what else can I do to win Xavier back other than this?” For some reason, grief and jealousy overwhelmed Shirley the moment she saw Flossie, and all her inner thoughts came pouring out. “I’m jealous that Ms. Osborne has a nice friend like you. You can guide her when she’s in difficulty, but I don’t have that. I’ve always been fighting alone. When I’m facing difficulties, I can only do what I think is right to resolve it…”
“Then what do you think you should do?” Flossie asked curiously.
Shirley ignored her question and said meaningfully, “I should thank you for the time when Xavier was in love with me. You were his first love, and I got lucky because I looked like you. The most amazing thing is that we have a pair of identical eyes.”
“So?” Flossie could not figure out what Shirley wanted to say.
“I earned his love because of these eyes, and now… I want to win his love again because of these eyes. Do you think it’ll work?” Shirley asked Flossie, watching her closely.
“Are you saying that you want to give your eyes to me?” Flossie frowned disapprovingly. “Whether your eyes match mine or not, that would be a very stupid thing to do.”
“Is it stupid?” Shirley chuckled bitterly. “I don’t think it’s stupid if it’ll help me get Xavier back.”
“Do you know how important your sight is? If you lose your eyes, it’s a permanent abyss. It’ll be too late even if you regret it…” Flossie was suffering that pain right now, and she didn’t want anyone else to go through that. She shook her head and warned Shirley, “Men are very realistic beings. If you’re flawed, they’ll lose their interest in you!”
“How can that be?” Shirley demanded, her eyes wild. “You lost your sight, but got more love in return! If you could see, you’ll know how much Mr.
Guajardo loves you. I also want to be like you… I want Xavier to love me more.”
“Halston and Xavier are different people.” Flossie tried her best to dissuade Shirley. After all, once it was done, she couldn’t regret it. She didn’t want Shirley to be forced into this, or she wouldn’t be at peace using her eyes. She might as well give up the idea.
“How is it different…” Shirley sounded agitated. “Xavier isn’t worse than Mr. Guajardo. His love wasn’t any less than Mr. Guajardo’s back then, but I got so anxious that I lost him. Now I want to win him back, and I think it’s worth exchanging my heart for his love.”
“You’re out of your mind!” Flossie massaged her temples exhaustedly. Her body was already weak after the abortion, and now her mind had to suffer too. “I’m tired. Please go home if there’s nothing else you want to say. I want to rest.” She leaned against the bed and waved Shirley away dismissively.
“I’ve said what I wanted to say-l’ll give my eyes to you but only on my terms. I just want Xavier back. I might even hurt Ms. Osborne, your bestie, to get him. I hope…” Shirley clenched her fists, and said the words she’d been preparing the whole night. “I hope you won’t meddle in it anymore if I give my eyes to you. This is between Xavier, Ms. Osborne, and I.”
Meanwhile, Halston, Xavier, and Owen were in Halston’s study. The atmosphere in the room was grim.
“I’m so sorry to tell you this but… Ms. White’s eyes aren’t a match.” Owen heaved a long sigh as he read the results of the compatibility test. He had thought that they would be highly compatible given their physical similarities, but unfortunately, he had given them all false hope.
The blood drained from Halston’s face, and he said desperately, “How can that be? There must be something wrong with the test.” 1
“Nothing was wrong with the test…” Owen knew that Halston must be feeling anxious, but there was nothing they could do about it; they had to face the facts. “It’s okay. Well find a suitable pair of eyes. We just need to keep looking,” Owen said comfortingly as he patted Halston’s shoulders.
A soft sigh escaped Xavier, and he said gently, “We can’t rush this. Well be with you and screen the applicants slowly. There are so many people on this Earth-well surely find a donor.” “Cut the crap!”
Halston smacked away Xavier’s hand coldly and glared at Xavier and Owen fiercely. “Is this all an act so
Shirley doesn’t have to give up her eyes?”
“Are you kidding me?” Xavier huffed exasperatedly. He had always admired Halston, but now he found him shameless and insensible, attacking everyone without reason. “I know I can be a jerk sometimes, but even I won’t go that far. Why would I ask Shirley to come here to take the test then? You’re not thinking straight!”
Owen quickly chimed in, “And I’m just a doctor. I don’t want to meddle in anyone’s relationship. If it’s a match, I would have told you. There’s no need for me to pretend.”
Halston closed his eyes and covered his face, looking troubled. He felt like he had lost the courage to face the world… and Flossie. “What should I do? What about… Flossie?” Halston asked hoarsely. When things were dire, he was optimistic because he felt things would definitely get better. However, having his hope snatched away was too painful. He had thought that everything would go smoothly after he found Shirley. He’d even planned how they’d celebrate the return of Flossie’s eyesight. He’d wanted the family of four to go to Sun Island, and imagined them leading a carefree and happy life there away from the world. 1
Unexpectedly, his fantasy had been torn apart in a matter of hours.