Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“It’s different!” Adie clenched his fists, trying to get his point across. “I’m your son, not your husband. What you need now is a husband, and that’s why I need to find you one.”
Flossie stared at Adie, at a loss for words.
Leia burst into laughter, and grinned at Flossie. “In my opinion, you should just let Adie find you a man. If he does find you a knight in shining armor, he’d also be finding a father for himself. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone? I’m sure Adie’s judgment is better than yours; whoever he chooses can’t possibly be any worse than a certain someone, don’t you think?”
Flossie didn’t take what Adie said seriously and nodded absently. “Alright, Adie. I’m counting on you to find the man of my dreams. I’m very vain, so I need a man who’s tall and handsome. Good luck!”
“Don’t worry, Mommy, I’m vain too. I’ll definitely find you a handsome man!” The two bumped fists in agreement.
Flossie had a little too much to drink last night, and she was having a pounding headache. While Adie watched cartoons in the living room, she entered the kitchen to make herself some soup for her hangover. She cut a pear into pieces, soaked some white fungus, and added both into a pot of water. She then let it simmer for an hour.
Leia entered the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream, and leaned against the kitchen island as she said to Flossie, “Flossie, to be honest, I think breaking up with my brother was a good move for you. You didn’t love each other, so instead of getting married, you two should just remain friends. It’s better for both of you that way.”
Flossie smiled faintly as she cut a watermelon. “I know there isn’t a man alive who will love me and my children more than your brother does.
Losing him was my loss, but I genuinely hope he can find a woman who deserves him. As for myself, I don’t plan on getting married. Being single isn’t that bad. I don’t have to deal with people I don’t like, and I’ll have so much more freedom. All I want to do is to raise my children. Once they’re old enough to have their own families, I can do whatever I want. I’ll be able to travel the world, read books, or even become a nun!”
“Become a nun?” Leia was taken by surprise. “You’re barely thirty! You don’t have to get married, but you can still get into relationships. There are plenty of fish in the water!”
Flossie focused on cutting the watermelon, and just smiled without saying anything.
“In my opinion, the male escort from last night wasn’t too bad. At the very least, he can make you happy. You don’t have to be stressed all the time…” Leia recalled how Flossie had screamed for the male escort from below the stage last night.
She just wanted Flossie to feel young and free like that again
Leia wholeheartedly believed that life should be lived to the fullest, without stress or misery. That was all she wanted for her best friend. At the very least, she didn’t want Flossie to give up on romance at the young age of thirty all because of a selfish scumbag!
‘Isaac has another performance in a few days, so why don’t we go back then and have a good time? Also, I heard that The Blue Inn hires handsome new performers every few days or so. They always fight for the top spot, so if you get bored of Isaac, we can always find you someone else. You know, I think we should try to view relationships the way men do. We should only care about their appearance, and never get emotionally invested. That way, well never get hurt, right?”
Flossie chuckled, her eyes gleaming with mirth. “Leia, what happened to you? In the past, all you talked about was undying love; you’d even pray for a man who loved you with all his heart. How did you come to this sudden realization?”
“Well, I guess it was when I got fooled by that scumbag.” Leia let out a long sigh.
“William is a pretty good actor. He was playing me like a fiddle the whole time! Did you say that poison was fake? Why didn’t it kill him? I can only blame myself for not shooting him and killing him back then!” Leia growled, stomping her foot in frustration.
“Alright, don’t get upset. I think he’s realized what he’s done wrong, and he risked his life to make up for it. If you still can’t move on, give him another chance. You don’t have to worry about me -1 won’t mind.” Flossie could tell that Leia still hadn’t moved on despite how much she claimed she hated William.
That’s because the opposite of loving someone wasn’t hatred, it was indifference.
The more Leia said she hated him, the more obvious it was that she loved him. William still had an important place in her heart, and his betrayal had hurt her deeply. However, Flossie knew Leia was a devoted friend, and she would feel bad getting back with William after what he did to Flossie; that was why Leia had cut off all ties with William.
‘Fat chance! I’ve seen through his facade, and I can’t trust him anymore. With a place like The Blue Inn, I can meet handsome, young men every night. Why would I give up all that for one guy?” Leia hugged Flossie’s arm like a child. “I don’t care, you’re going there with me again! Friends have to share good things with each other, and looking at attractive men is one of those things!”
Flossie couldn’t say no. “Alright, alright. I’ll go with you.”
After drinking her soup, Flossie switched on her computer to settle some matters related to Azure Group. Azure Group was now entering a period of rapid growth, and it needed more investments. However, the company was seriously lacking finances. With their source of capital cut off, she needed to find an alternative, or their four years of hard work would go down the drain.
Liam had been contributing far too much over the years, so Flossie was too embarrassed to ask the Osborne family for more financial aid. Additionally, the families in Beach City that were capable of offering help were all on the Guajardo family’s side. Naturally, they wouldn’t help the Guajardo family’s rival.
‘Ahh, what a pain!’ Flossie grumbled inwardly.
Suddenly, Flossie received a call, and she answered it cautiously.
The voice on the other end of the line was soft and magnetic. “Been a while, hasn’t it? I heard you’re in need of cash.
The person on the other end of the line was none other than Jovan, the mad man who had been making headlines in the business realm as of late.
In the past, Flossie used to think that he was an idiot who relied on his status in the Guajardo family to live a lavish lifestyle. However, after that incident, her impression of the man changed.
Anybody who came from a rich family and managed to carve his own path in the cutthroat field of business couldn’t possibly be an idiot. In fact, people like him who pretended to be fools were the hardest to deal with!
Flossie didn’t want to waste her time on him, and ended the call without saying a word.
As usual, she browsed financial websites to check the latest financial news.
To her surprise, Halston, who used to be the business circle’s favorite subject, was now the person everyone hated. Comments like ‘H Group’s CEO, Halston Guajardo, is suspected to be dead. What lies ahead for H Group?’,’ Mr. Guajardo is having a good time out there while H Group’s employee morale diminishes, and the company is about to crash’, and ‘Halston runs away with the company’s earnings, the shareholders are left with nothing but debt and are being forced to jump off buildings’ could be seen everywhere on the screen.
Since Halston’s death hadn’t been announced to the public, there were all sorts of speculations out there. People who used to support Halston didn’t dare say anything, and those who hated Halston used this as an opportunity to degrade him even further. Media companies were taking full advantage of the situation. They’d probably caught wind of Halston’s death long ago, and with the slanderous rumors being circulated, they were happy to portray Halston as an unethical person who’d committed heinous crimes.
The most shocking thing was that a news website, which was founded and operated by paparazzi, was circulating rumors that Halston had casual relationships with men. They claimed he had ended up contracting AIDS and died, and that he and his wife got divorced because of his sexual orientation! All this was just to get attention, but it was still frustrating to see.
“Damn it, which media company is this?! They’re going too far!” Flossie was furious when she read the article.
Halston was once worshipped like a god, but the very same media companies that had once sung his praises were now insulting him ruthlessly. Didn’t they feel guilty slandering a dead person?
‘Oh, Halston, aren’t you the coolest and strongest person in the world? Your reputation is falling apart. Can you really just let this happen without doing anything about it? If you have what it takes, come out and put them all in their places!’
Ironically, now that Halston’s image was in tatters, everyone was now praising Jovan, the very same person they had considered a useless idiot before this. In fact, a few financial experts had predicted that Jovan, who apparently had a good mind for business, was the person most capable of leading H Group out of the precarious situation it was in.
Jovan, supposedly, would become the overlord who dominated the business realm in Beach City in the upcoming twenty to fifty years. An anonymous source had even spread rumors that Jovan and Flossie were meant to be together, and that Halston was the one who had come between them years ago. However, Jovan was now making a glorious comeback and reclaiming what belonged to him!
Flossie had to admit that the business realm was just as fake as showbiz. When one was doing well, everyone would shower that person with compliments. However, when that person’s business started going downhill, everyone would step all over that person. Even a random stranger would spit on them!
Flossie was getting angrier by the second, and at that moment, she received another call from Jovan. She immediately answered the call and snarled, “Jovan, are you crazy? Do you want to get beaten up again?”
Jovan was getting on her nerves! It seemed like she hadn’t kicked him hard enough back at the cemetery. It’d barely been a few days, and he was already behaving like a lunatic again
However, Jovan wasn’t angry at all. On the contrary, he laughed in amusement. “Let’s meet up. I can solve Azure Group’s lack of capital.
Flossie scowled at the sight of the rumors on her computer screen. “Sure. Clearly, we need to talk!”
They agreed to meet at an elegant little cafe.
Jovan arrived ahead of time. He was dressed casually in a beige sweater and apricot trousers. He seemed relaxed and approachable, unlike his usual mad and sinister self.
He smiled pleasantly when he saw Flossie. “I ordered a Matcha Frappuccino for you. If I’m not mistaken, that’s your favorite drink.”
Flossie was a little surprised that he knew this. She reached for a chair and sat down. There was even a bouquet of sunflowers next to her coffee that seemed to be a gift for her.
Jovan… He’d done a lot of research on her, hadn’t he? How else would he know her favorite things?
“What are you up to? Why do you know all these things about me?” Flossie asked, warily staring at the man in front of her.
Jovan was handsome. Compared to the aloof and moody Halston, Jovan seemed more easy-going. He looked like the typical rich kid who’d spend his family’s money unwisely.
Who would’ve thought that someone like him was a crazy fanatic?
Jovan took a sip of his coffee and smiled. “I thought you’d know how I feel about you after that night. I’m your loyal fan, so I don’t need to do research to know the things you like. As for these flowers…”
His eyes were gleaming as he stared at her hungrily. He obviously wanted Flossie all to himself. “When a man gives a woman flowers, it means he has officially decided to pursue her. You’ll be mine sooner or later!”
“Ugh!” Flossie felt goosebumps all over her body, and she subconsciously moved back a little. “Jovan, what’s wrong with you? Do you really think you stand a chance just because Halston is no longer around?”
She sneered, “Grandpa Guajardo single-handedly built H Group, so without his permission, you’ll have no part in it. Don’t you think you’re being too impatient by bribing media companies and falsifying rumors? Your cousin is no longer around, but that doesn’t mean you can step all over him.