Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Flossie grabbed Jessanna’s hair. “Can you tell me now when you took those photos?” “Flossie, you’re out of your mind! Let go of me…” Jessanna was a difficult person, and refused to yield when she saw how much Flossie cared about the pictures. She screamed, “Security, come and take this crazy woman away! Help me call the cops. I want to see her in jail!”
However, the security guards standing at the door just looked at each other in dismay. They had been about to help Jessanna, but an order had come from their walkie-talkies saying not to. Hence, no one dared to help her regardless of how much she screamed.
“You’re not going to tell, are you?” Flossie fished out her phone and aimed the camera at Jessanna’s face. “I’ll start a live show and expose all of your nasty deeds. After all, both of US aren’t afraid of death, so we can die together!”
Jessanna held her head in fear when Flossie said that, and collapsed to the ground. “Fine… I’ll tell you!”
Flossie turned off the camera and said coldly, “You should have agreed earlier.” She put away her phone and handed a tissue to Jessanna.
Jessanna accepted it, gritting her teeth as she wiped her face and hair. “You’re so curious… Don’t you want to know if Halston is still alive?” Jessanna wiped the liquid on her face and stared at Flossie coldly. “If I were you, I would have given up on him ages ago. After all, he didn’t take you seriously after what he’d done to you.” 1 “Whether I give up or not is none of your business. You just need to tell me when you took those photos.” “I took those photos a month ago. I remembered that you guys looked lovey-dovey, but the relationship was unhealthy. You couldn’t satisfy Halston, so he came to me instead.” Jessanna purposely twisted the facts because she knew it would hurt Flossie. She could always hurt Flossie with Halston regardless of how strong Flossie was.
That was why Jessanna had done so many things. After all, Halston was missing, and no one knew if he was alive or dead. Jessanna was the one who had the final say regardless of the truth.
“Hmph! Do you think I’ll believe such a lousy lie?” Flossie rolled her eyes. “If Halston wasn’t satisfied, he could always find a more attractive woman.
Why would he go for a woman like you who is ugly both on the outside and the inside?” “Why do you ask me if you don’t trust me? Isn’t that contradictory?” Jessanna approached Flossie, smirking. “You spent so much effort to come here and wait for me. You even scolded and humiliated me, meaning you know what’s going on… but you’re just deceiving yourself. You just don’t want to face reality.”
Flossie was speechless. Yeah, she wouldn’t have made a scene if she was indifferent to the whole matter.
“Everyone has a dark side that’s not always understandable. Maybe you don’t truly know your so-called Prince Charming.” Jessanna’s tone was smug. She knew her words were messing with Flossie’s mind.
Flossie kept silent, no longer confident. Although Jessanna was talking rubbish, Flossie agreed with one thing she had said-everyone had a dark side. Halston probably had a dark side… that Flossie had never seen before.
“I said what I wanted to say, whether you believe me or not is up to you. I don’t know if he’s still alive, but I’ve already had him once, so I don’t have any regrets,” Jessanna said with a wicked grin, then left proudly.
Flossie stood there for a long time, unmoving despite the cold wind. Jovan saw her, and his heart twisted painfully. 1
Sage stood on tiptoe and saw Flossie, then sighed softly. “It looks like Ms. Ellsworth is heartbroken. It looked like she taught Ms. Ximenez a lesson, but she was the one who got hurt instead.” “Do you think she’s heartbroken?” Jovan asked calmly as he put his hands in his pockets and stared at the woman downstairs.
“I believe she is. You know… if Prince Charming goes and hugs her now, I’m sure she’ll be touched.” There was a hint in Sage’s words. 1 “There aren’t any Prince Charmings in the world, only wolves in sheeps’ clothing. She wouldn’t be Flossie if she easily fell for others.” “I’m not sure about the others, but I know that you’re a Prince Charming. At the very least, you’re a gentleman. If you go and warm her now, you’ll win her over sooner or later.” “Should I?” Jovan looked thoughtful as he asked solemnly, “What should I do?”
Sage pursed her lips and started giving Jovan ideas. “You should take Ms. Ellsworth out for food and comfort her, then take her shopping and watch fireworks with her!” Sage always read CEO romance novels, so she was taking inspiration from those. However, it was usually the hero doing that with the heroine… Jovan was more of a villainous supporting character. It would be going against his station if he did such a thing, but no one said that a supporting character would always remain in that role. As long as he persevered, he could become the hero instead. “Mr. Guajardo, our company has always been supporting the romance between Mr. Halston Guajardo and Ms. Ellsworth, but I’m your secretary, so I’ve always been rooting for you two. I think that your love for Ms. Ellsworth isn’t any less than Mr. Halston Guajardo’s. Just do what I suggested-I’m sure there’s a chance for you!” “Really?” Jovan glanced at Flossie and laughed at himself. “I feel like I’m just a clown in this game.” He knew how to pursue women, and had even tried the things Sage suggested, but things always ended badly. He didn’t have much confidence left… but he also couldn’t bear to see Flossie that miserable. He grabbed his suit jacket from the office chair and hurriedly went downstairs.
“Flossie!” Jovan exited Guajardo Enterprise and pretended to be surprised.” Shouldn’t you be resting in the hospital? What are you doing here?”
Flossie turned around. When she saw Jovan, she shifted awkwardly as if she had just been caught red- handed doing something illegal. “Oh, I… I came here to look at the flowers… Yeah, that’s it! Look! Aren’t they blooming nicely?” She didn’t want Jovan to know that she was there to argue with Jessanna, or else he might do some digging and find out about the dirty affair between Halston and Jessanna. It was very humiliating for Flossie; She didn’t want anyone to know she had been cheated on.
“Are the flowers that pretty?” Jovan looked at the flowers in the flower bed.
The colorful garden tulips swayed in the wind, looking rather nice.
“I knew you liked sunflowers, but I didn’t know that you liked tulips too. Let’s take them home since you like them so much…” Jovan waved a nearby security guard over. “Go get the gardener. Let’s plant these tulips someplace else.” “Oh, stop it!” Flossie groaned, smacking her forehead in exasperation. “Why are you always like this? If you like something, you immediately want to take it home. Can’t you just leave them to grow well here?” “But you like them. If you like something, you should make it yours.” “No, we don’t have to do that.” “Do you think so?” Jovan rubbed his chin contemplatively. “If that’s the case, you don’t have to be with the one you like. You can be with someone like me, who you hate.”
Flossie rolled her eyes helplessly. “You’re ridiculous. How could you connect this to that?” However, she couldn’t deny it. She didn’t have to get what she wanted, she could just enjoy something that felt good to her.
Flossie didn’t want to stay there any longer, feeling troubled. “I’m done seeing the flowers. I’m sure you’re working overtime, so go back to your work. I’ll return to the hospital.” “I’ve finished work.” Jovan patted his flat belly. “Have you eaten? Let’s go grab a bite.” Although Sage’s trick was a boring ploy, Jovan still used it.
“I’ve eaten, and I’m not hungry. Just go and eat on your own. Bye!”
Flossie turned to leave but her belly exposed her by growling loudly.
“Let’s go. You’re clearly hungry, so why are you resisting? We’re just going to eat, so what are you so afraid of?” Jovan held Flossie’s arm, smiling in amusement. Eventually, Flossie stopped refusing.
“Wait, Mr. Guajardo!” Just as they were about to get into the car, Sage ran over to them, gasping for breath. “Mr. Gunter from Raypeace Group sent over the joint development contract, so please check it and sign it. If everything’s okay, I’ll send it back to them,” Sage said, then handed a contract to Jovan.
“Hey, aren’t you… that kind person?” Flossie immediately recognized Sage as the one who had handed her a blanket and ordered a cup of milk tea for her, and her eyes widened in realization. So she hadn’t been lucky… it was just that busybody Jovan.
“Umm, I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” After getting Jovan’s signature, Sage turned and fled.
“So you knew I was there all along?” Flossie asked Jovan suspiciously.
“No, I didn’t.” Jovan boldly lied through his teeth. “Sage gave you those things, not me. You should thank her.”
Flossie knew he was lying. Random strangers wouldn’t order milk tea for others, and it was impossible for them to know her preference too. “Did you see everything?” Flossie demanded.
“What did I see?” Jovan looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Don’t play dumb with me!” Flossie punched Jovan’s shoulder. “Listen, there might be a grudge between Jessanna and I, but it’s between US. You shouldn’t stick your nose into it.” She knew she couldn’t hide the fact that she had met Jessanna anymore, so she just hoped Jovan would have the decency to not invade her privacy.
“But when you put it that way… I feel like I have to look into it.” Jovan said thoughtfully, “I’ve been speaking to Ms. Ximenez a lot lately, so I can ask her about it tomorrow.” “Do you have a death wish?! I ask you not to look into it. Why can’t you listen?” “Fine then. If you don’t want me to investigate it, then eat dinner with me. If not, a busybody like me might just find out what you and Ms. Ximenez were talking about.” Jovan smirked, trying to blackmail Flossie into a meal.
“Why are you so annoying? I’ve never met someone as shameless as you!” Finally, Flossie was forced to have dinner with Jovan to keep her secret.
However, both of them failed to notice the person watching them from a secluded corner…
Jovan took Flossie to a nearby restaurant selling Jamerian food. “This restaurant’s food isn’t too oily or spicy, which is better for you since your wounds are recovering.” While talking, he awkwardly arranged the silverware, and tentatively handed the restaurant’s signature dessert to Flossie.
After such a long day, Flossie was starving. She picked up the dessert with her bare hands and started devouring it. “Hey, it tastes pretty good.” She generally disliked Jamerian food, especially raw meat. She felt like her brain would get infested by parasites if she ate that kind of food, but sometimes when people were really hungry, it was easy to overlook such things.
Jovan smiled as he watched her enjoy the meal, and took out his phone to record the moment. “You must really be starving.” “Why are you taking photos?” Flossie wiped her hands clean and tried to grab Jovan’s phone. They behaved childishly, but looked like a couple being playful and sweet.
Unexpectedly, a waiter there snapped a photo of them. “Hello, everyone! Today’s the anniversary of our restaurant, so we’ll randomly pick a couple as the lucky winners to enjoy free food from our restaurant for a year.” The waiter walked over and enthusiastically handed Jovan and Flossie the Polaroid he had just taken. “This photo is for the both of you. You both make a lovely couple!” “What? We’re not-” Flossie started anxiously but Jovan quickly covered her mouth.
“Thank you for this gift. I hope your restaurant gets a lot of business in the future.” Jovan let go of Flossie’s mouth once the waiter had left.
“Jovan, don’t push your luck! We’re not a couple. Technically speaking, I’m your sister-in-law. Don’t you have any boundaries?” Flossie snapped at Jovan.
However, Jovan cherished that Polaroid, putting it in his phone case carefully. He smiled and said, “Didn’t you hear that we’ll get free food for a year? Only fools wouldn’t accept such a great deal. You’re too stubborn. Just eat if you’re hungry, you don’t have to like the food.”
Flossie was no fool-she understood the underlying meaning in his words. She quietly sat down and wiped her mouth with tissue. “I’m afraid I’ll get diarrhea if I eat food I hate.” “How do you know that you’d get diarrhea if you haven’t even tried it?” “I feel like I’m going to get it. My belly’s started acting funny.” Flossie stood up. “I’m full anyways. Thank you for your invitation, but I think it’s best we not see each other again. I… hate changing my taste.”
Jovan raised a brow and laughed bitterly. “Great. You’re turning me down again.” But he was used to it by now, and even felt it made their relationship interesting.
Flossie made no reply and burped. Then, she pulled her chair out and wanted to leave.
Slowly, Jovan ate the raw meat and said indifferently, “My subordinate got some news about Halston.”
Flossie froze for a moment, then turned around and demanded, “Are you keeping me hanging on purpose?” “My subordinate said he’s been seen in an underground casino. How disappointing… He didn’t inherit his family’s large business and didn’t come back when he knew that his wife was waiting for him. Why is he gambling instead?” Jovan teased, and Flossie couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
“Underground casino?” Flossie asked urgently, “Which underground casino?” “That’s hard to say. You don’t understand gambling addicts-they’ll go to all the underground casinos once they’re addicted. They won’t stay put in one place.’ “You’re lying!” Flossie didn’t believe Jovan. Firstly, Halston would contact Flossie immediately if he was alive-there was no way he would be lingering in underground casinos. Secondly, his properties were enough to support him for his whole life, so he didn’t have to hide even if he lost money every day. Also, Flossie had never seen Halston show an interest in gambling from the time she’d first met him. It was impossible to imagine Halston becoming addicted to gambling in the one month he went missing. There was only one possibility when she thought about it, and that was that Jovan was lying to Flossie on purpose.
“I know you don’t trust me, so I wasn’t planning on telling you.” While talking, Jovan picked up a pancake and munched it slowly. “But I saw you speaking to Jessanna that day. I figured you must be desperate to know how he’s doing now, so after a lot of contemplation, I decided to tell you.” “You…” Flossie swallowed, feeling awkward. “How did you know I asked Jessanna about it?” “What else could it be about?” Jovan sneered. “Plus, I know much more than you think. I’ve known about the thing you didn’t want me to know, and I’ve known it for a while now.”
Coldness gripped Flossie, and shame made her cheeks burn. “And… what would that be?” “The thing you’re thinking of right now.”
Flossie was at a loss for words. It seemed like Jovan had seen those photos before her, which was why he was being so shameless and relentless. He might have figured that her relationship with Halston was unstable after the incident with Jessanna, and that even a strong relationship would be hard to maintain once there was a crack; it would fall apart sooner or later.
“I sometimes think that you might have never truly understood my so- called flawless cousin. You thought he didn’t gamble, but he was seen in an underground casino. You thought that he was loyal to a fault, but he…” Jovan trailed off, then slowly took a sip of his wine. He didn’t say anything more on the subject.
Flossie clenched her fists, her fingernails stabbing into her palms. She forced her tone to be calm as she said, “I know what kind of person he is, I don’t need opinions from outsiders like you. The things you said weren’t confirmed by him, so there has to be some kind of misunderstanding. I’ll clear it up, I assure you.” “You’re bold. I’ll wish you luck.” Jovan lowered his eyes and smiled sadly. Love truly was blind. Halston could make countless mistakes and Flossie would forgive him because she loved him. On the contrary, Flossie would not care about Jovan regardless of how perfect he was because she didn’t love him.
After leaving the restaurant, Flossie looked at the crowded streets, unsure of where to go. After a while, she took out her phone and dialed a number she hadn’t called for a long time…
A blonde man appeared in front of Flossie half an hour later. “Ms. Flossie, is that you? You’ve changed! You’re so pretty now,” he said excitedly, staring at Flossie like an adoring fan.
Flossie rolled her eyes. “So, you’re saying that I wasn’t pretty back then?” “No, of course you were very pretty in the gang too, but you’re pretty like a princess now. You look like a goddess!” “And you’re still glib-tongued,” Flossie grumbled. She had known Harvey Murray for many years. When she was handling orders from the underworld, he was her most trusted spy and always helped her with errands. Although he wasn’t that capable, he was smart and worked well with Flossie. After leaving that life, Flossie naturally stopped contacting Harvey, but people from the underworld always valued their friendships. If there was an emergency, they would be there without any hesitation no matter how much time had passed.