Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
The two started cooperating with each other, trying their best to make their decision sound reasonable.
Layla instantly realized that this expert was indeed quite ‘special’, and chimed into their conversation as well, “This medicine isn’t all that great, actually. If the ingredients aren’t measured properly, it could be harmful to the body instead. Who knows if this person is trying to do good? We shouldn’t trust them so easily.”
Halston was silent the entire time, his expression dark and unreadable. He wasn’t stupid, especially when the three women had such bad acting skills. This only made him certain that Flossie was special to him in some way.
They were not merely ‘afterlife buddies’.
“Alright, alright, you guys are being too noisy. I’m getting tired, so please give me some space.” The man chased them out coldly and shut his eyes.
“Halston, you…” Even though Francine wanted to talk to him, his sudden hostility made her keep her distance. “Okay, son, get some rest. I’ll find a way to cure your eyes.”
Francine and Layla then left the room rather unwillingly.
Seraphina let out a sigh of relief, her expression content. ‘Phew, that was close, we almost got exposed. At least we’re done talking about that now. Halston is quite the trump card, as long as he protects me unconditionally, no one in the Guajardo family can ever lay a finger on me! Conflict with in-laws is just a myth – conflict is only caused by the husband’s incompetence. As long as a husband is willing to defend his wife, no in-law would be able to give her a difficult time.’
“Halston…” Seraphina felt happy as she thought about it, and leaned her head against the man’s shoulder. She intended to continue showing him love.
Unexpectedly, Halston became rather distant. “You too, give me some space.”
“What’s wrong, Halston? Are you mad at me for throwing that recipe away?” Seraphina asked quickly.
“No.” Halston comforted her. “My head is just a little fuzzy, so I’d like to be alone with my thoughts for a while.”
“Your head… is a little fuzzy? Is it because you remembered something?” Seraphina felt her heart jump once again.
“Should I have?”
Halston frowned deeply. He was slowly feeling more and more certain that he had lost some of his memories, especially those related to his ‘afterlife buddy’.
Seraphina turned pale, a wave of fear consuming her. “N-No. You just need to remember who I am.”
Outside the ward, Francine paced about, looking extremely upset.
Layla nervously asked, “Madam, are you worried about something?”
“What do you think? Just look at what my son suddenly became! How could I not be worried?” Francine seemed to be rather disturbed, snapping at anyone she encountered.
She rambled on as she stared at Layla. “Did you not notice how weird my son’s condition was?”
“You’re right, especially his brain. It seems as though it had taken quite a serious injury. If it’s possible, I’d really recommend getting a second opinion and a full body checkup.”
“Yeah, you think something’s wrong with his brain too, huh? I suspect…” Francine paused, scanning her surroundings nervously.
“What do you suspect?” Layla started feeling anxious as well.
Francine whispered seriously, “I think my son has been bewitched, and Seraphina is the one who cast the spell! She’s intent on taking control of my son. Didn’t you see how obedient and protective he was towards her? It makes no sense!”
“Umm, bewitched, you say?” Layla was quite taken aback. ‘Why is this theory sounding like a fairytale?!’
“I don’t care what it is, but I know my son cannot continue staying with Seraphina. If she really is Jovan’s spy, we’re done for. That’s why we need to find a way to transfer him to another hospital. If we do this according to normal procedures, my son would never agree to it. So… you have to think of something for me.” Francine was a cautious person, and could predict risks that might occur later on. However, she was sure that something felt off between Halston and Seraphina, which was why she had to take further action to prevent any more catastrophes.
“Simple – I just need to give Master Guajardo a sedative tea. He’ll sleep through the entire night, and every worry you currently have would disappear the next morning,” Layla exclaimed confidently.
“Good! I knew I was right to have chosen you, you’re a smart child.” Francine praised Layla and patted her on the shoulder. “Keep up the good work and help me find the leader of the Albus Order. As long as Halston regains his sight, you will be the future matriarch of the Guajardo family.”
As night fell, Halston didn’t hold any doubts towards Layla and drank all the medicinal tea she made for him. As his eyelids slowly grew heavy, he fell into a deep sleep.
Seraphina intended to keep him company the entire night as usual, but was intercepted by Francine.
With that, Halston was the only one left in the large ward, sound asleep.
“Thanks for the help, and be gentle. Master Guajardo is injured.” Layla informed the two burly men outside, as they were the ones responsible for transporting Halston.
However, when the two opened the doors to the ward, they found that the bed was empty. Halston was nowhere to be found.
“What?! Miss Bridges, Mr. Guajardo is not in the room. Did you get his ward number wrong?”
“What? He’s not?” Layla rushed in as well, realizing that they were telling the truth. Her mind went blank, and she was filled with disbelief.
‘How on Earth did he disappear into thin air? Oh no, I’m done for… I failed the first ever mission Miss Francine gave me!’
In the middle of the night, a black luxury car drove fast across the winding mountain roads, as if it were a phantom. It seemed to be heading towards the deepest corners of the forest.
Flossie was holding the steering wheel with one hand, drifting through a 90 degree curve perfectly with ease.
She then looked at the rear view mirror, staring at the man laying in the back of her car. He seemed to be heavily affected by the sedative, remaining fast asleep despite the speed and bumps throughout their ride.
‘Tsk tsk, Francine sure is cruel. How could she give her son such heavy drugs? Isn’t she afraid that it might affect his brain?’ Flossie thought to herself, then called the dean of Greenwood Sanatorium, Sebastian Walker.
“Mr. Walker, I’m almost there. Sorry for the trouble, we might occupy the sanatorium for quite a while.”
Sebastian, who was on the other end of the line, was warm and friendly. “Hey Flossie, why are you being so polite with your old Uncle Walker? I was best friends with your father, you know? And he used to be one of our sanatorium’s shareholders! I’d happily let you stay forever, let alone just a while!”
“Thank you so much, Uncle Walker.” Flossie felt reassured by his words.
The Greenwood Sanatorium was a hidden, high-end sanatorium within the mountains. It catered exclusively to the privileged, and was not open to the public, which was why many didn’t know of its existence.
The place was abundant with vegetation. It was tranquil and elegant at the same time, with various precious herbs and a high concentration of negative ions. Not only that, it was equipped with the most advanced medical facilities.
More importantly, the dean, Sebastian, was a trustworthy person. He supported Flossie’s decision unconditionally, risking bankruptcy as he cleared the entire sanatorium to serve Halston alone.
“Don’t worry, Halston, we have everything here. I will make sure you get better, no matter what!” She stared at the man lovingly, making a promise to him.
The car soon arrived at the entrance of the sanatorium, and several vintage buildings appeared before their eyes.
Sebastian and his staff had been waiting for their arrival for a while, and with them was Margaret, who quickly rushed over to welcome Flossie.
“Miss Flossie, you’re finally here! You have no idea how worried I was the entire time, I didn’t even dare to blink!” Margaret said, gasping as soon as she noticed Halston in the backseat. “You’re amazing, you actually did it! You brought him over all on your own!”
“Oh, I was just lucky. They were having some internal conflict, and I lucked out with him being unconscious.” Flossie shrugged, smiling as if she had just won the lottery.
“I was initially thinking that it’d be hard to force him out since he’s pretty tall and agile, so I was going to knock him out before taking him away. But coincidentally, Francine ordered a young girl to drug his tea, and I just took the chance…”
“Maybe this is indeed fate. Miss Flossie, please follow your heart, I won’t stop you anymore.” Margaret sighed deeply, choosing to compromise. At first, she didn’t support Flossie in saving Halston at all. After all, the man was a ticking time bomb. Not only would saving him not bring her any good, she might put herself in danger by doing so as well. Hence, she had been persuading Flossie to just hand the recipe over to them and to leave them alone.
Despite her efforts, seeing how heartbroken and dejected Flossie clearly seemed, Margaret’s stance softened, which was how the current situation came to be…
However, Margaret never would have expected everything to turn out so smoothly, with so many coincidences on their side. ‘I guess it’s their destiny. The gods knew that they still had unresolved fate with each other, and forced the two together in their own mysterious ways.’
Sebastian chimed in warmly. “Flossie, I heard about your situation from Margaret, and rest assured that the sanatorium will provide everything you need to help Mr. Guajardo recover as soon as possible.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Flossie was so touched that she teared up, and bowed to everyone deeply.
“It’s getting late, so why don’t you and Mr. Guajardo go get some rest for now? We have arranged the west wing suite for you – it has the coziest environment we can provide. Not only can you cook, rest, read freely, you can even take a hot bath under the beautiful night sky while listening to streams of water gushing gently. It is truly a place for relaxation.” The vice dean, also known as Sebastian’s wife, Yulia Norris, introduced the place warmly.