Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Halston smiled and said, “We’re all adults; we all have the right to make our own choices. However, if we make the wrong choice, we have to bear the consequences… Am I right, Uncle Barry?”
Barry’s face was unsightly. The cold sweat on his forehead kept dripping down along his gray hair, wetting his shirt.
From the moment Halston “came back from the dead”, he knew that he was powerless to turn the tables in this game of chess. He had lost completely.
‘That’s right, if we’re willing to gamble, we must be willing to pay the price. Do what you will!”
Barry’s face turned as pale as ash. He completely gave up.
Jovan was still sitting in the CEO’s seat. He glared at Halston with fierce hatred in his eyes and said through gritted teeth, “Incredible, simply incredible. Like a phoenix reborn! It’s my loss.”
The grin on Halston’s cold, handsome face was full of mockery and disdain.” My tactics are actually very conventional. It’s you and those fish behind you that were too hungry. The moment you saw the bait, you jumped on it without hesitation, giving me the opportunity to catch all of you in one fell swoop.”
Alexander urged Halston, “Halston, there’s no need to waste time talking to these traitors. We’ve already collected evidence of their illegal activities. Just ask the security guards to turn them over to the police.”
‘The H Group managed to remove all the tumors in one go thanks to your ingenious plan. I know it’s been hard on you. As expected of my son. I’m proud of you, and the entire H Group is proud of you.”
Alexander was very excited. He patted Halston’s shoulder proudly.
After that, several security guards came and took Barry Brown and the others away, leaving only Jovan behind.
Jovan could assess the situation. He offered his seat to Halston, turned to the crowd, and said, “Let us welcome the miraculous return of Halston, the CEO of H Group. As the Vice CEO of H Group, I can finally relax. After all, the higher the position, the more work there is. I’d rather be a useless person and let my excellent cousin Halston do all the work.”
Halston sat down like a king. His gaze swept across the entire venue. He said calmly, “I’m sorry to make everyone worry. I went abroad for a while to heal up from a physical condition, but that actually gave some villains the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. However, everything’s fine now. After this major purging, the H Group will usher in a new era. I will continue to serve as the CEO of H Group, leading the company to new heights…
Halston Guajardo sat there like a king, dazzling and charming the people around him. It was clear that the man was a born leader – nobody could take their eyes off him. Even the reporters from popular media companies who were initially only interested in getting their hands on sensational news were now so captivated by Halston’s charisma that they forgot to take notes.
Sitting amidst hundreds of other guests in the audience, Flossie’s icy gaze was locked on the man on the stage. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her fingernails dug deep into her flesh.
So, Halston Guajardo had been alive all this time… and had now returned more powerful and arrogant than ever! It was truly a pity that she’d spent all that time grieving and shedding tears for him. It was all for nothing! Flossie felt like laughing at how foolish she had been.
Xavier crossed his legs, looking as if he knew all along that this would happen.
“I can’t believe Halston actually went through with his outrageous plan!” He exclaimed with a grin. “But I’ve got to give it to him – this time he really managed to beat that slimeball Jovan Guajardo! He went overboard with his little scheme, though; I didn’t think he’d disappear for so long, especially with all those crazy rumors about him going around… He’s like one of those medieval knights who’d endure torture and humiliation for the sake of victory!”
“You mean,” Flossie said slowly, “you knew he was alive, and others knew it too? Was Alexander Guajardo in on this too?”
“Of course!” Xavier replied enthusiastically. “It’s a huge undertaking, after all! He did give us hints that he was safe so we wouldn’t be worried about him or do anything rash. If we’d done something, like go after Jovan, we’d never be able to lure out the mastermind backing him…”
When Flossie was silent, Xavier turned to her and asked hesitantly, “You didn’t actually think that he was dead, did you? Didn’t Halston drop you any hints?”
“No,” Flossie shook her head, her face sullen with disappointment, “he didn’t. M
“No way… He wouldn’t possibly hide such a big thing from you! You’re the most important person in the world to him, so he definitely would’ve hinted at something. Anybody would know that you’d be worried about him!”
Xavier blurted out, defending his friend even though he figured that Halston had clearly not thought this through.
Halston Guajardo had dug his own grave, and Xavier couldn’t help him out of it.
Flossie smiled bitterly, thinking how foolish she was to have worried about him. “Clearly, I’m nothing to him, so why should he think of me when he decides to do something?”
“Um…” Xavier inwardly kicked himself, and hastily added, “That’s not what I meant, Flossie… Maybe it’s because you mean so much to him that he had to keep you in the dark about it. That way, it’d be more believable, and the target would definitely take the bait.”
“So, I guess that just makes me one of the pawns in his plan, huh?” Flossie sneered, now understanding why Jovan had taken her to Halston’s grave that day. Despite him wanting to boast about replacing Halston, he probably wanted to see her reaction to the news. When he saw how genuinely upset she was, he was then convinced that Halston really was dead.
“Don’t say that, Flossie! There’s always a misunderstanding between the both of you, and if you think that way, it’ll only get worse! When are you both going to move past it?” Xavier protested.
“Never!” Flossie snarled, her eyes shining with rage. “It will never be resolved, because from now on, Halston Guajardo and I will forever be strangers to each other! If we ever cross paths in this dog-eat-dog world of business, it would be as competitors, not friends, and if that happens, you can be sure that I’ll fight him to the death!”
Just as Flossie finished her sentence, she noticed a microphone hovering near her mouth. Realization struck her, and she slowly looked up to see everyone’s eyes on her, including Halston’s…
“Miss Ellsworth, we heard that you recently replaced Mr. Liam Osborne as the president of Azure Group. Considering your rather unusual relationship with Mr. Halston Guajardo, what does the future relationship of your companies look like? Would the two of you be competing with each other as rivals, or work together as partners?” The person asking was a head reporter from one of the most reputable finance and economics magazines.
Flossie’s thoughts were still circling around the deep anger and resentment she felt for Halston, and she glared at the man icily. In contrast, Halston was calm and collected as he gazed at her indifferently.
“Unusual” was indeed a good word to describe their relationship!
Halston did not have to say anything – the damage was already done. His lethal silence could easily crush anyone’s self-esteem to smithereens!
Flossie clenched her fists and sneered, ’There are no friends or enemies in the world of business – there’s only benefit and loss. If Mr. Guajardo can help me make more money, then well work together as partners, but if he can’t, then it’s only a matter of time that we’ll compete as rivals.”
After hearing that, the audience roared with laughter.
“Flossie, calm down!” Xavier whispered urgently, tugging at Flossie’s sleeve.” With Azure Group’s current strength, you’re in no position to challenge a major corporation like H Group! This has to be a joke to lighten the atmosphere, right?”
However, what everyone else was saying about Flossie was nowhere near as charitable as what Xavier had said. They saw her as a clueless and foolish little ant presumptuous enough to believe it could knock down a big, sturdy tree like H Group.
One of the top executives of H Group tried to stifle his laughter as he told Flossie sarcastically, “You might think your status as Mr. Halston Guajardo’s ex- wife grants you certain privileges, Miss Ellsworth, but business is business, and emotions have no place here. I don’t believe H Group would ever consider working with Azure Group, and such a small company couldn’t possibly be our rival either, so a relationship between our companies would be impossible simply because we’re not on the same level.’
Although the man’s words were blatantly condescending and chock-full of arrogance, Flossie was not at all angered, and merely replied in disdain,” Fine. Don’t forget what you said, and from now on, don’t come to Azure Group for any kind of cooperation or partnership.”
“Hahahaha!” Once again, the whole place erupted in laughter. Everyone there saw Flossie as a silly clown.
The same top executive cleared his throat and said smugly, “I don’t think you’ll ever be in danger of having the opportunity to work with H Group, but regardless… I can’t make the final decision for H Group. It’s ultimately up to Mr. Halston Guajardo, so, what is your take on this, Mr. Guajardo?”
The crowd turned to Halston now, their eyes burning with curiosity. After all, Halston and Flossie had once been married, and they were now reunited. Even if they were not rivals in business, this was still an emotional moment for the former couple!
To their disappointment, Halston’s reactions were just as tepid as earlier. He looked at Flossie as if she was not even there as he replied in an overly formal and polite tone, “H Group respects all enterprises. We will cooperate with anyone as long as they have the capabilities and both parties can benefit from it.”
The audience responded with warm applause for Halston, impressed by his generosity and open- mindedness in focusing on the bigger picture. His charisma was so bountiful and his wisdom was so impressive that he shifted all attention away from Flossie and back onto him.
Flossie sat back down, but her emotions were in disarray. That man was simply outrageous! How could he act so cold and indifferent, as if nothing happened?! What was even more infuriating was how he acted like she was a complete stranger to him!
“Hey,” Xavier tried to comfort her after noticing how upset she was, ‘ don’t let it get to you. You know what Halston’s like – he always puts on airs, especially during events like this. You’ll see, once he gets down from that stage, he’ll come to you crying and begging for forgiveness!”
“There’s no need forthat, because I sure as hell won’t be staying here any longer!” Flossie snapped, then got up and left the hall, heading straight for the restroom.
Meanwhile, H Group had just concluded the press conference. Now, everyone knew that Halston Guajardo, the true king, had returned. Jovan Guajardo, the usurper, along with all his cohorts, would be banished forever, and Halston Guajardo would usher in a new golden era for H Group!
Flossie sat on the toilet in the restroom, so enraged that she drew a pentagram on the floor with the tip of her shoe, viciously cursing Halston.
“Damn you to hell, Halston Guajardo! You wanted to die so much that you even got yourself a grave, huh? Well, then… I hope you choke to death when you drink water, or when you swallow your food! I hope you get struck by lightning when you’re on your phone, or fall down a hole and die while you’re walking…’
Suddenly, she heard the voices of women coming from the nearby stalls.
“Ah, no imitation can beat the real thing… Jovan Guajardo might be cute, but he’s nothing compared to Halston Guajardo! They’re as different as day and night. Oh, can Halston Guajardo be any more perfect? If only I could marry him one day!”
“Stop daydreaming – he’s already found his true love! If you think you’ll actually get a turn to be with him, you should get your head checked…”
“True love? You mean his ex-wife?”
“No, dummy! It’s the woman Mr. Guajardo has been protecting for four years – Jessanna Ximenez! But I heard rumors about her going missing recently, and the Guajardo family is sending people to look for her. If the precious Jessanna Ximenez really is gone, then perhaps you might have a chance with Mr. Guajardo, but as for his ex-wife… Didn’t you see how cold he was with her just now? It’s obvious that he despises her, so she’s no threat to you at all!”
Flossie almost exploded in rage as she listened to them talking. She stomped out of the toilet and kicked down the doors to the two stalls the women were in and said furiously, “You’ve got it all wrong! I was the one who dumped Halston Guajardo, and I’m the one who despises him! Even if a cold -blooded robot like him knelt down to take off my shoes. I’d just kick him away!”