Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
The more egotistical a man is, the more possessive he becomes. Hence, it was only natural for him to hope that the woman he loved would only have eyes for him. No one would be able to accept infidelity, let alone Halston Guajardo, a man known for his pride. He was acting completely out of character.
“No matter who she falls for, the only person who can make her heart race is me. I don’t have to get jealous over some irrelevant person,” Halston replied casually.
Elijah was dumbfounded, and chuckled awkwardly. “Mr Guajardo, is this some kind of riddle? What do you mean irrelevant? I-“
“This conversation is over.” Halston stopped Elijah from asking any more questions. He wasn’t one to express his feelings, so he would never reveal just how strongly he felt for Flossie. He was also quite annoyed at the fact that Elijah was practically forcing an answer out of him.
“Alright, let’s talk about that manipulative witch Ximenez then…” Elijah sighed. “Truthfully, I did obtain information about the last person she contacted. Coincidentally… that person was none other than Miss Ellsworth.”
Halston narrowed his eyes, his expression solemn. “She contacted Flossie?”
“Yeah, her last call was with Miss Ellsworth, and they talked for over two hours. However, we couldn’t obtain the call recording, so Miss Ellsworth might just be the only one who knows the actual situation…”
Elijah then paused, and reminded his boss. “Besides, Miss Ellsworth has never gotten along with Ximenez. If you question her about this out of nowhere, it could potentially ruin your relationship again.”
“I will ask her about the call if needed,” Halston said as he stared at the drunk woman. His voice sounded soft, but his resolution was clear.
“Mr. Guajardo, I have a question, but I’m not sure if it is appropriate.”
“If you have to wonder, then it’s probably not.”
“Well, after some consideration, I think this question is quite important.”
“Go on then.”
“What if the investigation ended with you only being able to save either Miss Ellsworth or Ximenez? Who would you choose then?” Elijah asked, then held his breath, awaiting the man’s answer.
He knew the question was crossing a boundary, but his curiosity got the better of him.
“I won’t let that happen,” Halston said curtly.
“But what if it does?” Elijah continued daringly. “The future is unpredictable, so what if their fates are bound to clash? What if only one of them is allowed to survive? Who would you save?”
Halston did not reply, but his eyes were fixated on Flossie, full of unspoken affection and determination. His answer was clear.
He had already made the wrong decision four years ago, causing him to miss out on creating memories with Flossie. Now that he had learned his lesson, he swore to never repeat the same mistake.
He knew that he, along with Flossie and the children, did not have another four years to waste.
It was already past 2AM when the car arrived at the manor.
“Mr. Guajardo, we’ve arrived,” Elijah reported in a soft voice.
“Alright.” Halston nodded.
The two of them were speaking and moving cautiously, as though they were protecting a newborn kitten that was asleep. They were extremely worried that their movements would wake her up.
“Do you need some help?” Elijah looked at Halston through the rearview mirror, noticing his ‘difficult situation’.
The drunk woman had wrapped her arms and legs around Halston like a koala, her head nuzzled against his chest.
“It’s fine,” Halston replied coldly. “Your work here is done.”
“Alright, you take care then.” Elijah didn’t want to be the third wheel, and slowly exited the car. Before closing the car door, he stared at Halston sympathetically and said, “I hope your back will be okay tomorrow.”
Halston shot him an infuriated glare. “Get lost, will you?!”
Elijah stared at him innocently. “Mr. Guajardo, don’t misunderstand, I’m genuinely worried that you might strain your back!” Elijah knew that Halston would definitely injure his back if he allowed this ‘koala’ to maintain the same position the whole night.
It was also only after Elijah left that Halston realized what he meant. He tried multiple times to get out of the car, only to find Flossie hugging him tighter.
“Wake up, let me get out of the car first. I’ll carry you to the room and you can keep sleeping there,” he mumbled and tried pulling her arms off of his neck, only to be slapped across the face.
“Don’t move, I want to sleep!” The woman pouted. “If you keep moving, I’ll have to sell you…”
“Damn you, woman!” Halston groaned, his face burning from the slap. Worried that he might get slapped again, he quickly straightened his posture and stopped moving.
Flossie smiled with satisfaction. “Now, that’s a good boy! I knew you’d treat me well. You’re a million times better than my trashy ex-husband…”
‘Ugh, she’s doing it again!’
Halston was enraged but helpless at the same time. “How long have you known him? You haven’t even seen his face, so why are you so attached to him? What’s so good about that man?”
“He has lots of good qualities!” Flossie protested drowsily.
“Like what?”
“He’d cook for me! Every day, no matter how tired I am from work, seeing a warm meal specially prepared for me just melts my heart…”
“Anyone can cook – all you need is cooking classes.”
“Yeah, millions of people can cook, but Mr. Q is special. He’s one in a million. My trashy ex-husband could never replace him.”
“Have you ever thought of the possibility that… they’re the same person? In that case, there’s no need to replace anyone at all.” When Halston revealed this information, he quickly regretted it. He was indeed Mr. Q, or more precisely, he was his substitute.
After being defeated, the real Mr. Q’s fate was unknown after their previous battle.
For years, he had taken over Carmine Pawnshop using a mask and a modified voice. With that, he was able to establish a new order within Water Dock. He had never intended to involve Flossie and the kids, but destiny had other plans and brought them together regardless.
It was true that one big lie required a thousand smaller lies to cover up. When he put on the mask and faced Flossie as ‘Mr. Q’, he knew that there was no way of turning back, especially when she had started depending on him, and even falling for him.
If he were to come clean right now, Flossie would definitely accuse him of purposefully toying with her and humiliating her. He knew just how much her dignity meant to her. The cracks in their relationship would only grow bigger then, to the point where they wouldn’t be able to fix it even if they tried…
‘But if I don’t tell her, how am I supposed to win her back? Hah, how ironic. My rival is myself! Is this what they call karma?’
“Mr. Q, you dummy, I won’t let you insult yourself like that…” Flossie continued mumbling, still embracing the man. “You’re a kind, gentle person… So how could you be the same as that iceberg? Unless, of course, you have a split personality!”
“You’re right, we’re not the same person, but our love for you is the same.” Halston had been maintaining his position for quite some time now, and both his neck and back were sore all because he wanted to let Flossie sleep comfortably.
The man then patted her on the back, speaking in his softest voice, “Sleep well, Flossie, sweet dreams. Tomorrow will be a new day.”
Hearing this, Flossie smiled and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, as sunlight flooded the spacious backseat of the Rolls-Royce, Flossie opened her eyes slowly, only to find herself lying on top of Halston.
Their bodies were basically glued together – her head on his shoulder, and her nose brushing his neck. Their position was… quite intimate, to say the least.
Her entire face flushed red, and she held her breath as she carefully tried getting up.
Suddenly, Halston tightened his grip, firmly holding her by the waist. This pulled them into an even more intimate position.
“Let go of me, Guajardo!” Flossie struggled, feeling embarrassed.
“You’ve slept with me for a whole night, yet now you’re asking me to let go? Is this really how you repay me?” Halston said as he stared at the woman, his gaze piercing.
