Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Flossie seriously marked Joanne’s paper before returning it to the latter.
She praised, “Joanne, you’re very talented. If you furthered your study back then, you would be an expert by now!”
“I’ve always been good in my studies. Thank you for your praises.” Joanne smiled.
When she caught a glimpse of Quinton’s former seat, she became disappointed. After holding herself back for half a day, she asked, ‘Is he going to quit?”
“No, he went on a business trip,” Flossie answered honestly.
“I guess that’s just an excuse…”. Joanne said, finding it a pity.
She added sincerely, “You said I was great in my studies, but your brother was too. He could learn well even though I just told him what I learned in school. Unfortunately, my parents were terrible at that time. They didn’t give him a chance to go to school, so…
At that point, Joanne paused and bit her lips.
“You want him to be your study buddy, don’t you?” Flossie asked curiously.
Joanne looked at the test paper on the table and was silent for a long time.
Then, she said thoughtfully, “Instead of making him be my study buddy, I hoped to see his past self. Isn’t it ridiculous?’
In the past, she liked Quinton very much. She liked the man the TV station would interview because he was charming, wise, and bright. She preferred the days when he was bright and optimistic.
If they could return to the night before her college entrance examination, she might choose to hide the incident that caused her pain.
If she did so, Quinton wouldn’t try to seek justice for her and fall out with her family. Their lives might be different. Unfortunately, there was no time machine. After all, it had happened. The past couldn’t be reversed.
Flossie grabbed the chance to sound out Joanne’s thoughts. “You still care about him, don’t you? You don’t hate him, so you can’t cut off from him. Am I right?”
She felt that both Joanne and Quinton were insincere. They claimed that they hated each other, but merely because of the profound love they felt for each other.
If not, Joanne wouldn’t say that the person she wanted to meet the most was Quinton when she was dying on the day Flossie first met her.
“I don’t know…” Joanne shook her head. “We’re all the playthings of destiny. He was so exceptional, so perfect. But he was ruined because he grew up in such a family. He was a fallen angel. I don’t understand why my wicked parents would adopt him. His fate wouldn’t be so terrible if another family adopted him. At the very least, he could go to school and be a top student like you. He would lead a bright and decent life.”
Joanne always claimed she hated Quinton greatly, but in the end, the people she hated the most were herself and her wicked family.
She hated the fact that she grew up in such a pathological family. She hated how weak she was. Not only did she fail to help Quinton, but she also sank into a deep abyss. She was full of remorse.
Flossie’s guess was accurate. Joanne wasn’t trying to push Quinton away. She just didn’t dare to face her pathological family.
“You can’t make things difficult for yourself like this,” Flossie said.
She felt sorry for Joanne.
“I heard a saying that helped me greatly. Everyone’s given a chance to read the scripts of their lives before coming to this world, but they choose to come in the end. I’m sure there’s something worthwhile. Maybe he chose to be adopted by your parents because she wanted to meet you. He was willing to endure so much misfortune just to meet you. Also, you didn’t ruin his life. It’s all written in the stars.”
Joanne looked at Flossie in a trance, her eyes turning teary. “Is that so?”
“That’s what I think.” Flossie smiled and used herself as an example. “What do you think about my life?”
“I think you’re…very perfect.” Joanne looked pitiful and jealous. “You grew up in a loving family. You married the man you loved, and got such a cute son and daughter. Plus, you have many family and friends who are willing to risk their lives for you. I don’t think you have any regret except for your flawed relationship with Mr. Guajardo.”
“No…” Flossie said.
Flossie shook her head.
*I’ve experienced a lot of pain, but they’re bygones now. They’re like the scars on my hands. Slowly, they don’t hurt anymore. For example, seeing your parents jump off a tall building and fall in front of you in a pool of blood. Then, your beloved man ignored and betrayed you… There are so many examples. Pain is individual and can’t be compared or quantified.”
“I think I understand.”
Joanne took a deep breath as if she was suddenly enlightened.
“I always thought that my life was dark and dull,” she said gloomily. “My destiny was miserable. But when I think about it, I feel that it isn’t easy for everyone. Everyone’s bound to have some regrets in their lives. I shouldn’t dwell on my past and keep using it to punish my current self.”
“That’s right. It’s what I want to tell you.” Flossie felt better because Joanne was finally enlightened.
They continued with their lesson. When Joanne resumed studying, she was more attentive than ever. Her messy thoughts no longer disrupted her.
When the lesson ended, Flossie started chatting with Joanne again.
*Joanne, I’m curious about one thing. How bad was your family? Why do you and Quinton act like you want to keep the secret hidden every time you bring it up?” she asked.
“Very bad.” Joanne avoided Flossie’s gaze, flipping through a book, as if she didn’t want to talk about her complicated family.
Flossie knew that Joanne wanted to avoid that topic, but she was the only one who might know what Quinton had experienced. It would help Flossie to find the truth behind the separation between Quinton and their parents.
‘Let me be frank with you. I went to an old friend’s house a while back. His house is located in a fishing village. It happened to be close to your village. Then, my friend and I went out to sea and rode on a boat to the village you guys lived in before…” Flossie began.
A lingering fear gripped Flossie when she recalled that incident.
“That village gave me a weird feeling. Only an old woman is left there. She said something ambiguous. There seem to be some rumors about your family, too…”
“What? You… went to that village?” Joanne was tense all of a sudden.
She couldn’t relax. She gripped a page of the book, terrified.
“Why did you go there for no reason? That village is long gone, with no one around. How could an old woman be living there?” she went on.
“Yes, the village is deserted. But I saw an old woman…” Flossie said.
“What are you trying to find?” Joanne quickly stood up and looked at Flossie in terror. “The past is the past. You know that! Why do you want to look into it? Why do you want to punish your current life with the past?”
*Joanne, calm down. I’m just asking. Flossie did not expect such agitation from Joanne and decided to stop poking the issue. “I’m not bothered by your past, but I want to know more about you guys.”
“What do you want to know?” Joanne calmed down, but was frosty.
Flossie flexed her fingers. “There’s only one thing I want to know…”
“What do you want to know?” Joanne had turned serious. She was curious about what Flossie wanted to ask.
“I can affirm your parents wouldn’t adopt an unrelated boy for no reason, given their character,” Flossie said. “Probably, they might even sell him to another person. But they adopted him, which was unprecedented. Although they weren’t nice to him, they fed and raised him. So, I wanted to know…”
After a pause, she continued, “How did they adopt my brother? Or did someone let them have him?”
“I’m not sure about that.” Joanne frowned, trying hard to recall it. “He’s only three years older than me. When I was old enough to remember things, he was already living at my home. But at that time, my family openly said he wasn’t blood-related to us. So, I knew from the start that he wasn’t my biological brother.
“But there was something quite special. My parents and biological brother had always been lazy. However, my family conditions were okay. They didn’t work, but we had money for food and stuff. My family was even considered pretty decent in the village. I doubted if some rich people secretly helped my family and if they were related to your brother.”
“That’s possible,” Flossie said.
After some contemplation, however, she shook her head.
“But it’s illogical. If some rich people secretly helped your family because of my brother, why did they let your family adopt him? Plus, they let such a messy family adopt him. They watched your family bully and oppress him. Why didn’t they try to stop your family?”