Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
“And what’s your relationship with each other? Why are you apologizing for her? Are you close? Who is she to you?” Flossie smiled coldly as she sneered.
When she heard this, Seraphina’s eyes lit up and she nudged the man’s arm. She smirked and said, “Halston, since Miss Ellsworth brought it up, shouldn’t you give her an answer? It’s time we officially announce our relationship to the public anyway! You promised.”
Halston tightened his grip on Seraphina’s shoulder, silently reassuring her. “Seraphina and I…”
The gesture infuriated Flossie, and she clenched her fists.
“Hold on!” Before Halston could speak, Flossie interrupted him in an icy voice. She stood up from her seat and approached them with slightly reddened eyes, staring at the man quietly. “Halston Guajardo, I’d advise you to think before you speak. You should know how important KCL is to H Group… it’s worth far more than the Murphy family, I’m sure. Not only does your choice concern you, it concerns your entire family too.” Flossie couldn’t help but put pressure on the man, making her stance clear.
This was a battle between two women who wanted to have Halston all to themselves. As potential ‘sugar mommies’, they were both equally willing to make sacrifices to win this pretty boy over.
Flossie knew her skills were more valuable than the Murphys’ support. Anyone with a sane mind would know who to pick.
Feeling threatened, Seraphina started bluffing to compensate. “What’s so great about the KCL Group anyway? Aren’t you just some pathetic company that makes chips? How could you possibly be wealthier than my family? What H Group needs the most is cash! Does your lame company even have that?”
Flossie looked at Halston imploringly and responded, “Halston should know the current market value of KCL Group. As long as you make the right choice, both H Group and KCL Group are yours.”
Seraphina, however, refused to admit defeat. “Oh, so what? My dad intends to hand our entire family business to Halston too! All our assets will be his, sooner or later!”
“Whoa!” Everyone there gasped in awe, unable to hide their envy at how Halston was being fought over.
Akio instinctively brought out his pocket mirror to tidy up his hair, then turned back to the two women and said smoothly, “You know, ladies, if you two want a pretty boy, I can arrange for a plastic surgeon to operate on me now! Would that work for you?”
Anyone would dream of being completely provided for, especially when a life of luxury was promised. Moreover, Flossie and Seraphina were quite the lookers, which made the offer even more tempting.
‘Halston Guajardo is so lucky! Not only is he a genius, but he’s been blessed with the perfect face as well!’
‘His looks alone were able to make these two beauties give up everything for him! Isn’t God clearly playing favorites here?!’
With that, everyone eagerly awaited Halston’s answer, especially the men. All of them rubbed their hands eagerly, wishing they could be in his shoes instead.
Halston, however, was expressionless. “My answer has always remained the same; Miss Murphy and I are childhood friends, after all. Thus, I hereby announce that we are officially dating.”
Seraphina felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest, and she smirked triumphantly at Flossie. “You hear that? Halston chose me, not you, even if you might be richer than me! I’m his true love!”
“True love? Hahaha, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day!” Flossie laughed sarcastically, refusing to believe anything Halston said. She knew Halston well enough to know that a formal and dismissive ‘announcement’ like that was definitely scripted. However, she didn’t quite understand their motives for keeping up this act.
“Halston Guajardo, if you’re being held hostage, blink once. Your acting sucks! Do you really expect me to believe any of that?” Flossie was so confused that she started wondering if Seraphina held something against the man and had forced him into this facade.
“Did she threaten you with your nudes? There’s no need to be so modest, just let her leak them – you have a great body anyway! Don’t give up just because of a small issue like that!” Flossie said earnestly.
Halston didn’t answer her, and instead grabbed Seraphina’s hand and turned to the crowd. “Since the conference is over, I’ll be leaving with my girlfriend now.”
They turned around and walked past Flossie, quickly leaving the conference room.
Meanwhile, Flossie was frozen in place. She closed her eyes as she thought to herself absently, ‘I tried, but… it was all useless in the end.’
The others in the room wanted to speak to her, but were frightened of her frosty expression. Akio, however, was brave enough to approach her. He circled the woman like an excited puppy, looking as if he wasn’t scared of the consequences of crossing her boundaries.
“Miss Ellsworth, might I have the pleasure of inviting you to dinner?”
“I mentioned that I’d go through plastic surgery for you, and I wasn’t joking, you know? My country has the best plastic surgeons in the world!”
“Do you want to consider an official relationship with me? I can go get a divorce right now and marry you. After our wedding, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy life…”
Flossie was rather annoyed by this, and turned to him with a cold glare. “Do you really want to marry me, Mr. Higashino?”
“Of course! My looks and body may not be as good as Halston Guajardo’s, and I may be a little older than him, but I have many other good traits too!”
“Then help me out with something,” Flossie said in a mysterious voice.
Jovan was leaning against the doorway of the meeting room at the time, waiting for Flossie. His arms were crossed over his chest, and a lazy smirk was plastered on his handsome face. “Hey now, chairman, you sure hid your secret well. You never fail to impress me!”
“It was my major for my degree and masters. I never really hid anything, it’s just that you just don’t know me well enough,” Flossie said coolly as she eyed the document in her hand, running her fingers through her silky hair. Her demeanor was nonchalant, but her charm shone through regardless.
The woman was the epitome of beauty and brains, and she had masked her true self by becoming a gentle housewife back then. Once the mask was off, she could easily make a name for herself.
“Right, right, I never understood you, nor did Halston. He was such a useless husband… to think that he doesn’t know a thing about you! He deserved whatever karma you just gave him!” Jovan had been watching the livestream outside of the conference hall, and was impressed by how strong and tenacious Flossie was.
Seeing Halston’s embarrassment on screen had given Jovan quite a laugh. He had never felt so happy before, as if he had been the cause for Halston’s humiliation.
“Stop gloating, I didn’t humiliate him at all. I… I just embarrassed myself.” Flossie gave a deep sigh, feeling like an absolute failure for the first time ever. She felt even worse than when she had been heartbroken by Halston’s betrayal.
Four years ago, she had just been a useless, rich housewife, so she figured it was reasonable that he didn’t want to be with her. However, she had just shown him how capable she was, and the man had rejected her regardless, which was a jab to her pride.
“Jovan, be honest with me – am I that bad? Why is he so willing to just… give up on me?” The woman looked up unsurely, trying to hold back tears. She had never doubted herself like this in the past.
Jovan’s signature playful expression shifted slightly, and he lowered his voice gently, “You’re not bad, he’s just blind. He may not be able to see your greatness, but that doesn’t mean you should ever doubt yourself.”
“No way though. No matter how blind he is, he wouldn’t pass on a life of luxury, right? Anyone with a brain would choose KCL over the Murphys, wouldn’t they?” Flossie looked at Jovan imploringly.
“Well, then maybe he’s blind and dumb.” Jovan shrugged.
“Impossible!” Flossie was certain. “You can say he’s blind, but he’s definitely not stupid…”
“Then maybe it really is true love between them… Oh, just stop overthinking it! Since we’ve won, we should go celebrate! Would you like some hotpot? Or sushi?” Jovan said enthusiastically as he dragged her out of the hotel, desperately trying to change the topic.
“Anything’s fine,” Flossie replied blankly. She was staring into space the entire journey, her mind deep inside the little world she created in her head. It was as if she had come to a dead end, unable to escape no matter how much she tried.
Jovan soon brought her to a famous hotpot restaurant nearby. They were known for their fresh ingredients, along with their cheap prices. Hence, the humble little place was packed most of the time.
“Scarlet, a table for two please! And I’d like the usual.” The man greeted the boss warmly, making it obvious that he was a regular here.
“Oh my, Van! When did you come back? It’s been so long since you visited us. Sam has been missing you a lot too…” Scarlet had been busy with the restaurant, but the moment she saw Jovan, her expression brightened. She turned around and shouted, “Hubby, come here right now! Your little Van is finally back!”
“What?! Van is back? This is great! I have to have a drink with him tonight!” A middle-aged man ran out of the kitchen quickly. His oily hands grabbed Jovan’s, and he was beaming happily.
“Haha, I’m not drinking this time. I’d just like to have some of your delicious hotpot with my friend here to cheer her up, you know?”
It was rare to see Jovan being friendly with other people.
“Ah, this is…” Scarlet and Sam looked at Flossie, then turned back to Jovan with knowing smiles. “Oh Van, you’ve finally settled down. We’re so happy for you!”
“You sure are pretty, girl! No wonder you captured his heart! You’re the only one Van has ever brought here!”
“Our hotpot restaurant is Van’s secret hideout, and he always says that some good hotpot is all you need to solve any problems in life! We hope you’ll be happier after having some of ours today!”
Jovan had always behaved like a madman with absolutely no boundaries, but today, he was as bashful as a young teen in love as he brushed Scarlet and Sam off. “You guys, stop being so nosy! You should get back to work!”
Jovan and Flossie headed over to a table next to a window and sat down. The woman was still quite depressed, and she rested her head in her hands, her eyes gloomy.
“Alright, chairman, don’t be so sad. You fought and won beautifully, so let’s have a drink.” Jovan opened up two beer bottles and poured them into two large glasses, then clinked the woman’s glass.
“I’m not sad, I’m just confused…” Flossie took a sip with a dejected look, frowning. “I just don’t understand why Halston changed so suddenly. How can he be willing to choose Murphy and put H Group at risk?”