Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
I’ll be fine once you answer my questions!” Flossie grabbed Justin’s hand and demanded, “Stop beating around the bush! Tell me what’s going on between the Guajardo and Baldwin families.” “Ah, you’re going to break my arm!” Justin had put on a suit and combed his hair like an adult, but his elegant facade immediately disappeared when Flossie treated him that way. He yelped like a child and immediately bowed down. “Fine, I’ll tell you!”
Flossie let go of Justin’s arm in satisfaction. “That’s more like it.”
Justin rubbed his sore arm and complained, “You’re still as violent as ever, Phoenix.” “Do you want more?”
Justin immediately became humble and pitiful again. “No, please stop. I’m just saying that despite how much time has passed, our relationship is still the same.” Back then, Justin would surely get hurt whenever they met. His arms would almost be broken, or he would have to suffer a few punches. His feelings would be hurt too. However, despite everything… he quite liked that kind of feeling. He was probably a masochist.
“Well, I might not be as strong as before, but it’s more than enough to deal with a boy like you,” Flossie said confidently.
Justin scowled at her. “Can you stop calling me that? I’m not a boy.” “You’re not?” “I’m most certainly not, thank you very much.” “But you’re younger than me.” “Fine, I can’t deny that.” Justin seemed to enjoy their banter, and didn’t argue anymore after that.
“Okay, cut the crap and tell me what happened. It’s very important to me,” Flossie seriously asked Justin. She didn’t know where Halston was, or if he was even alive. She had to try her best to get whatever information she could about him.
“I can’t keep it from you.” Justin and Flossie went to the lounge area and sat down. While making tea for Flossie, he said, “It’s a long story. I don’t know much about it, but it’s always been my grandpa and the old man from the Guajardo family who control the relationship between the two families. If they want to fight, we’ll be enemies… but lately, the two old men seem to have wavered. My mom said my grandpa had been writing a lot of letters lately, and he’s actually been sending them to Guajardo Manor!” He walked over to Flossie and handed her a cup of tea, which she accepted.
“So, you’re saying that the two old men have made peace and the families have stopped fighting?” “I don’t know if they’ve made peace or not, but they’ve definitely stopped fighting for now.” Justin sipped his tea and answered honestly, “Osk Casino is my way of figuring things out. It wasn’t under me initially —it belonged to a big shot from Wiwell. However, something happened to him, and he wanted to sell this casino. The casino was making money, so many people tried to buy it. I had time, so I joined their competition. Back then, the Guajardo family would stop my family from doing such a thing in Beach City, but they didn’t stop us, and even helped US. So, I guess… my family might have made peace with them.” Justin smiled. “After all, the issue concerns the older generation, so I don’t dare to comment or ask about it.” 2 After a brief contemplation, Flossie said determinedly, “But I do!”
After thinking about it for a long time, Flossie decided to meet Timothy. She heard that he was ill and had wanted to visit him, but hadn’t because of her messy situation. However, the information she had gotten from Justin might be related to Halston, so she had to go. All she cared about at that moment was Halston-she wanted to know where he was, and most importantly, if he was still alive.
“Justin, I’m sorry for troubling you. I mistook you for Halston and made a scene… I’ll compensate you for whatever I destroyed here, and I really hope the casino does well.” Flossie apologized to Justin with her hands together, then got up to leave. 1 “Where are you going?” Justin stood up and asked worriedly.
“I’m going to look for him!” Flossie smiled sadly. “Honestly, I feel like a kid looking for her mother. I don’t have a plan but I’ll try to get information from whoever I can meet.” She had already gone to Jessanna, Jovan, and Justin to find Halston; Next on her list was Timothy. Eventually, she had to find Halston.
“You don’t look well, and it’s still raining. Let me give you a ride.” Justin felt sorry for Flossie, but also felt that she had changed a lot. She was no longer as strong and aggressive as before, and had somehow become anxious and timid. It inevitably made him want to protect her.
Flossie looked out of the window and realized that it was raining heavily, so she agreed. “Okay.” Justin was from the Baldwin family, so Timothy might be willing to tell her the truth if Justin was there.
After they made up their mind, they went to the underground garage together. Justin drove to Guajardo Manor in the heavy rain.
“Ah, the young miss-” When the butler saw Flossie, he was very surprised.
He stopped, then quickly corrected himself. “Ms. Ellsworth, what a great honor! Come in. The weather is quite bad today.” The butler held an umbrella and welcomed Flossie and Justin into the manor. 3 “Mr.
West, I’m here to see Old Mr. Guajardo. Is he okay?” Flossie asked politely.
“He’s okay because his illness is more controlled now, but he’s been asking for you a lot lately,” Asher West answered honestly.
“Then, can you take me to him?” “Sure. Old Mr. Guajardo will be very glad to see you.”
Asher wanted to lead Flossie to Timothy’s bedroom, but Flossie realized that Justin had remained where he was. “Aren’t you coming with me, Justin?”
Justin shrugged. “I’ll wait for you here. I’m afraid of him seeing me, the grandson of his enemy. It might make him feel bad.” “Okay.” Flossie nodded. She also felt that they shouldn’t rile up Timothy since his health wasn’t good and the relationship between him and the Baldwins was still unknown. Taking a deep breath, she followed Asher to Timothy’s bedroom.
Timothy was lying on a lounge chair near the balcony, watching the rain outside the window. His bedroom was facing the garden, where a few Musa basjoo trees had been planted below his window. Those trees were almost as old as him, and they were tall and dense. Raindrops dripped from their branches and leaves, giving off a gloomy atmosphere.
“Old Mr. Guajardo, look who’s here,” Asher happily informed Timothy.
Timothy did not turn around, and just said indifferently, it must be Flossie, right? The one I’ve been wanting to meet…” “Grandpa…” Flossie walked over and kneeled beside the chair, holding his arm gently. “How did you know it’s me?” “It’s because I’ve been looking forward to seeing you every day!” Timothy looked at her and patted her head. “Silly girl, it’s been such a long time. You should have come and met me sooner!”
“I-I…”
“What’s the matter? Do you hate me?” “No, I always thought about you, but so many things happened lately and I…
I was too ashamed to meet you.” “Ah, you must be kidding! Yes, many things have happened, but it’s not your fault. Whatever happens, our relationship won’t change!” “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” Flossie lowered her head guiltily, tears welling up in her eyes. Her pale blue eyes were unreadable.
“Don’t apologize. I should apologize to you instead for raising such an unreliable grandson and wasting more than half of your life,” Timothy sighed and said vaguely. Flossie couldn’t tell if he didn’t know what was going on or was aware of everything.
“Grandpa, I willingly took such a step after what happened between Halston and I. It’s not your fault, and I never blamed you or him, but now…” Flossie bit her lip and sobbed, “I’m helpless and don’t know what to do, so I’ve come to you. I think… you must know something, right?” “What do you mean?” Timothy’s wrinkled face was full of confusion.
“It’s… about Halston.” “Oh, that…” Timothy looked up at the heavy rain in the distance. “It’s been a long time since he came to see me or contacted me. I suppose he must be in some kind of trouble because he usually wouldn’t let me miss him like this.” “So, you also couldn’t get in touch with him?” Flossie looked up at him with conflicted emotions. She did not want to lose her last hope, but Timothy was right-stefan was a good grandson. If he was safe, he would have been in touch with Timothy.
“Yes… but don’t worry. He’s always been lucky. He’ll be fine. I’m sure he has something planned, and when the time is right, he’ll come back.” Timothy wasn’t worried about Halston’s disappearance because it had happened before.
“When the time is right…” Flossie smiled bitterly. “When is that supposed to be? Will he hide for the rest of his life if he feels like the time isn’t right?”
Flossie could tell that she wouldn’t get any answers from Timothy, and disappointment filled her.
Timothy sighed when he saw Flossie’s crestfallen expression. “Flossie, stop overthinking. There’s always a way around things. Look at my family and the Baldwins-we’ve been fighting each other for so many years, but it’s slowly been resolved. I believe that the thing between you and Halston isn’t irresolvable; Just wait, and time will give you an answer.”
Flossie smiled bitterly and asked Timothy, “Since you brought it up, Grandpa … Did you make peace with the Baldwin family?” “I guess you can put it that way.” Timothy looked ahead. “I already have one foot in the grave, and it made me realize that grudges are nothing compared to death. Austin and I used to be best friends, but we fell out with each other because of some silly misunderstandings. I’m going to die soon, so I don’t want to keep on fighting him. If we make peace, it’ll be beneficial for our descendants too.” “Is that it?” Flossie was doubtful. “Was it only because of your realization?” “If not?” Timothy smiled. “What’s done is done anyway, so I hope you can stop dwelling on it.” “Okay, Grandpa. I get it.” Flossie nodded slowly, not feeling so conflicted anymore.
“Flossie, it’s been such a long time since you last came. Nobody plays chess with me, so can I ask you for a game?” Timothy used his walking stick to get up, and smiled at Flossie eagerly.
“Sure!” Flossie helped Timothy to the chess table and patiently played chess with him.
Meanwhile, Justin was playing a mobile game in the living room downstairs to kill time.
After a while, Jovan arrived at Guajardo Manor, rushing to get out of the rain. He spotted Justin in the living room, and his expression immediately changed. He glared at Justin fiercely and snarled, “Is my family ruined? How dare you come here and challenge US, you scum?”
Justin leaned against the sofa and shot Jovan an unbothered glance, then turned back to his phone and kept on playing his game. “What do you know? Things between your family and mine have changed, so I’m pretty sure you need to welcome me like an esteemed guest. Do you believe me?”
Jovan narrowed his eyes at Justin and sneered, “You’re an arrogant brat. Yes, my family isn’t how it used to be, but it’s still better than your family. This is Beach City, in case you’ve forgotten, so I doubt I’ll have to welcome you… but I do feel like beating you up and throwing you out of this house. Do you believe that?” Jovan stepped forward menacingly. Although he had always been on bad terms with Halston, he still behaved boldly when it came to his family’s honor. He knew that his family and the Baldwins were enemies, which made him and Justin enemies too.
“Tsk, you’re quite different from Mr. Halston Guajardo. You can’t keep a cool head, can you? Even if you’re managing Guajardo Enterprise right now, I feel like you’ll ruin it sooner or later,” Justin remarked indifferently. He had finally finished one round of the game, and carefully put away his phone.
Justin felt that though Halston was arrogant, he was also cautious and insightful. As Halston’s enemy, he had to be on guard if Halston was managing Guajardo Enterprise, but now that Jovan was running it… it was too easy and wasn’t fun anymore. He tilted his head and offered Jovan a lazy smirk. “If it wasn’t for my grandpa telling US not to fight, your family would be done for.” “Shut up!” Enraged, Jovan grabbed Justin’s collar. “Are you testing my patience or my family’s power? Do you think I wouldn’t dare to do anything to you since you’re in Guajardo Manor?”
Justin shrugged casually. “Go ahead and do what you want. If you beat me up to vent your anger now, your grandpa will just make you apologize to me later. How humiliating would that be, hmm?” “Apologize?” Jovan scoffed. “You must be dreaming!” He raised his hand to punch Justin.
Flossie had finished her chess game with Timothy, and was coming down the stairs when she saw Jovan and Justin. Her eyes widened and she shouted, “Jovan, stop!”
Jovan’s fist stopped midair, and he looked back at Flossie, who was slowly descending the stairs. His irritation grew as he demanded, “Did you bring this pest here?” “Yeah.” Flossie explained, “It was raining, so Justin drove me here because he didn’t want me to get wet in the rain.” “You could have gotten a cab or called me. Why did you ask him to drive you here?” Jovan calmed down as Flossie explained the situation to him, but he still found it unacceptable that Flossie was hanging out with a Baldwin.
“Don’t be an idiot. I was with her, so of course it was easier for me to drive her here,” Justin snapped as he smoothed his collar. “Plus, Flossie has the right to ask anyone to drive her; it’s none of your business. Who are you to her? A boyfriend? A husband? No, you’re just the same as me-a friend! But wait a minute… You’re closer to her than me because you’re her cousin-inlaw. Doesn’t that mean you should be keeping a distance from her?”
Helplessness gripped Flossie as she glared at Justin, who was making the situation more awkward. “Stop teasing him, Justin. He can be petty.” She felt that Justin and Jovan were quite similar, but Justin was more laid-back than Jovan. Jovan was sometimes arrogant and extreme, like Halston, so she’d probably have better luck trying to get Justin to compromise.
“I’m not petty! I just find him annoying because he’s a Baldwin!” Jovan huffed unhappily. If Flossie wasn’t around, they would have surely gotten into a fight.
“What’s wrong with my family? Grandpa said that the Guajardo and Baldwin families have made peace, so the both of you should be trying to befriend each other,” Flossie said teasingly.
Flossie’s teasing remark made Jovan and Justin break out in a cold sweat.
“What? You want me to be his friend? I’d rather kill myself!” Jovan pretended to vomit.
“I wouldn’t go to that extent, but it’s worse than killing myself if I have to befriend such a childish man,” Justin scoffed in disgust.
Flossie found their argument amusing and shook her head. “Okay, it’s getting late. I need to go home.” Flossie had gained no new information and was mentally exhausted. She wanted to go home and rest, leaving her worries aside for the moment.
“Are you going home? The weather is terrible. Why don’t you spend the night here?” Naturally, Jovan didn’t want Flossie to leave. “This is also your home, and the maids keep your room clean and well- maintained under Grandpa’s orders. If you spend the night here, he’ll be very happy.” “That’s unnecessary. It’s more comfortable staying at one’s own home.
What Phoenix needs the most is a relaxing rest at home…” Justin extended his arm and said to Flossie charmingly, “Let’s go, I’ll drive you home. Isn’t it romantic to have a car ride on a rainy day?”
Jovan bristled like an angry cat. “Can you stop meddling in our affairs? She is the daughter-in-law of my family, and this is her house. What if she gets into an accident while going out in such bad weather?” “That won’t happen since I’ll be driving. Are you wishing ill on US? What a wicked little boy!” Justin sighed dramatically, taking the opportunity to annoy Jovan even more.